Day 4 Tokyo
It was a big day with 20,000 steps by 5.30pm, when we
returned to the hotel.
We had booked a tour with Jiro and after breakfast we made
our way by taxi to the Starbucks, in the Kokyo Gaien Wadakura Fountain Park
opposite The Emperor’s palace.
The tour group consisted of us, David, an American
radiographer, who had never previously travelled outside the USA and Faro, a
super quiet guy from the UAE. Dave is planning
a trip to Malaysia after his time in Japan as he has had enough of the USA under
Trump and is selling up and relocating to Malaysia.
We set off towards the remnants of a 14th century
fort and then skirted the buildings opposite the park. One was a one hundred
year old place where General Douglas Macarthur commandeered as his headquarters
after the defeat of Japan at the end of WW2. The buildings facing the park and
the imperial palace beyond, were until recently not allowed to be more than a
few levels high as that would mean that they looked down on the emperor.
We could see the emperor’s home inside the imperial palace
compound but this was not an area open to the public. We saw the changing of
the guard outside the nearby barracks
and walked by the river before crossing the park to see the statue of a
popular shogun leader.
We walked to a most impressive glass and steel Tokyo Forum Convention
Centre that for all the world looked like the hull of a vast ship. Jiro showed
us how to use the metro ticketing system and we caught a train to Asakusa.
Outside the station there were people taking rickshaw rides but we were there
to see the temple and the precinct around it. It was boiling with people on the
long stall lined street that led up to the Senso Ji temple. Juri said that we
are lucky that we were touring Japan this year as there has been a bit fall off
in Chinese tourists as the Japanese PM has upset the Chinese leader and he has
discouraged tourists from visiting Japan this year. There was barely any room
to move, so I could not imagine what the streets must have looked like in the
past.
We battled past the food and souvenir stalls, washed our
hands to purify ourselves and entered the temple. Jiri assured us that he knew
of many people who have had their prayers answered after visiting the temple. Amazingly,
amidst all the noise and clamour, there were some people actually praying up at
the front.
We then made our way through a vast technology market and
through more street stalls, up to the top floor of a shopping centre where the
locals go for good sushi. Kura was a vast sushi train affair, where we order on
a computer screen and our order arrives promptly on a conveyor belt. It stopped
at our table and beeped at us to take our plates. As we finished each plate,
there was a slot for us to drop in our dirty crockery and it was all whisked
away. The food was good, fast and inexpensive. The funniest thing happened as
we were leaving the restaurant. As we crammed into the lift with a young couple
pushing a stroller, I noticed a logo on the baby’s sippy cup. Is that Carlton?
I asked the mum. It turned out they were Sydneysiders but big Carlton fans.
Back on the metro train, we made our way to Harajuko and the
Shinto Meiji Jingu shrine, which is the biggest shrine in Tokyo. It was
approached under the enormous Tori gate and a path that cut through a vast
garden of mature trees. Unlike the previous temple, this one held the street
stall and souvenir shops at bay and gave us a more authentic temple
experience. It was dark, serene and
beautiful.
The next step in our tour took us to Takeshita Street, a
youth fashion and fun precinct filled with tourists and kids still in their
school uniforms. The shops sold all manner of popular plastic shiny rubbish and
the kids were lapping it up. There was both a cat café and a dog café where you
can take your pet for some indulgence. You could have your photo taken with an
otter wearing a cute furry hat….Hmmm. This was not our kind of place. I despair
for the world if this is the generation of kids who will be running the planet
in a few years.
It was a relief when we made our way to Shibuya and headed
to Shibuya Scramble and the vast crossing
where half a million people cross each day. We added to the chaos by
crossing twice and lingering in front of the web cams so that our family could
see us waving to them back in Melbourne.
Dehydrated and footsore we caught the train back to Ginza
and our hotel but after a shower, a rest and a change of clothes, we found the
energy to go out to dinner. For me it was tempura prawns and udon noodles. Johnny
opted for cold soba noodles and duck. The staff were very solicitous, coming to
fill our glasses with chilled water constantly. Another terrific meal!.
