Japan – Travel-along.in

Our second day at Tokyo saw us visiting the Rikugien garden also called the Zen Garden.

Rikugien Garden

One of Tokyo’s most beautiful strolling gardens, it is a tranquil garden with a central pond, walking paths and iconic bridges representing scenes from Japanese poems. It is an ancient garden created in 1700 and offers visitors a feast of colours in all seasons. During spring, the cherry blossoms are all in bloom giving the entire garden a pinkish hue. In autumn, there is a myriad of colours leaving you mesmerised.

Night views with illumination are also organised during special occasions.

Some pictures…

The autumn colours were just starting at…Rikugien

The central pond with the reflection of the trees

The bright colours of autumn

More colours….

The grooming of a tree

An antique bridge adds to the beauty

After those amazing autumn colours at the garden, we proceeded to the Meiji-jingu shrine

The Meiji Jingu shrine

This shrine is peculiar in that it is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken ; the first Emperor and Empress of modern Japan. However, the Emperor’s grave is not located here but in Kyoto. It was built between 1920 and 1926 and lies in a man made tranquil forested area with gardens and long walking tracks in the midst of the Tokyo hustle.

Shinto is the original Japanese religion with no founder, no holy book but values harmony with nature and a true sincere heart. They believe anything divine is Kami (spirit).

The tranquil surroundings of the forest were really appealing in spite of the crowds.

In less crowded times; it would be a very meditative experience…..my thoughts as I walked along…

**A traditional bridge in tranquil surroundings**

Chrysanthemum is the national flower of the Japan and the symbol of the Imperial family . A beautiful display of Chrysanthemum flowers and bonsai trees greeted us to the shrine.

**The Chrysanthemum and bonsai display**

One of the unique features of this shrine are the barrels of wine and Sake displayed decoratively.

Along the pathway on one side are displayed wine barrels. Emperor Meiji loved French wine and encouraged the adoption of western cultures in the Meiji period when Japan started getting modern. Barrels of French wine were donated and is still offered at the temple.

On the opposite side , parallel to this are displayed decorated Sake barrels.ake plays a very important role in Shinto . Emperor Meiji encouraged technological advancements in all areas including sake production. The barrels displayed here are empty and are offered along with sake in bottles as a token of gratitude by brewers.

The juxtaposition of traditional Sake with modern Wine is symbolic of the adoption of modern while retaining the traditional; an approach adopted by Japan in the Meiji period

Walking along the gardens one reaches the Tori gate that mark the entrance to the sacred area of the temple. The Tori gate has Chrysanthemum crests which signify the connection of the royal family with Meiji-Jingu.

An open courtyard lies ahead of the gate

A group picture in at courtyard leading to the main shrine

A Temizusha or purification area where one can wash one’s hands and mouth to purify oneself before visiting the shrine greets us here.

Next is the Minami Shinmon or the main gate which is a grand, traditional wooden gate of impressive size, featuring ornate details, a teal roof, and marking the main entrance to the inner shrine area.

Two large camphor trees…the husband and wife trees stand in the foreground of the main shrine. linked by a rope symbolising happy marriage.

The husband and wife camphor trees bound by a rope

Ema or wooden plaques where one can write one’s wishes or feelings of gratitude are available and many locals tie it around the tree.

Ema or wish amulets

That led us to the ornate main shrine. The intricate designs and architecture of this structure is strikingly similar to many Hindu temples of Kerala.

The main sanctuary with beautiful architecture

After this cultural treat, we headed to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. More on that later….

Post lunch we headed to the Skytree, the towering icon of Tokyo

Tokyo Skytree

This is a broadcasting and observation tower located in Tokyo. At 634 mts., it is the tallest tower in the world. The older Tokyo tower no longer gives digital broadcasting coverage as it is surrounded by high rise buildings.

The base of the tower is shaped like a tripod but from a height of 350 mts, the structure is cylindrical and gives panoramic views of the city and the Sumida river. There are two observatories at 350 mts and 450 mts height. There is a glass skywalk that gives a direct view of the streets below.

A view of Mt Fuji from this tower is a coveted sight on clear days.

Some pictures…

The Sky tree

Entrance to the Skytree

Sky tree and the old Tokyo tower as seen from our hotel

Four ultra speed elevators takes us to the Tembo deck which is the observatory . These lift decorations feature the four seasons and operate at 600mt/minute speed. It reaches the deck in about 50 seconds.

The lift reaching the deck as shown on a video inside the elevator.(click on video)

The Tembo deck or observatory is circular and has large glass panes around providing views all round. A part of the deck has glass floor which gives views of the steel framework and the street below. At various points along the circumference are signboards guiding us to the important landmarks visible from that direction.

The Tembo Deck

Glass floor

Views of Tokyo city and the Sumida river from the deck

Sky tree provides views of Mt Fuji on clear days. Unfortunately it was hazy when we were at the sky tree. However we got a fleeting sight as the clouds decided to grace us!!

Blessed with a fleeting view of Mt Fuji as the clouds cleared.

A cafe and souvenir shop also function here.

Evenings see the Sky tree illuminated in various hues. …Iki, Miyabi and Nobori themes. The Iki theme is the water theme in tribute to the sumida river and has the central tower in faint blue.

The sky tree illuminated in Iki theme

From here we headed back to our hotel for dinner and rest . Next day we were to head for Yamanashi for Mt Fuji views.

It must be amply clear by now how Tokyo truly amalgamates the ancient and the modern.

See you next week from Mt. Fuji. Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Tokyo is Japan’s bustling capital that provides the visitor a taste of diverse experiences ranging from the ultra modern to the traditional. With its towering skyscrapers, neon lights and flyovers crisscrossing the Sumida river on one side and traditional temples like the Senso-ji and Meiji Jinku on the other ; it is truly an amalgam of modern and traditional Japan. It is exceptionally clean and so difficult to find a public dustbin ; that we wonder if it really is the world’s most populous metropolitan area ?

It is the main economic centre of the country and the seat of the government and the Emperor of Japan. Originally known as Edo, it has evolved from a small fishing village to what it is today. And one has to remember that all this has been achieved in spite of numerous earthquakes and the World wars that plundered it.

Landing at Narita airport, these were the signs that greeted us…

First glimpses of Japan

Driving from Narita airport to town, we did see the towering skyscrapers, flyovers and sparkling billboards of modern Tokyo.

A beautifully lit bridge on the Sumida river with skyscrapers in the background

The busy locals and the colourful billboards

The disciplined movement of traffic is something that is striking!!!! (click on video)

We checked into the beautiful Tokyo Dome Hotel and the views from there were wonderful.

The Hotel and a bird’s eye view of Tokyo city

This Hotel is part of an entertainment arena called Tokyo Dome. It has various fun activities and shopping areas in the complex.

The illuminated Tokyo Dome arena and entertainment area (click on video)

The brightly lit ferris wheel in the shopping area.

Next morning, looking down from our hotel room, the organised movement of people at the signal amused us as they resembled small black ants….click on the video below for some fun…

Bird’s eye view of the start to a day at Tokyo…(click on video)

Soon we were on our way looking around and we first visited the Imperial Palace and garden.

Imperial Palace and Garden

The primary residence of Japan’s Emperor, this palace is located on the grounds of the former Edo Castle. It features Japanese style gardens with historic castle ruins, moats, walls and the Nijubashi Bridge. The outer gardens are accessible to the public but the inner gardens are not.

Some pictures…

A bronze statue of Kusunoki Masashige a famous 14th century samurai adorns the pathway of the garden near the palace. He was very loyal to the Emperor and is seen here awaiting his return from exile. It is regarded as one of Tokyo’s important bronze statues.

The garden

The bronze samurai

The Japanese style garden with bonsai trees

The Nijubashi bridge across the moat is famous for its two arches like two eyes. Behind it is the original bridge and to the left is the main entrance to the palace

Nijubashi bridge with the palace watchtower behind

Our group at the outer gardens

The entrance to the inner gardens

Some of the buildings in the palace complex with stone walls and moats around

From here we proceeded to the Asakusa temple also called the Senso-ji temple.

Senso-ji Temple (Asakusa Temple)

Dedicated to Kannon, the Bodhisattva of compassion it is believed to be one of the most widely visited religious sites in the world.

The senso-ji legend

In 628 AD, two brothers discovered the statue of Kannon while fishing in the Sumida river. The statue was 5.5 cms in height and made of pure gold. This idol is housed in this temple which was completed in 650 AD making it Tokyo’s oldest temple.

Asakusa was at that time, a small fishing village in the Tokyo bay. Visitors flocking to worship Kannon increased the popularity of not only the temple but Asakusa too. Gradually the placed developed and by the 18th century, it became a very busy part of the city. Destroyed during an air raid in WW II, it was rebuilt in 1950.

The Temple

The entrance to the temple is dominated by a Thunder Gate with a massive lantern painted in red and black suggesting thunder clouds and lightning.

The Thunder gate

This gate leads to the Nakamise-dori the shopping street that has shops selling food items, souvenirs, Buddhist scrolls, kimonos, traditional fans and curios.This shopping street was established after the locals were given permission to run the businesses in exchange for keeping the street clean.

Nakamise -dori (The shopping street)

The shopping street ends at the inner gate or the Treasure house gate which is a two storey gate with Senso-ji’s treasures in the upper floor.

Treasure house gate

The temple grounds house the main hall, and a five storey pagoda. The main hall houses Kannon. A large beautiful shrine lies inside the main hall but the statue of Kannon is never shown to the public. The entrance to the main hall also has a huge red lantern.

Just outside the main hall is also an incense burner and purification fountain found in most Japanese temples.