M&M Smith: SEPTEMBER 2019 : JAPAN : DAY 10 : Tokyo

Thursday 12 September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 : JAPAN : DAY 10 : Tokyo

Our last day in Tokyo. We planned a full program criss-crossing the city, refining our Metro skills. We decided to get a day pass. I selected the cheapest one and confidently ventured off, not realising it was only for the green line, which we didn’t travel on, unfortunately. So we had to buy individual tickets along the way. It was an easy process with all the machines having an English option.

We set off after 8 and made our way to the Tomioka Hachiman shrine in Monzennakacho.

The shrine and the surrounding area was the historical centre of Edo.

One of the shops of the early Edo times.

Requests for blessings

The main gate leading to the Tomioka Hashman shrine built in 1624.

We arrived in the temple precinct early and there were quiet ceremonies underway in each temple - chanting, horn-blowing and clapping to summon the gods.

We then found our way to the Imperial Palace. There are sweeping parks surrounding the palace but the gardens are not as spectacular as the temple gardens in Kyoto.

The palace, still the present emperor’s residence

The main gate and entrance to the palace, which is surrounded by a moat, as every palace should.

Then we travelled up to the north-west of the city to Ueno and thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Nezu-jinga Shrine. It was founded 1,900 years ago but the present buildings were built in 1706. In spring 3,000 azaleas bloom. Today the gardens were a lush green.

There is a shrine walk through red- coloured torii.

Then back into the city to Shibuya district with its glamorous modern buildings and office crowds out for lunch.

The highlight for me today was the Ota Memorial Museum of Art. The gallery specialises in exhibitions of traditional woodcut print artists. At present they are showcasing the work of Utagawa Toyokuni, who died in 1825. Most of his work was inspired by kabuki theatre characters.