Temples and Rituals
This morning we got the train to Harajuku. We checked out Takeshita Street (you need to be careful with your pronunciation here), which is famous in Japan for it's fashion and trend setting.
Also in Harajuku we went around the Meiji Shrine, which is a Shinto Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. The shrine was a fantastic sight. I look part in the cleansing ritual before entering the shrine:
Inside the shrine I also took part in a special prayer. It was such a fantastic morning.
In the afternoon we got the train to Asakusa. We went for a Japanese curry for lunch, which was absolutely delicious! We then went to Sensō-Ji, the most important Buddhist temple in Japan. Again, another fantastic temple with lots of beautiful sights. I took part in their rituals and watched the Buddhist monks chanting.
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The gardens around the temple were beautiful and full of Buddhist imagery.
We then made our way to Tokyo Cruises and arranged a cruise along the Tokyo river to Chūō, where we went to the Hamarikyu Gardens. The gardens were so peaceful and some lovely sights. We stopped off at a small tea house where we took part in a tea ceremony. I don't like tea, but I took part in the ceremony and drank my tea for the experience. No doubt I'll be drinking more green tea throughout my travels.
From the Hamarikyu Gardens we went up one of the large skyscrapers to get a view of the entire city during the sunset. It was quite moggy so visibility was low, but it was still an amazing sight!
We then got the train back to Ikebukuro and returned to our hotel to freshen up. The immense heat meant that we were constantly sweating and by this time we were all probably quite smelly.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes we went to a sushi restaurant. I'm not a sushi/fish fan, but I went for the experience. I tried a few non-fishy sushis, but they were still very fishy tasting. I didn't enjoy them, but nothing a few pints of beer couldn't help with. After that we mooched around the city and stopped off at a few bars for a drink.
We're packing our cases this evening because tomorrow we're moving from Ikebukuro/Tokyo to Nagano. We're staying with monks in a temple, so that will be quite exciting. I'm not sure when I'll next get chance to update you on our activities, but I will as soon as I can.
Also in Harajuku we went around the Meiji Shrine, which is a Shinto Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. The shrine was a fantastic sight. I look part in the cleansing ritual before entering the shrine:
Inside the shrine I also took part in a special prayer. It was such a fantastic morning.
In the afternoon we got the train to Asakusa. We went for a Japanese curry for lunch, which was absolutely delicious! We then went to Sensō-Ji, the most important Buddhist temple in Japan. Again, another fantastic temple with lots of beautiful sights. I took part in their rituals and watched the Buddhist monks chanting.
The gardens around the temple were beautiful and full of Buddhist imagery.
We then made our way to Tokyo Cruises and arranged a cruise along the Tokyo river to Chūō, where we went to the Hamarikyu Gardens. The gardens were so peaceful and some lovely sights. We stopped off at a small tea house where we took part in a tea ceremony. I don't like tea, but I took part in the ceremony and drank my tea for the experience. No doubt I'll be drinking more green tea throughout my travels.
From the Hamarikyu Gardens we went up one of the large skyscrapers to get a view of the entire city during the sunset. It was quite moggy so visibility was low, but it was still an amazing sight!
We then got the train back to Ikebukuro and returned to our hotel to freshen up. The immense heat meant that we were constantly sweating and by this time we were all probably quite smelly.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes we went to a sushi restaurant. I'm not a sushi/fish fan, but I went for the experience. I tried a few non-fishy sushis, but they were still very fishy tasting. I didn't enjoy them, but nothing a few pints of beer couldn't help with. After that we mooched around the city and stopped off at a few bars for a drink.
We're packing our cases this evening because tomorrow we're moving from Ikebukuro/Tokyo to Nagano. We're staying with monks in a temple, so that will be quite exciting. I'm not sure when I'll next get chance to update you on our activities, but I will as soon as I can.