Today’s group excursion took us into three neighborhoods in the west end of Tokyo. We started in Harajuku where we visited Meiji Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. It was fascinating to learn about Japan’s favorite Emperor who died in 1912. He is best known for modernizing Japan to keep pace with the rest of the world. His shrine is in a beautiful park surrounded by 100,000 trees comprised of 365 different species. Here we learned how to properly bow before passing through the tori gates and how to properly pray at the shrine.
After lunch and a bit of souvenir shopping in Harajuku, we commuted to Shibuya to experience the world’s most famous street crossing, the “Shibuya Scramble”. When the walk signs turn green, all vehicle traffic stops and 1500 people swarm into the crossings from five directions. Quite systematic and bemusing to witness. Also at the Shibuya station, we saw the statue of the famous dog, Hachikō, who came to the station every day for 10 years to wait for his deceased owner.
Then we returned to our hotel for an afternoon rest. Supper was at Ramen Alley in Tokyo Station for a confusing but interesting experience in how to order food… all done electronically. The staff were wonderful and very accommodating.
Then it was back to Shinjuko to see the lights and they did not disappoint. High up on one of the skyscrapers, there is a giant head sculpture of Godzilla which lights up on the hour and blows smoke. How cool! All the skyscrapers are multicolored for a 360 degree vertical neon gallery. We strolled through the narrow alleys of Golden Gai, the drinking section of Shinjuku, to peek into some of the tiny family-run bars, many with only 3 or 4 seats. Then on to Shibuya for one last look at the Hachikō statue and to oggle at a new collection of illuminated skyscrapers.
Tokyo has been beyond our imaginations. For a city of 40 million people, it is quiet, clean, orderly and utterly magnificent. Tomorrow we will leave Tokyo and head west across the country.
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