Rain Day

That's a LOT of rain.

The day began to the sound of a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning. There is a tropical depression moving through the country, so we are experiencing heavy rainfall today. Not a good day to climb a mountain, let alone a dormant volcano in the form of Mt. Fuji, so we decided to do a little more sightseeing instead. We strengthen our resolve to brave the storm with peanut butter toast and instant coffee, then headed out to the metro, umbrellas in hand.

 

Making our way to the metro station

Tsukiji fish market

This seemed to be a good day to stay underground, so we opted for a full-day metro pass to give us the freedom to hop on and off wherever we wanted, and to travel the full length of the system. It's a big metro system. First stop, the Tsukiji Fish Market, where you can view the early morning daily tuna auctions, if so inclined. Mario and I decided in the end that we saw no benefit to spending the night in a nearby manga cafe, just so we could wake up at 4 in the morning, and watch a bunch men yelling at each other about big tuna fish while freezing our butts off in a walk-in freezer. Instead, we slept in our comfy futons, woke up at a more respectable hour, and lazily made our way to the outer market, which, if you ask me, was just as exciting. Lots of people yelling about things that we couldn't understand either, and it was WAY warmer, albeit VERY humid.

We toured the stalls, checking out the all the offerings and catch-of-the-day deals, ceramic dishes galore, lots of fruits and vegetables, enjoying a mouthful of delicious and still warm tamagoyaki, or sushi omelet.

Dishes at the market	Stalls at the Tsukiji fish market
Tasty, tasty omelet	Sushi knives for sale

Overflowing cup of sake

Later, we found ourselves seated at the bar of a tiny, hole-in-the-wall sushi shop, with maybe 10 seats and one lone sushi chef. We feasted on the freshest tuna and salmon sashimi, and octopus that tasted salty like the sea and needed no soy sauce. Something on the next table over caught Mario's eye, and somehow we ended up ordering a plateful of steamed acorn barnacles. The sushi chef nodded approvingly at our choice, and watched on as we proceeded to pick out the luscious lumps of flesh from the rock-hard shell. It tasted like mussels, only sweeter and more tender. We washed the entire meal down with overflowing cups of cold sake, and walked away feeling a lot more happy about the world. Breakfast of champions, indeed.

Sashimi plate - breakfast of champions!	Steamed acorn barnacle
Octopus Sashimi	Tempura stall in Tsukiji fish market

Zojo-ji and the Tokyo Tower

Still trying to outrun the rain, we transferred through several metro station, making our way to Tokyo Tower. Nearby, we found the temple of Zojo-ji, where some organizers were doing sound checks and setting up for an event later that day. Zojo-ji is set on a backdrop of skyscrapers and towers, making it a rather surreal sight to behold. Especially when you catch a glimpse of Tokyo Tower in the background. 

Inside the main temple

Spirit statues found behind the temple

Looking up at the Tokyo Tower

We headed past the temple and stood under the tower to look up at its grandeur, but avoided the trip to the top, since everything was covered in clouds anyway. I wonder if they give a discount depending on how much you can actually see from the top...

Entrance to the Imperial gardens

The next trip on the metro found us exiting in front of the Imperial Palace Gardens, the only part of the palace open to the public. Of course, by this time, the clouds were clearing, making way for a blazing hot sun, sending all of that fallen rain into the air in the form of steam. Maybe we will find some reprieve in the shade of the gardens?  

Mario looking at the walls from a different angle

The center green

The gardens are somewhat disappointing. I mean, they are grand, and spread out, and have ponds and greens and trees and some guard houses and observatories, but most of the buildings were destroyed by fires, or earthquakes, or war. And time has passed, the city has modernized, so the greens are now big grassy fields surrounded by some trees, the observatories look out over busy streets and towering skylines rather than the emperor's lands.

Tea House

Japanese garden

Pathway to the waterfall

And it is hot, so nothing seems to be hitting quite right in this heat - we are feeling rather poached. We did enjoy the small Japanese gardens, with koi ponds, a waterfall, and flowering trees, but it was such a small portion of the bigger picture - 

Our "home" and neighbourhood in Tokyo

By this time things had really begun heating up, and I think we are overwhelmed by the humidity, so we duck back into the metro and head back to the ryokan to beat the rush hour crowds. 

Hiking by temples

Shrine bell, Tokei-ji temple

The temperature is crazy hot outside. And when I say crazy hot, I mean it's 27°C, but with the humidity, it feels like 39°C. All you have to do is stand outside and you are instantly covered in a sheen of sweat. Plus, it's threatening rain all day in Tokyo. So what do we decide to do with our day? GO HIKING! That's right - why not do a over-exerting, energy-draining activity on such a muggy day, and outside, too. I think we're a little crazy.

Tokei-ji main temple and pagoda statue

Using our handy-dandy Japan Rail Pass, we ride the rails an hour outside downtown Tokyo to Kita-Kamakura, the starting point of the Kamakura Hiking Course. This trail winds its way through the mountains along the coast, ending just outside the gates of the Daibutsu, a giant bronze Buddha statue. It's a fun little walk in the forest, if you like that kind of stuff, and the trail in used in a sort of a pilgrimage several times a year, so it is well-worn, easy to follow, and if you watch out for the exposed tree roots, very safe. Lots of fun, really - just exceedingly hot today.

Buddha holds a marble

We visit a few temples near the station, before beginning our trek. Tokei-ji is the first one we come upon, and mistaken its entrance for the start of the trail. This place was once a refuge for women seeking asylum from marriages to abusive husbands, and offered the possibility of divorce in a time when divorce did not exist. No longer a nunnery, it now houses a nice little museum, and a beautiful cemetery that seems to be returning to the earth, the way the tombs are covered in ferns and moss. So natural.

Further down the road was Yochi-ji, another Buddhist temple with a cemetery, but more importantly, also the gateway to our hiking trail into the mountains. We went slowly, given the extreme humidity, but the higher we got, the more we could feel the breeze coming in from the coast. As we crested one of the higher peaks, we caught glimpses of houses and temples in the forest below. 

Tanuki statues at the back of Yochi-ji

God of Happiness. Pull my finger!

Atop another peak, we came upon the Kuzuharagaoka temple, with several ponds, offerings to the gods, a band of wild cats, and 3 vending machines. Hey, why not - there were 5 cafeterias on top of Mount Sinai - 3 vending machines is nothing around here! We paused for a moment to break some plates on a rock, to get rid of the malicious forces in life, leave our wishes in life for the gods to hear, and restore our energy with some cold drinks.

Smashing plates to help overcome hardships

Asking for good wishes from the gods

A little bit down the road(oh no, that means we have to climb back up later...)we entered a tunnel to the Zeniarai Benten Shrine, known for its special waters. If you wash your money in the waters of the shrine, hidden in a cave, then spend that money, it will come back to you several times over. Obviously, you can easily spend this newly-cleansed money on site, on an assortment of charms and such. We just enjoyed the experience of watching other perform this ritual.

Entrance to Zeniarai Benten shrine	Koi pond
Cave where you wash your money to invite good fortune

I wonder if it's this way?

Just a bit more walking through the woods and we descended a long staircase(which I will also have to climb back up later) onto a busy road on the outskirts of Kamakura. Further along, we think we've found the entrance to the Daibutsu.

Daibutsu

Well, we did find all the tourists - they're all at the Big Buddha! Families with small children in squeaky shoes, school groups in matching uniforms, a few foreigners like ourselves, all posing for the camera in front of the giant statue, waving the peace sign or or using tricks of perspective to "hold up" the Buddha from a distance. You can buy a plethora of good luck charms here too, eat from the cafeteria's multiple vending machines, or descend into the belly of the Buddha - literally. It's cool because you can see how the giant copper statue was constructed, as well as marvel at the foresight the builders had when they installed 2 sets of windows in Buddha's back. Great for ventilation.

We even visit the inside!

There are a couple of pine trees planted here by members of the Thai royal family, during official visits to the site. We felt a strange attraction to these trees...

Cold sesame udon is a great energy boost

Our visit to the Daibutsu was brief, and soon we found ourselves back out on the busy street looking for some food. We ended up in this little restaurant that didn't look like more than a doorway from the outside, resembled a small cafeteria with bench seating on the inside, but was nice and cool - a welcome rest from being our feet and in the sun all morning. It served the most delicious, refreshing cold Udon noodles with sesame dipping sauce. We had the place all to ourselves, and the owner was more than welcoming, even without understanding much of what we were saying, and vice-versa.

Cool-looking trees

Refreshed and dryish(yup.), we headed back along the trail, back up all those stairs, stopping once more at the temple on top of the mountain for drinks and to converse with some of the temple cats. We headed back to the train station and finally back into Tokyo, just in time for rush hour.

Heading to Starbucks to see the action

Alright, so at the right time of day, Shibuya is pretty crazy. And full, FULL, FULL of people. We went to a prime vantage point, the 2nd story of the Shibuya Starbucks, to watch the show. There are FIVE crosswalks, outside the second busiest train/subway stop in all of Tokyo and it's 6 o'clock on a Wednesday. You can only begin to imagine the pedestrian traffic coming through here. You can barely grasp the feeling from pictures, and you would be amazed to know that, even with all those people crossing the street at the same time, no one runs into each other. It's like a dance - it's almost that beautiful to behold the movement of all the people flowing around each other.

This is rush hour at Shibuya

Closer than they seem

Gate to Meiji-Jingu

It was a day of discoveries. Some were challenging(not bad), but most of them were still good and wonderful and unexpected. 

We discovered that when jet lag hits, it hits hard and at the worst moments. This morning, my brain was telling me that is was time to get up at 4:30 am. And I mean eyes wide open, brain fully awake kind of getting up. Argh. So forget the 7:30 am alarm - I was already up, dressed and out the door. 

We discovered that, though all the guidebooks talking of ultra full metro and trains during rush hour, we managed to travel early enough this morning to avoid that experience, and even found some seats available. I suppose it's to be expected when the city contains more than 20 million people! Also, the train/metro stops are quite far apart from each other, so small distances in terms of stops may equal long trips time-wise. We're slowly getting used to things here.

Sake barrels - offerings to the gods

Daily prayers offered at the temple

Entering the main temple courtyard

Meiji-jingu, the largest Shinto temple in Japan, is sleepy this morning, with the occasional commuter passing through to make offerings and say prayers before continuing on with their day. We made it in time to hear the taiko drums which mark the start of the day, tour the grounds a little, clap our hands to make our presence know to the gods. Afterwards, we head outside the park to a small coffee shop for some tasty pastries and iced coffee. That habit harkens back to our days in Italy, I suppose. We discovered that it's sometimes hard to find a public space to sit and eat. Luckily, we hadn't ventured too far from Meiji-jingu, so we returned to the shade of the trees, and some benches we spotted earlier, for a picnic.

Sacred tree at Meiji-Jingu	To wash your hands and mouth before entering
Nature and Architecture combine on Omote-sando	Architecture on Omote-sando

Harajuku Street

After continuing through the park, we headed out to the shopping streets of Harajuku, gawking at the fashion shops of Takeshita-dori. This is where all the young girls go for Lolita- and Goth-style clothing and accessories. Think lots of bright pinks, or sombre blacks. There are a lot of well-known brand name stores in this area, but we are too poor to even walk through their front doors. We discovered that often, the outside of the buildings is just as fashionable, so instead we toured Omote-sando, gazing up at the awesome architecture of the boutiques.

The crepes are following me!

We discovered that there are no more reserved tickets available for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, which makes me sad because I was really looking forward to going there. Boo.

Shibuya crossing

We discovered that, though all of this visiting was supposed to fill an entire day, it was only noon and we were done with Harajuku. Granted, we really aren't avid enough shoppers to properly appreciate this area of town, and the museum at Meiji-jingu was strangely closed. So now what? Off to Shibuya and its super-busy pedestrian crossing!

We discovered that Shibuya isn't really that impressive unless you happen to experience it during rush hour. Noon is not rush hour. 

Obento lunch in the park

Still in the Shibuya area, we discovered that there is a serious lack of public space in which to eat, which makes no sense since the food malls are FULL of people buying takeout meals. The only thing we can guess is that they are eating at home, or at work. There is no food court, there are no benches and there are few parks, which are far, and often not really the green spaces we are searching for. We did manage to find a place, eventually, eating next to a basketball court dedicated once upon a time by the one and only Michael Jordan, complete with well-worn bronze handprints(which we obviously have to touch). Luckily it wasn't as far away as Meiji-Jingu, which had been an last-resort option.

We rediscovered that carrying your guidebook is ALWAYS a good idea, and worked out some afternoon activities while we ate our lunch. Then it was off to Asakusa, and the Senso-ji temple. 

5-storied pagoda

There is a fantastic shopping arcade leading up to Senso-ji, and if we had been wondering where all the people were before we certainly weren't anymore. Senso-ji seems to be THE temple to visit. Shops line the arcade selling all manners of foods and souvenirs. School groups make their way through the crowds, and there are all manner of tourist here, including us. This is a Buddhist temple, so there are different rituals to be performed, and prayers to be read, and fortunes to be told. It feels almost like a theme park, the way people are touring the grounds, stopping at each of the stations and completing the rituals.

Shopping lane leading to Senso-ji temple

Main courtyard

I got to store-hop along Kappabashi-dori, the shopping street in the restaurant suppliers' district, and Mario indulged me. I bought a sashimi knife! We discovered that if you try your best in Japanese, but fail anyway, people are all the more friendly and appreciative for it. And it often gets a free gift thrown in the bag for good measure.(Vegetable peeler business card!)

"Sun Road" - walking to our ryokan

Insert here an intermission with a long train ride back, a long cool shower since it's so hot out, a short nap, and then we head back out for dinner.

We discovered that foreigners are scary people. So much so that we got ignored at the restaurant we sat down in for dinner, even though we got water, and menus, and I made multiple attempts to flag down the waiter. He just smiled, turned around, and found something else to do. We left 20 minutes later, having never ordered. 

In the end, we bought yakitori(grilled skewers) from a stand run by a nice old man who took the time to explain, using gestures and very limited English, just what every skewer was(picture said nice old man flapping his arms like wings, and then pulling on his skin, and take a guess what he was describing). So we also discovered that the flashier the place, the less appealing it is, or should be, really. 

In the end, we discovered that a trip is all you make it out to be, and that you really can't dwell on the negative because the trip will otherwise just suck. For us, it was a really good day.