Day 3: A Full 8 Hour Tour of Tokyo

Today, we decided not to work out although we probably should have since jet lag got us a bit and we were awake at 4AM.  We decided to make coffees...actually Nespressos....I so love international travel and not having to drink weak ground coffee and attempted to watch college football.  After an epic fail we finally got up and headed to the 33rd floor where we would join a large majority of the hotel for a buffet breakfast.  While the Club Level with our previous room was quieter this buffet was easily four times the size and being on the top floor the view was even better. After breakfast a quick stop at our room and we were off to meet our next guide and 8 hours of touring.

Sachi-san was only slightly younger than us with a 18 year old son.  She's has been guiding for 10 years.  We would sit for a few minutes and discuss our day and we added on top of the plans 1) a stop at a 7-11 for pick-up our sumo tournament tickets 2) 2 shopping stops and 3) ramen or something local she recommended for lunch.  With our shopping requests we would reverse our day and in the end we think it was best.

Today we did subway and our first stop was Koishikawa Korakuen Garden. This garden is one of Tokyo's oldest and most important traditional Japanese gardens, dating to the early Edo period/1600s. It was created by the Tokugawa family of the Mito domain and is designed as a strolling landscaoe garden. As you walk around its central pond, the scenery changes intentionally. Little bridges, hills, stones, streams and viewpoints recreate famous landscapes from Japan and China.  I was really excited about the country side which included a rice field that I would learn is planted as well as harvested by a local elementary school.  And the rice is used for their school lunches. After leaving the grounds we would run into a 7-11 and yes secure our sumo tournament tickets.  You can pretty much do anything at a 7-11 from paying bills to yes getting your favorite snacks.

Next we would take the subway to Senso-ji Temple.  It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the budhha of compassion. The temple began when two brothers discovered the statue of a statue of Kannon in the Sumida River. We started actually scross the street at the Visitor's Center on the top floor so we could get a view of the gate, stupa, shrine, and an entire area the community created for shopping inside the grounds, which seemed a bit strange compared to the very sacred temple areas we visited in Thailand.  After we crossed the street to learn and see all the details of the temple.  Yes, we would do some shopping on the way to the main shrine, including snack of rice crackers and a hot bean paste filled waffle-like cookie that were poured into cast iron molds that contained 8 images from the temple area and cooked over coals.

Next at the temple we would embark on traditions we have done before except in other countries.  The drawing of a stick to determine which drawer to open to pull a fortune.  Mine was good.  Andy's was bad, so he would tie his off to be burnt.  Then we had Andy burn incense to try to erase his bad luck as well as we all went and prayed.  Behind this Budhist temple was a Shinto temple.  Here I would start my Goshuin Book.  Think of it as your passport for temples.  It is a book that is built like an accordian that I would pay 500 JPY to have a beauitful caligraphy done telling the general name of the temple, date you visited, as well as stamps with iconic symbols of the temple. We would now return to the Budhist shrine for me to get my page filled for that one.  We would learn that typically Japanese today who do practice religion practice both...Shinto is for the happy occassions such as weddings where as Budhism is for funerals.

After a quick stop by a store which had Studio Ghibli items we made our way close by and up an alley to Ramen Watanabe for lunch.  Our guide informed us it was one of her favorites.  We would order from a kiosk in the corner and then be directed to our seats around a u-shaped bar.  We all ordered something different and it was all delicious.  And yes, slurping was encouraged.  By the time we were finshed the place was packed and there was a line outside.  Sachi-san definitely picked right and our timing was perfect.

Back on the subway we had a nearly 30 minute ride to Meji Shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meji and his wife, Empress Shoken. This place was very large.  You entered, after bowing through very large gates and proceeded to walk along the left side with hundreds of others through a planted forest at least a 1/4 of a mile until you came upon first a wall of saki barrels on your right and wine barrels on your left, both loved by the emporer.  Further back you came upon a poem on large panels before turning the corner and finding the massive shrine.  It was beautiful.  We would again pray and then make our way for me to get another page done in my Goshuin book.

A quick break at the cafe outside the entrance we would walk about 10 minutes to the teen haven that is Harajuku.  This street was crowded with teens and all the fashion, food, and more that is "it" right now in Japan for that age demographic.  We were on a mission for two things only 1) Liberty Walk which was a stop for our car enthusiast son and something Tokyo exclusive.  I can not share here or I will ruin the suprise and the 2) Onitsuka Tiger shoe store for me as they are very Japanese and much cheaper here than in the US where they often run $200+ a pair. Andy and I both wind up buying a pair.

Sachi-san, our guide, was amazing and we only kept her over by about 5 minutes and we accomplished everything on our list.  Back in a taxi we headed back to our hotel, relaxed a bit, then headed to the 33rd floor for a drink at the bar before heading back to our room to learn about sumo as we head to the Grand Tournament tomorrow, our last day in Tokyo.