HurricaneMaine

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.

April 1st, I traveled out of Tokyo to Kamakura. One of my stops on any day that is clear is to try to see Mt. Fuji from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government office. Since I will be passing through the area on many days, I was prepared to stop when the day is not cloudy.

I walked to the Mitaka metro station. Such beautiful neighborhoods with a walking and biking friendly culture. It was an enjoyable start to the morning.

This walkway had some cool shops and restaurants.

I arrived at the Shinjuku station. This place is crazy. The majority of the lines go through this station but not all. This is a crazy transportation system. More than 3.5 million people pass through this one station every single day. There are 36 platforms. There are 200 exits. I should have taken a photo, it is impressive.

I followed hallways underneath to get to the Government office exit.

From there I went to the 45th floor of the observation deck. It is a 360 view of Tokyo.

You can just make out Mt. Fuji in the background below.

Here is part of the labeled diagram above the observation window.

I went back to Shinjuku Station to continue travel to Kamakura which is outside of Tokyo.

The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple is Kamakura’s most important shrine. It was founded in 1063 but moved here in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government. This was the original first capitol. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of that family and of the samurai. You can reach the shrine easily as the road from Kamakura’s waterfront goes through the entire city center to the shrine. You pass multiple red torii gates along the way.

There are places for prayer around the shrine.

There is also a shrine museum once you enter the shrine. There are many beautiful artifacts from the 14th century on. Many 11th and 12th century artifacts are replicas.

This is a replica of Great Armor.

A plaque of Hachinangu from 1629. This plaque was written when Shinto and Buddhist temples were on the same shrine grounds. They have since been separated in the 19th century.

Plaques from poets and a scroll illustrating the procession in a festival.

A small portable shrine.

This is the large walkway to the stairs of the shrine.

At the base of the staircase.

On each side of the main approach to the shrine are two ponds. One pond represents the Minamoto Clan and has three islands, while the other represents the Taira Clan, the Minamoto’s arch rivals, and has four islands.

A walk to the Great Buddha Kamakura took me through well organized and maintained streets. It is a good idea to bring an umbrella as it started to rain. Many merchants came to the front of the shops to sell umbrellas to those in need.

The great Buddha is a national treasure dating from 1252 and took 10 years to build. It is the principle deity. It is 13.4 meters high including the pedestal and weighs 121 tons.

From here it was a short walk to the Kamakura Hasedera temple. Hasedera (長谷寺) is a temple famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculptures in Japan and is in the Kannon-do Hall. It is beautiful but no pictures were allowed. Outside at the entrance:

In the gardens before climbing the stairs to the temple:

The hall that houses the statue:

Remembrances and prayers.

The view from the top is fabulous. This is a seaside town.

A small temple hall in the garden is dedicated to Benten, a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth.

Attached to the hall is the Kannon museum which houses many artifacts. These are the avatars of Kannon and represent the virtues. There are 33 incarnate forms to perform charitable acts. These date from the 15th century.

This is a representation of Kannon and the 11 heads.

The stone tablet of the Hokyoin pagoda and tablet in Sanskrit.

A hanging plaque that would hang outside the original shrine.

More picture around the hall.

A bonsho or temple bell. The original is in the museum.

More pictures from the other side of the gardens below.

Sculptures of Benten and other gods can be found in a small cave (Benten-kutsu) next to the hall.

You can purchase figurines and write blessings on them to leave here.

Finally the rain stopped. I made my way to the beach. Yuigamahama Beach is a sandy beach within Kamakura City that faces toward Sagami Bay. The water was warm but that is because the air was pretty cool. It was nice to walk along this dark sand beach which is crowded in the summer for those escaping Tokyo and Yokohama.

I walked the way back to the train station on the main road. It is very doable to walk all of this if you see able.

On the way I saw a stupa. It was amongst the beautiful landscaping which is everywhere here. It was placed in 1356.

Information about this stupa or remembrance of artifacts of a significant person.

I took the train back but did not pay attention to when the train switched to another line. I traveled around eventually getting off and getting a direct train back. I met some very nice Japanese people including one man who gave me a pack of sesame snacks. We talked a little as he knew little English and I none of Japanese. We looked at each other’s flower pictures on our phones before it was his stop. I am impressed at how they manage emotions but also how well they age. Both men and women here have beautiful faces.

After a late night of travel, it is nice to sleep in and spend time talking with my friend Sarah to catch up. She has a very interesting life as she is active in the international Tango community. Such fun!

After breakfast, I wandered around her area of Tokyo called Musashino. I walked down streets lined with cherry blossoms. It was beautiful. I love to walk around to get my bearings and identify places to eat (perhaps the most important think to think about) and look at the sights. It is spring so the air is cool but when the sun broke through was a lovely day for a long walk.

There are beautiful parks. Apartment buildings flank this park I found. I love the simple designs of the architecture.

One neighborhood off of a park.

I circled around a park that had spaces for playing baseball which is popular year round here and very big in Japanese culture. I noticed the trees here are numbered to track it’s care and maintenance.

I love birds and listened to them throughout the walk. They really have distinctive calls here which are not like a sing song as they are elsewhere.

I am always fascinated by architecture and this caught my eye. I think this would be a fascinating place to live. Such a skinny building!

A house that alsu caught my eye.

After working up an appetite, Sarah and I went searching for lunch in Kichijoji, one of the 47 Tokyo neighborhoods. We ate at Ootoya.

Everything here is beautifully presented and the Japanese take pride in their work no matter their job. We had fish with vegetables in a vinegar reduction. Salad, rice, soup, and pickled Daikin are the sides. It was very yummy and filling.

I tried dessert as there are jelly cubes I wanted to try. They are not overly sweet and the jelly is very firm and difficult to cut. I noticed them at gift stores. They are popular and sold in rectangles in assorted flavors. This one is matcha green tea and served with ice cream. A molasses type syrup was served with it.

Small alleyways with smaller shops give a glimpse of old Tokyo.

We then headed to Inokashira pond in Inokashira park. It is a popular place to view cherry blossoms. People put out tarps to hold their space for after work parties. Junior workers in companies are often instructed to take the tarp to the park and start there to hold their spot for parties after work. People were having a great time enjoying the day, eating and drinking.

There are swan boats you can rent to paddle with your feet or canoes to row.

Inokashira Benzaiten is a small shrine in the park. It took some time to get through the maze of people who were taking pictures from the bridge. It is also near peak of cherry blossoms so everyone was out!

I saw a great blue heron minding his own business and trying to ignore the crowds!

The shrine has water troughs to clean hands before entering the temple or praying. One of the water features has the water coming from a dragon.

The shrine.

You can pay to write blessings to leave or to receive fortunes. If you do not like a fortune you can tie it here to leave.

A view of the pond from the other side as we were leaving. You can see the bridge and it is packed with people. I love how the trees look like they are covered in snow with so many blossoms.

There are vending machines everywhere for drinks. They have both hot and cold drinks to dispense. Notice the red and blue on the buttons.

We headed to little Korea in Shinjuku. Korean pop music is popular everywhere here.

I was looking for an Onsen. It is a Japanese mineral bath, many which have direct tap to mineral springs. Due to impressive volcanic activity in Japan, there are many hot springs that bubble to the surface. To be an Onsen, the water must contain one of the 19 designated minerals.

The water is believed to have a multitude of healing properties and have minerals believed to be good for circulation, your skin, and your health.

Many Onsen are made from granite, marble, or cypress. An ordinary bathhouse which is not spring fed is called a Senso. The water is warmed up to make a bath. It is for common people and not a luxury like an Onsen. There is still a culture against tattoos. It used to be a sign of belonging to the yakuza or organized crime. There are only a handful of Onsen that will take people with tattoos. This is one of them.

It is divided into men and women. You clean up before entering the baths using shampoo and soap they provide. The baths have different pools which are separated into warm and hot (hot is very hot). Birthday suits only! There are no swimming suits and women of all ages used the same large bath.

There are lockers for shoes when you enter the place and lockers for your clothes when you get ready for the bath.

No pictures of course on the inside and I must confess to being nervous at first but all the women there are for self-care and don’t seem to worry about what others think. We think others are judging but that is usually not true.

Pictures from the outside. The symbol for the Onsen look like steam. It was 450 yen or $4.05 to use the bath for up to 2 hours.

What did I think of the Onsen? Very relaxing. It warmed me up and all my joints felt great. Next time I will drink more water first!

Afterwards, I headed back through an alley of little Korea.

Lots of food to try. Okay, these are churros… But made of oreos!

I wanted to try Korean pancake stuffed with sweet potato.

Also on this sign are potato corn dogs stuffed with cheese or sausage. I did not try that.

Korean pancake stuffed with sweet potato.

It was delicious. A great first day. Now to plan out tomorrow.

Some thoughts…

Air travel here is great. Full meals. Plenty to drink. Movies. That is not even a four hour flight. Matcha tea (hot), Matcha drink, Häagen-Dazs ice cream…

Easily half of the plane is business class and first class. They know how to travel…

Actually the seats in economy were spacious. This is the best plane I have been on since Thai airways, which is pretty exceptional too. Now I see why many exists don’t like some of the other Asian airlines… However, compared to US travel, they are still better.

Tokyo Haneda airport is pretty cool.

Lots of great shops. The snacks around here are amazing.

I’m glad they added Japan to the store front. I thought I could be in China… Not really. There is however a serious hello kitty obsession in this part of the world.

The airport bathrooms are pretty cool and know that will be true around Tokyo. Even the squatty potty have guard rail bars for those of us who are older… And the sound of running water to help you go… Pretty funny but effective. I will miss my Japanese toilet in my old apartment. It really is great.

I am waiting to meet my friend Sarah Sutter to spend the next 6 days at her place. We met as Google certified educators over 10 years ago. I then expanded my world with educators overseas. A few years later, she made the big leap as well. For awhile I lived vicariously through her. She is the inspiration for my move half way around the world…

I am so lucky to have this opportunity to travel and grateful every day.