My trip to Japan happened a few days after my trip to Korea. This time I traveled with my niece, her husband, her mother-in-law and their super cute then soon to be 1 year old son. :-) Since there were quite a few of us, my niece booked an airbnb for our accommodation instead of a hotel. The apartment had 2 rooms, a spacious living room which also had a sofa bed, a fully functional kitchen in case we wanted to cook. We limited our trip to Tokyo and its surrounding environs.
When you travel to Japan and you are a Filipino citizen, you need to apply for a visa. Read my article on how to apply here. And when you're traveling with a baby, you follow the schedule of the baby. You can only go out when the baby is awake. Ha ha.
So first things first. The land of the rising sun, as Japan is known, is a country where the past meets the future. Japanese culture stretches back millennia, yet has also been quick to adapt and created modern fashions and trends. Meanwhile, Tokyo is Japan's capital and the world's most populous metropolis. It is also one of Japan's 47 prefectures, consisting of 23 central city wards and multiple cities, towns and villages west of the city center.
Tokyo offers a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping, entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors. The city's history can be appreciated in districts such as Asakusa, in its many museums, in historic temples and gardens.
My first impression of Tokyo is that of a concrete jungle. Perhaps because my Seoul trip and this trip happened with just a few days between them, the memories of Seoul were still in my mind. And it seemed to me that there were less trees in Tokyo that I could see on the roadside.
I did not plan our itinerary this time, my niece did. So we just followed the itinerary that she prepared. So I'll just share some pictures of the places we visited, in no particular order. Also, a thing to remember- the subway system of Japan is massive, so it requires some studying beforehand, if I may say so. It is nice to have a copy of the subway always so that you can predetermine which route you will be taking- as there are so many lines intersecting, interchanging, or whatever term they have for it. Hong Kong's and Singapore's subway systems are very simple and easy to navigate because they only have a few lines. Korea has more than Hong Kong and Singapore and I say it is still manageable. Tokyo's I think doubles that of Seoul, in terms of lines, so it could get confusing.
Anyway, we landed at Narita airport, and after clearing Immigration we took a limousine bus into the city, which took approximately an hour, and from the bus stop we took a short taxi ride to our rented apartment. We arrived in the afternoon, and right after we left our bags, we went down in search of food as it was already past lunch time. We found a Nepalese restaurant, and ordering was a bit of a challenge as they only spoke Japanese and no English. So we ordered bravely, just pointing at the pictures. The good thing about renting an apartment is that we were provided with a pocket wifi that we could bring with us anywhere we went, which was nice.
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Meiji Shrine entrance
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The first place that we went to is the Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya. We took the subway going there, and we alighted at the Harajuku station. The entrance to the shrine is visible right after you exit the subway. Meiji Shrine is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji, the first emperor of modern Japan, and his wife Empress Shoken. It is the most important and popular Shinto shrine in Tokyo, hosting many festivals and ceremonies.
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wine barrels
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There is quite a walk to the main building of the shrine, and along the way you see barrels of wine on the side. It is said that the late Emperor promoted cultural exchange with France and embraced modernization but still kept Japanese traditions. To honor that exchange, about 180 bottles of wine are gifted from Burgundy to the shrine every December.
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barrels of sake wrapped in straw
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It is said that the late Emperor enjoyed wine, and the bottles of wine that are gifted are offered to the Emperor on July 30, which is the anniversary of his death. On the day of the grand Shinto ceremony commemorating the anniversary of his birthday, the wine is served to guests from abroad. In this picture are barrels of sake, the local Japanese wine, donated by the patrons of the shrine.
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| Mom and son wearing kimono |
I took a picture of the mother and son duo wearing kimono going to the shrine to pray. I think it is a very good practice for them, keeping their traditions, wearing their traditional costumes for special occasions.
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pathway to the shrine
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The shrine is a peaceful oasis in the heart of modern Tokyo,and is sheltered by a 700,000 square-meter forest of evergreen trees, donated from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.
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flower display
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Along the way there was also a flower display, so it was fun to take a picture of the different varieties on display. The Japanese are known for their gardens, and here we saw just a glimpse.
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bonsai plants
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I always like looking at bonsai plants, no matter which kind it is. And it is amazing that they have flowers, and sometimes fruits, even if they are very small. Bonsai indeed.
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more bonsai plants
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This is like a mini-garden in a box. Nicely arranged and designed including the mini-houses/structures added.
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second torii (shrine) gate
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The shrine has two torii (shrine) gates. The gates are made of beautiful cypress wood more than 1,700 years old, and they are 12 meters high, and they are the largest torii in Japan.
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| customary hand washing area |
Before you enter the shrine, there is an area where you need to wash your hands as is the custom. You can't just wash your hands however you want it though. The handwashing custom is called the temizu, and you have to hold the handle with your right hand, scoop up the water and pour it into your left hand. Then with your left hand, scoop some water and pour it onto your right hand. After that you put the dipper into your right hand again, pour some into your cupped left hand, and swish some water into your mouth.
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| courtyard |
The shrine is divided into several buildings but we did not go into any of them. There is a place where prayers of praise are offered to the emperor, a treasure house, a consecrated kitchen for preparation of food offerings, and some office buildings.
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| prayers/wishes |
These are 'prayers of gratitude' that are engraved in tablets of wood are are hung on the wooden structure.
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| wedding ceremony |
We were fortunate enough to have witnessed a wedding ceremony taking place during that time, and yes, we could take pictures, we just had to make sure we did not disrupt or in any way disrespect the solemn occasion. And all the other tourists there did the same.
Not sure which hall of the shrine this was but I just kept taking pictures.
Another structure within the shrine. If you are tired, you can not just sit on the ground. That is deemed as being disrespecting the place. So be aware of how we do things when we visit places like this so as not to offend their cultures and traditions.
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| shrine entrance taken from inside |
Once you're in the shrine compound and you look back, this is what it looks like. As you can see there were quite a lot of people visiting. And the wedding that was taking place there proceeded without any disruptions.
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close-up shot for one of the lamps
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We stayed until it was dusk, and when it was already too dark, we just called for a taxi and went back to our rented apartment for the night. And then my niece's husband went to buy dinner from the same restaurant we had lunch at.
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Ueno Park cherry trees
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It was raining on our second day, and it was the day we went to Ueno Zoo- we had a baby with us, and an elderly mom-in-law, so it was quite a challenge navigating the rain, holding an umbrella over the baby stroller and trying to take pictures. It was such a shame we did not walk around the park, only the zoo, so the baby would see the animals. In the picture above are cherry trees which bloom with cherry blossoms during the spring. Imagine walking there and just clicking away your camera!
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| can you spot the monkeys? |
Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan and it was established in its present site since 1882 as part of Japan's modernization drive during the Meiji period.
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| Early autumn leaves |
It was already the middle of November when we went but the temperatures were not that cold still during that time. I must not have been able to take a lot of pictures because of the rain, but the zoo was quite big, with a lot of animals and their habitats are made to be the same as their natural habitat, or as close to it possible. Admission to the zoo is 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for senior citizens and 200 yen for children.
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white owl
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This is one other animal I was able to take a picture of. But the main attractions of the zoo are the big animals like elephant, giraffe, and the like. And because it was raining, we had to leave fast, because the baby was getting rained on despite all our efforts of shielding him and we didn't want him getting sick. So we took the train and went to Asakusa to see the Tokyo Skytree.
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Tokyo Skytree
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The Tokyo Skytree is a television broadcasting tower and landmark of Tokyo. The Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan and the second tallest in the world at the time of its completion.Maybe because it was raining, it seemed like every one had the same idea to visit the skytree on that day so the lines to the observatory was very long, and the elderly lady with us did not have any patience to wait that long, so we just explored the mall in the area. Entrance for the observation deck is 2,060 yen, and a separate 1,030 yen if you want to go up the higher observation deck. Apparently the deck gives you the best panorama of the city, that's why every one converged there on the same day! Ha ha!
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| lunch time! |
We had lunch in one of the restaurants in the mall and I had this delicious tempura. Foo din Japan is not very expensive but is not very cheap either. And I guess it depends on where you eat.
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| view from the restaurant |
This was the view we had from the restaurant and the skytree was right above us. The food was delicious.
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| caricature shop |
Inside the mall was a caricature shop and my grandnephew and his grandma had one made- so that took about almost an hour or so. The end result was nice and cute, especially since he was gonna have his first birthday in a couple of weeks or so after the trip.
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| Hello Kitty store |
We had fun looking at all the shops, and we had fun buying souvenirs as well. Here we bought mostly snacks that Japan is famous for, KitKat chocolates, nuts, rice crispies and the like.
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| teapots |
The Japanese also love drinking tea, and these teapots were nice as they had different colors.
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| handkerchiefs |
Here is a handkerchief store and the various ways they could be used to wrap gifts. Quite artsy and very nice looking. The Japanese indeed are very creative with their hands. The art of paper folding or origami originated from Japan.
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seaweed rice
We also checked out one grocery store and it was nice looking at all the displays- from cooked food to fruits to sausages and all.
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So if you want to save a little perhaps, you might just want to buy prepared foods in grocery stores and eat them at your convenience.
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Different kinds of barbecues
They definitely look mouth-watering and it would definitely make a decent meal if you purchase an assortment of all the different kinds of food, available, that way you get to try everything. :-)
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different kinds of tempura
They definitely look delicious, don't they? Or you could just choose to buy an assortment of this. Ah, the food. Makes me want to go back again, and I most definitely will. And this time, I will definitely explore to the max!
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The second installment will discuss the rest of the places we went to, so stay tuned!
You may also want to read more travel articles here.
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