We started early as we had a lot of ground to cover today. Our first stop was just a few minutes away from the hotel - The Shinjuku park or Shinjuku Gyoemmae. This is one of the few parks that charges a modest admission fee of Y 200 and we were there at 9am sharp when the park opened. This was good as we beat most of the Saturday crowds that were beginning to show up by the time we left.
The objective was simple - the search for the thus far largely elusive sakura. While still not in full blown glory, we saw enough to whet our appetites. Okay, so we went a little nuts with the pics, so would you.
At the entrance, a flowering willow, leading on to the map of the park which is can be found at decent intervals. Its a pretty large park, can easily spend a couple of hours here.
Paydirt ! Pink sakura, which is much easier to photograph.
Already people were getting ready for the hanami,or cherry blossom viewing parties. The Japanese regard sakura as the symbol of the transience of spring and all good things in life. It reminds them to enjoy and live every moment to the fullest as all good things end sooner that one desires. The hanami is the unique manifestation of the unfettered Japanese spirit, let loose and free in a manner unlike any other. The quiet, reserved Japanese is transformed into a effervescent persona who eats, drinks (a lot!) and makes merry under the sakura. People are known to spend entire nights staking out the perfect hanami spot. Within a week, the tree sheds the blossoms in a veritable snow storm of sakura, and people go back to their usual selves, waiting for the next blooming a whole year later.
We had sort of planned our own little hanami. The day before at Shibuya we had stopped at Krispy Creme and picked up donuts, which along with some chips and sodas made for our own special hanami.
Like I said, we went a little nuts with the sakura pics. A small, and I mean small representation is below :
The park also has the general makings of Japanese gardens - shrines, bridges, rock gardens and of course the tea house.
After a wonderful, albeit cold morning in the park, we took the train to Asakusa to visit the Senso-ji temple. This is the main entrance leading off from the street to the temple complex.
The street leading up to the temple is called the Nakamise Dori and is lined with souvenir, snack and sweet shops, all doing frenetic business. This is where I first got hooked to the Japanese rice cracker. My favourites are the sweet ones and the pepper and chilli ones.
The peaceful look on this statue of Buddha just outside the temple is at variance with the hectic activity all around the temple.
At the entrance to Senso-ji temple.
A giant slipper ?
At the entrance to the temple is a huge urn with branches of juniper and incense burning. the custom is to waft the air from the incense over one's body to ward off bad luck and health problems.
The interior of the temple.
What I call the "wish stand", where people write their wishes out on pieces of paper and tie it onto the stand in the hope that the gods will listen and grant them.
The exterior of the temple.
Can still find these rickshaw pullers outside Senso-ji. They give a decadent air to the general hustle and bustle.
We had lunch at another branch of Miami Garden since Gordon enjoyed the food there. Its just outside the entrance to the temple enroute to the station.
Everyone knows about the wonderful loos in Japan, wish we could have taken more photos of all the crazy ones we found. This one has a sink above the flush, which activates once you flush so the water used to wash your hands can be reused for the next flush.
We made our way to Ueno park, one of the city's main parks, especially popular for sakura.
Ueno's promenade of sakura, already beginning to show, decorated with lanterns and banners heralding the advent of spring.
Its Saturday afternoon and here too the hanami is already on in full swing.
The facade of the Tokyo Museum at Ueno.
We left Ueno and made our way to Harajuku by train. The main street in Harajuku is called Takeshita Dori. Its narrow and crowded and filled with interesting one off shops primarily catering to the teen and trendy youth of Tokyo.
The other end of Takeshita Dori leads on to Omotesando street which is like Rodeo Drive with hip boutiques, designer show rooms by celebrity architects and the Omotesando Hills shopping mall. We made a quick browsing stop at Oriental Bazaar which is kind of like an all encompassing Japanese craft and souvenir shop before walking around. We tried to find a vegetarian friendly restaurant in Omotesando Hills and failed and ate at a food courty place on Takeshita Dori before heading home. We would have loved to go on and see Aoyama cemetery and the Prada building but in all fairness we were pretty bushed with a hectic day and we had an early start the next morning.
We got back and packed. We left one suitcase in Tokyo with the hotel, and arranged to send another to Kyoto through the wonderful luggage delivery service called Takkyuhaybin. Reasonable, totally reliable, efficiency the true Japanese way. Hand over the luggage to your hotel reception, give them details of the hotel where you want the luggage sent, preferably an address in Japanese is better. The hotel even calls onward to confirm reservation, and thats it. You show up at the next hotel and your luggage is waiting for you. Its normally next day delivery anywhere in Japan.
Tomorrow, off to Nikko.
