- We caught a morning train from Yokohama to Shimbashi station in Tokyo, then spent the day walking west to Harajuku station and caught an evening train back to Yokohama.
- We decided to just wander and see what we encountered, using green spaces as waypoints. Tokyo is so densely populated that you can go back to a district, walk through it on different streets, and have an entirely new experience.
- Took in the modern architecture in the Toranomon district then stumbled into the Kotohiragu Shrine. Built in 1660 and now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, locals pray here to ensure family health, business success, and maritime safety. Like all shinto shrines it had empty sake barrels called ‘kazaridaru’ (decoration barrels) stacked outside.
- Visited the Hisakuni-jinja shrine, dedicated to Hotei-son who is believed to be the god of happiness and prosperity. The shrine houses a sacred sword made by Hisakuni who was a master swordsmith during the Kamakura Period.
- Highlight of the day was Akasaka Hikawa Shrine where we intersected with a wedding ceremony. It was fascinating to watch the ritual unfold, and enjoy the Japanese colour palette which is just sublime. The shrine itself is a survivor, having escaping multiple disasters that befell Tokyo including the Ansei Great Earthquake (1855), the Kanto Great Earthquake (1923) and the Great Tokyo Air Raids (1945). It also has a 400 year old Ginko tree.
- Also visited Nogi Shrine, dedicated to and built on the property of the Meiji era army general and educator Nogi Maresuke. Following the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, the general and his wife decided to prove their dedication to the leader by joining him in death. The General committed Seppuku while his wife slit her throat in the house right next door to the shrine.
- For something different we had lunch in a very decent Italian restaurant and watched how the Japanese approach foreign cuisine.
- It rained in the afternoon as we walked through Aoyama Cemetery then down the chic shopping precinct of Omote-sando.
