Japan update 2
Update number two from here in Shibuya-ku
Prepare for a message from the future! Not really though today is Friday here.
on a sad note I found tonight when I went to grab my iPod (Which I have not used since the train ride here) Is missing, and likely lost somewhere on the JR Line between Ueno and Shibuya. It is unlikely if it was lost there that it will be found again. :(
We woke up this morning to sound of rain outside and the general movings about of our hosts. A breakfast was made of pastries from a local shop, before we loaded up and headed out for Asakusa and the Senso-Ji. We took the Ginza line out to Asakusa, and within a few moments walk saw the "Kaiminarimon" Or "thunder gate". This gate houses a pair of ferocious deities, Fujin, god of wind, and Raijin, god of thunder. Down a shopping street with trinket shop and food vendors and through another set of monumental gates, the Hozo-mon, to the temple area proper. We wandered the grounds a little and I got some fantastic pictures of the temple and the awesome fountain where you could wash your hands to purify yourself before prayer. The temple Senso-ji is a Buddhist temple, so around the grounds were statures of Buddhist figures as well as a few small shrines with little statues with bibs on them. We surmised that these are the areas that people leave offerings for the souls of children that have been lost due to illness, accident, still-born and abortion. The temple proper holds a golden statue of the goddess Kannon, which is said to have been fished out of the near by Sumida-gawa by a pair of fishermen in AD628. The current shrine (as with many buildings in Tokyo) is a reconstruction from after WWII bombings. I could literally do the whole post on this place but lets move on.
After this(and lunch) we headed off to make a longer walk down to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. In between Senso-ji and the museum however we were caught in a torrential downpour. James, Dave, and I were soaked. We finally gave in a caught a taxi for the last few blocks.
I had been told this was a place to hit and they were certainly right. Even with a door tag of 1200 yen to get in, it was totally worth it. I took a million pictures of the increadibly detailed miniatures and reproduction of dwellings. The main and permanent exhibit is a detailed history of the area from the Edo period up through today. Everything from a half replica of the bridge that spanned across the Semida-gawa in the Edo period to the portable shrines used by the temples during the annual celebration. They even had full size reproduction of a kabuki house and some houses during WWII, as well as some twisted metal from a building that was hit durring the fire bombings of Tokyo durring WWII and coins fused together during the fires that resulted from the Great Kanto Earthquake in the 1920'. The whole thing was terribly interesting and amazing to walk through.
By the time we got done there the rain had abaited so we decided to walk back to Senso-Ji for a little more wandering. along the way we stopped at Yokoami-koen Which contains a memorial park and museum dedicated to the victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as well as those who perished in the Fire Bombings of WWII. We unfortunatly mistook the museum for another building and passed it by. Whoops. We made it back to Senso-ji and headed for Ueno.
Unfortunaly by the time we reached Ueno-koen it was already getting dark at around 5pm and the temples and such were closing so instea we headed down a shopping way and people watched for a bit. We may hit Ueno another day though. Tomorrow we may hit the tours of the Imperial Palace and whatelse who knows? Well I am off to do something else. Likely read and wait for my jeans to dry.
Prepare for a message from the future! Not really though today is Friday here.
on a sad note I found tonight when I went to grab my iPod (Which I have not used since the train ride here) Is missing, and likely lost somewhere on the JR Line between Ueno and Shibuya. It is unlikely if it was lost there that it will be found again. :(
We woke up this morning to sound of rain outside and the general movings about of our hosts. A breakfast was made of pastries from a local shop, before we loaded up and headed out for Asakusa and the Senso-Ji. We took the Ginza line out to Asakusa, and within a few moments walk saw the "Kaiminarimon" Or "thunder gate". This gate houses a pair of ferocious deities, Fujin, god of wind, and Raijin, god of thunder. Down a shopping street with trinket shop and food vendors and through another set of monumental gates, the Hozo-mon, to the temple area proper. We wandered the grounds a little and I got some fantastic pictures of the temple and the awesome fountain where you could wash your hands to purify yourself before prayer. The temple Senso-ji is a Buddhist temple, so around the grounds were statures of Buddhist figures as well as a few small shrines with little statues with bibs on them. We surmised that these are the areas that people leave offerings for the souls of children that have been lost due to illness, accident, still-born and abortion. The temple proper holds a golden statue of the goddess Kannon, which is said to have been fished out of the near by Sumida-gawa by a pair of fishermen in AD628. The current shrine (as with many buildings in Tokyo) is a reconstruction from after WWII bombings. I could literally do the whole post on this place but lets move on.
After this(and lunch) we headed off to make a longer walk down to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. In between Senso-ji and the museum however we were caught in a torrential downpour. James, Dave, and I were soaked. We finally gave in a caught a taxi for the last few blocks.
I had been told this was a place to hit and they were certainly right. Even with a door tag of 1200 yen to get in, it was totally worth it. I took a million pictures of the increadibly detailed miniatures and reproduction of dwellings. The main and permanent exhibit is a detailed history of the area from the Edo period up through today. Everything from a half replica of the bridge that spanned across the Semida-gawa in the Edo period to the portable shrines used by the temples during the annual celebration. They even had full size reproduction of a kabuki house and some houses during WWII, as well as some twisted metal from a building that was hit durring the fire bombings of Tokyo durring WWII and coins fused together during the fires that resulted from the Great Kanto Earthquake in the 1920'. The whole thing was terribly interesting and amazing to walk through.
By the time we got done there the rain had abaited so we decided to walk back to Senso-Ji for a little more wandering. along the way we stopped at Yokoami-koen Which contains a memorial park and museum dedicated to the victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as well as those who perished in the Fire Bombings of WWII. We unfortunatly mistook the museum for another building and passed it by. Whoops. We made it back to Senso-ji and headed for Ueno.
Unfortunaly by the time we reached Ueno-koen it was already getting dark at around 5pm and the temples and such were closing so instea we headed down a shopping way and people watched for a bit. We may hit Ueno another day though. Tomorrow we may hit the tours of the Imperial Palace and whatelse who knows? Well I am off to do something else. Likely read and wait for my jeans to dry.