I leave soon to go to the airport. From here I’ll go to Shanghai and visit the city of Yixing.

What I love about Japan is its mass transit system. Part of it is chaotic only because it is so big. It has to move a large population. Anywhere you go in the city is also very walkable. Obviously not large roadways but there are ways around those. So many people walk and bike. Healthier cultures have that in common.

No matter what food you get here is great. The Japanese take pride no matter what job they have. It is ingrained. That being said, they do have problems with work/life balance. There is a drive to succeed which is also true of every Asian country. I see the stress and long hours students put in.

Regardless they are very polite and helpful. Even if they do not speak English they try to help. They also are very beautiful and age well. I enjoyed going to the Onsen. Every person is a little different in body shape but we age similarly across nationalities.

Things are very efficient. Everything is recycled with different days for different items. All other trash is burnable. There are large “gas grills” by apartments where trash is burnt. There are few trash cans on the streets. Despite this, there is very little litter on the streets. This is a very clean city and everything is maintained well.

Space and resources are optimized. In Sarah’s apartment, the parts of a bathroom are separated. The toilet is in a different room and I thought this was ingenious: you wash your hands at the top of the toilet while it is refilling the tank. Before you think that is disgusting, it is the same water that goes to any tap.

Plus the controls on the left side are for the bidet. Don’t knock it. It has been shown to be a healthier way to get clean.

The shower is outside the tub. Yes, you shower on the floor. It stays cleaner. The tub is awesome and you can fold down a top for a platform. The sink, mirror, etc. Are outside this room.

Laundry is next to it.

I could write more, it is fabulous. Expensive though.

There are places I did not visit, like the Imperial Palace, a Samurai museum, boat tour around Tokyo, Art museums (though if you go to the National Museum you will see various art forms there), and I am sure there is more.

For only being here 5 days, I did see a lot. I am glad the cherry blossoms were delayed a bit due to cold weather. It is breath taking as there are so many around the city.

At the airport I am glad I had time to mill around and look at some shops before and after the security. They even had places to shop by a lounge with a playground.

I am still amused with the sound of running water that plays when you sit down in the bathroom. It works at moving people through faster.

I will need to come back and visit more areas in Japan.

You know I’ll get to the dog and the owls. I obviously have to go sequentially through my day.I had been eyeing these desserts all week. I went to the Mitaka station to buy one of these. After all, I can indulge myself with dessert for breakfast.

I took the train to Kichijoji and went to Inokashira park. I was there on the first day here in Japan for cherry blossoms but it was very crowded.I rented a swan boat (they have canoes and other peddle boats) and spent 30 minutes paddling around the pond.

https://youtu.be/Iztey9PGLjcIf you become still like a Swan, the ducks come to you!

After the boats, I soaked up sunshine and ate my breakfast. It was a cookie base with ganache in the center surrounded by thick whipped cream and topped with chestnut icing. It was delicious.

Scramble crossing, Shibuya

I took a train to Shibuya station. Inside, if you look for the signs for Shibuya Mark City, it will take you upstairs to a walkway. From there you can see an intersection that has the 4 crosswalks plus the diagonal. It is known as the scramble crossing as all traffic stops and all pedestrians move at once. You can also see it from the Starbucks (after you cross the street of course!)

On a weekend there would be more people. Here is a time lapse video.https://youtu.be/Iztey9PGLjc

The dog, Hachiko

Looking down from the train station on the right hand side there will be a crowd of people around a statue. It is the statue of the dog Hachiko.The dog would meet his master at the stop at the end of every work day. One day his master had a stroke and never came home. The dog continued to return every day and people would feed him. He remained faithful for 9 years until he died. It is to commemorate faithful and loyal dogs.

From there I walked to a different metro stop, Harajuku. It was a little warmer today so I would rather walk extra than ride a train. I crossed the scramble crossing diagonally from the statue towards the Starbucks then continued to the right. It was a straight shot to Yoyogi Park and a beautiful day for a walk.There are many high end shops along the way and a Tower records. There was a movie of that name…

A telephone booth.

Meiji Jingu Shrine

After arriving and before going to Yoyogi park, I stopped at the Meiji Jingu Shrine (it is actually on one end of the park). During the Meiji Era, Emperor Meiji increased industrialization and took some of the best Western ideas and used them with traditional Japanese. This shrine is in honor of him, including these barrels of sake given in his honor.

There are many torii gates throughout.

It is a decent walk down a beautiful path to get to the shrine.

At the shrine you can toss a coin to make prayer, bow twice, clap your hands twice, and then bow again.

You can also leave a gift of money with a blessing and it is offered in service later.

Before entering the shrine it is a ritual to cleanse hands.

There is a secret garden to regain peace when there are many crowds but I did not see it. There is also a wishing well some distance from the shrine towards the rest of the park.Art museum or Owl Cafe? Tough one. But the owls won.

Owls, Owl Village

From here I went to an Owl Village. They are bred in captivity but do not get to fly like an owl should. That part I really don’t like but the opportunity to handle and interact with an owl is too much to pass up. It was pricey but cool. This one is Chai.

They were all so different in how they like to be pet. They stay with their buddies and the attendants know their personalities.

This is Jiji.

There are set times to see the birds and your should make a reservation as they only allow so many at a time. Price includes a drink and you view the rules as you relax. The birds also get a break too.In case you are looking for other things in this area, I saw a different Cafe…

And cool stores….

You can also walk down Takeshita Street. It is packed with shops and food. I walked a section of it. Yes there were that many people!

There are many street performers. This one was great.https://youtu.be/jkOG4BdI57Y

Yoyogi Park

From here it is a short walk around to the entrance of Yoyogi Park.They really love Hachiko here…They have a beautiful rose garden near the front but it is too early for that. There are more cherry blossoms here. It is a huge park and many people come here to eat lunch from work. Lots of kids playing, etc.What will look like a rise garden soon.There are even magicians to capture kids attention.Cherry blossoms. Last one!My last idea was to go to Shinjuku Station and search fur Golden Gai. It is an old neighborhood but many places were not open. It has a thriving night scene (bars and restaurants). I was a bit early so not much was open.Instead I went to an Onsen. It really is great for the joints. I think my skin and hair has never been better. I am sure it is the water and will miss this part of Japan among others. I loved seeing all the dogd so well cared for, out for walks, in strollers, wearing outfits… They love their dogs here.

I haven’t chronicled all my food as I sometimes skip meals when traveling or just forget.

Yesterday I ate at Ueno Park because it is much like a holiday here with the cherry blossoms. There were food vendors though what I did buy you can get other places.

The first is squid balls (balls of dough with squid inside) which I have had before. This is called Takoyaki and had extra items on top. Really good.

Other vendors had food I would like to try but could not try them all. I would like the sticky rice cakes as sticky rice is my favorite. On a side note, eating sticky rice keeps you full longer than regular grain rice.

I passed this stand and had to try it. It is Okonomiyaki. Yaki by the way means grilled or cooked. This is a pancake batter topped with cabbage, shrimp, dried squid, red ginger, and seaweed all mixed then they flip it to cook the other side. It was yummy. I forgot to take a picture of the serving once I started eating it!

For dinner, Sarah and I went out for sushi at Kura Sushi near her house. This is a chain restaurant. They have green tea powder and a hot water spigot to make your own tea at the table.

When chefs make a person’s order they make a few extra and send them out on a conveyor belt. If you want it, you grab it. Each plate is 100 yen.

Check out the video.

Because each plate is 100, if something is double it comes with two plates under it. They count the plates when you slide them into the bin at your table. Every 5 plates, and a “wheel” spins on the monitor. If you win you get an arcade prize like the type you would put quarters in at a store.

I also ordered eel liver. It was okay and hard to describe.

You order on the touch screen and then the conveyor belt brings it out to your table. You can keep ordering one item or many at a time throughout your dinner.

In the end you pay based upon the number of plates you have.

I did not have a chance to get one (bottom row) of these yet, but it is some kind of cake with chestnut frosting. I pass it at the local train station every day and will most likely get one today as I have stared at them day after day.

Today I planned to view more shrines, parks, and do a little shopping. I started by going to the Nippori station. From there I used the west exit to leave the station and start walking to Yinaka Giza.It is also known as cat street as there was a time it was over run with cats. They asked the problem by finding them up and neutering them.Many vendors had pet items.

You can buy a kimono outfit for your furry friend! There are many shops to get souvenirs and interesting items you might not find elsewhere. There are also need shops and specialty foods.This place has an oven made of volcanic rock. Fair enough, it was worth trying something there. I bought a bread with cheese and mushrooms.I also bought a doughy stick from another shop that had flavored paste inside. I tried the chestnut.I should have planned my route more carefully. One of the shrines was close to the Nippori station so I went back through the shopping area. I decided to buy some souvenirs I didn’t get the first time. (if you read this post to the end, you will find a missed a second shrine and went back to Nippori to leave instead of the other metro stop.) The view from the top after I went back.You walk through a cemetary to see the shrine. The bamboo sticks have epitaphs of the person’s life. This is Yanaka cemetary.Tennoji temple is a Buddhist temple that was erected in 1274.This site is the relic of a 5 story pagoda. I expected more but really it is just the foundation stones. It is surrounded by the cemetery. There are not many 5 story pagodas left. They are like a giant stupa for artifacts of those no longer alive including ashes.This is the grave of St. Nicholas of Japan. He was a Russian Orthodox archbishop. He introduced the Eastern Orthodox Church to Japan.From here I walked to Ueno Park. There were many art businesses and it seemed like an artists area. I noticed this place along the way. Crepe and Yanaka beer. Quite the combination!Further s down the street is Tokyo University of the Arts.Before heading to the park I went to the National Museum of Tokyo.The goal of Buddhism is to become Buddha which is a being of enlightened mind free of illusion and suffering. They had a displays of Buddhism.They also had an exhibit of swords and their craftsmanship.I personally liked the pottery. This is very intricate.This is Imari Japanese porcelain. In the 17th century, kaolin clay was found near Arita which made the wars created from the clay white.Various statues were on display. Buddha’s were often made of metal or later of lacquered clay. This is because light shine from an enlightened Buddha and it’s likeness should as well.The 11 headed Buddha shows that it is looking all around for suffering.The Buddha with many arms reminds that it is always serving where needed.There were many printed artifacts from the Edo period. During this time it was relatively peaceful without wars.The feudal lord Masa’atsu ordered books about birds written in 1800 as he loved learning.Maps of the 5 highways from Edo castle where the Imperial Palace now stands. It is incredibly detailed to understand routes that radiate out from the center.Various pottery dating back many centuries show daily life and honoring dead. These are tiles.Painted screens of daily life in early Japan.An old Japanese hanging.Copying the Buddhist writings is much like prayer itself and for teaching of the words of Sakyamuni, the Buddha, from the 5th century.Objects are used in rituals as teachings of Buddha are difficult to learn by normal means. Rituals (in many religions) are used to understand the truth and free ones mind from illusion and suffering.After the museum I went through Ueno park to see more cherry blossoms and it woukd apart many had the same idea. It was still beautiful and since it is a special season they had vendors for food. I will post about the food in the next post.The Ueno Toshogu Shrine is in the park. There is a remembrance to the doing of the atomic bombs at the entrance. A man found fire burning from a bomb that fell on his uncles house and viewed to keep the flame alive so it never happens again. I agree.5 story pagoda.This is in great condition for its age and a great example of Shinto architecture from the Edo age.Detail of the base of a statue.I must include a picture of cherry blossoms.I realized I missed a shrine and could go back the way I came. It was a beautiful day and a pretty walk. The Kaneji temple is another Buddhist temple.Inside the temple.On the way back to the Nippori station I snapoed this picture of cherry blossoms (the plan was to walk to a the Ueno metro to see other streets, but it was a beautiful day).And this cute kitty was soaking up the warm sunshine on a cool windy day…

Before touring much of Asakusa, I walked to the Sumida River Ferry ticket station to purchase a ticket to Odaiba. It sells out in advance. If you want a great view of Tokyo at night and the lit up Rainbow Bridge, the best ferry time is 3:15. I would purchase no later than late morning. That gives you time to explore, eat dinner, and get some amazing pictures.

Be early. I was told to be 15 minutes early. That was when I arrived and most people were already there. They do not board at 3:15, that is when they are leaving.

On the way to board the ferry there was a performance artist pretending to be a statue. He was having fun with the kids.

The ferry is pretty futuristic because, why not, it’s Japan.

It was a really comfortable ride. There are tasks, cushioned seats around posts, and bench seats along the side. There is a bar where you can get alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. You can also get ice cream. While you are in Japan you should try purple potato ice cream. It does not taste like potatoes and is kind of sweet. Very yummy. You can get other flavors but I have only seen this in a few other Asian countries.

When you get to Odaiba, you will be at Daiba seaside Park. There are many ship artifacts like chains and anchors as part of the landscaping. There is a beautiful view of the water. This is the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo.

A panoramic view of Tokyo. Walk along the pathway by the water to see the whole skyline.

At the park is a mini Statue of Liberty. It was erected in the late 90’s as a tribute to Japan’s relationship with France. It was to be temporary, but because it is popular it remains. If you have walked along the shoreline you will see stairs to go to the statue and you will be on a catwalk.

From here if you continue up you will see Aqua City mall but save that for last to eat and see the lights at night. Keep walking past away from the river and you will go across a long bridge spanning many highways. It is beautifully landscaped and has statues.

At the other end is a statue that represents the flame from the statue of liberty’s torch.

Since it is Spring, there is also tulips.

This will take you to Diver City mall. The mall is impressive. Outside is the Gundam. This is the unicorn transformer.

There is a show. I missed part of it but would be cool if it moved.

They alsu had a Bumblebee statue from Transformers.

Inside the mall has high end shops and others including food. On the top floor is the Gundam base which has bowling, darts, arcade…

Save dinner for the Aqua City mall. But if you can wait to have ice cream, skip it on the ferry and get it here. Ice cream surrounded by full cotton candy. Oh my!

I walked back over the bridge to Aqua City mall. I looked around some floors. There is a food court but the great restaurants are on the 5th floor and up. Those on the water side also have balconies. Plan to eat there to see the sunset. The restaurant balconies were not open as it is cold but there are other balconies to go out on.

I ate at the Ramen place. It is actually multiple owners and you can choose a style you want, Northern or Southern, etc. You choose your options, they have an English menu just on case (seriously every restaurant has grey pictures or an actual representation of the product for you to see, it is not necessary).

You choose and pay with the machine and give the person your ticket. Because I don’t eat meat, they allowed me to swap out an add on for it. It was ready in minutes and their free wifi was fast. It was yummy.

Outside on the deck the sun was just going down.

I walked around the mall some more and went out on the 2nd floor (I think that is right) to another catwalk over the street to a great view of the Rainbow Bridge…

And of Tokyo…

There is a short walk out of the Aqua City mall towards the monorail line which is really smooth to get you back across the other side to get the regular train lines.

April 2nd was another clear day and I forgot that there is a view of Mt. Fuji from her apartment! Before I headed out for the day, I snapped this shot from her balcony.

I walked to the metro station and took a subway to Sensoji. This is a picture of one of the subway platforms. Clean, easy to follow for the most part considering how massive their system is.

This is the inside of the subway. I have ridden trains for most of my trip. Very comfortable!

At the Asakusa station, I went out exit 1 where it seemed everyone wise was going. (when in doubt looking for a landmark, just follow the people), and then there was this gate, with many people going through. This is the Kaminarimon and is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji in Asakusa, Tokyo.

The actual name of the gate is called. Fujin Raijinmon, meaning The Gate of the Gods of Wind (Fujin whose statue is on the left side) and Thunder (Raijin whose statue is on the right). It is referred to as Kaminarimon as kaminari is the Japanese word for thunder.

The lantern in the center is called a chochin and used in ceremonies. There is a carving of a dragon at the base when you are looking under it but it was pretty crowded.

Past the gate is a long stretch of shopping called the Nakamise Shopping street. You can find so much here and it stretches from the Kaminarimon to the main hall.

There are areas of artwork along the walk

And there is food to try. This is a fried dough called taiyaki in the traditional style that has bean paste inside.

After passing yhr Hozomon gate you are at sensoji Temple.

The pagoda is closed to visitors as it is a graveyard containing tablets and of those who have passed on.

Be sure to pay 100 yen, a hake the container of wood dowel rods and use the number to find your drawer that you own to obtain your fortune. If it is something you don’t like, you tie it to wire to be recast again.

After sightseeing, I walked down to the river to purchase a ticket to cruise to Odaiba later in the afternoon

I finished the day trying to find another Onsen. The one I wanted to go to was. Called Jakotsuyu and has a black mineral bath. It was closed. Instead I found Kotobukiyo Sento that had a bath with brown mineral water. Here is what it looks like on the outside. My hair and skin gel amazing.