Well, as you can see it’s been some time since we’ve returned from this trip but better late than never! I’m still working out how this thing will flow, but essentially I think it’s going to be a series of photographs with a small explanation underneath with perhaps a story interspersed here or there. The headline photo is of the airline on the way to Tokyo – a good sign of things to come!
One of the highlights from the trip (well, to be honest the entire trip was essentially one long highlight reel) was visiting the Kabuki theater in Ginza! Kabuki is basically traditional Japanese theater that was very popular among the “regular joe” and became very popular in Ginza due to its history as a merchant district. Today the theater has been remodeled to resemble the original as you can see outside from the shot here. Also, the inside looked quite grand as well.
Here you can see a bit of the inside as well as Erika and I getting ready for the show. Neither of us knew what to expect really but I think it’s safe to say we were not ready for the display that was to follow! With Kabuki, the actors’ faces are completely painted with white makeup and their costumes are often large and brightly colored. All of these theatrics leaves very little for the actor to express with facial movements, which means they have two main things remaining — their voice and their movements. Both of these things, as expected, are extremely exaggerated to compensate. It makes for a hilarious, ahem, I mean, cultural experience.
Next we voyaged over to the Hamarikyu Gardens, a relic from shogun-era Tokyo (or Edo, as it was once called) where the reigning Shogun would greet foreign dignitaries and heads of state. The garden has been preserved and restored, and is open to the public daily for short jaunts during a lunch break or longer strolls on the weekend.
As you can see, there are beautiful trees and fields and even some period bridges available for viewing pleasure. March in Tokyo is beautiful and we were able to catch many of the blossoms, even if we missed the bulk of the sakura season.
You can see that there’s something of a timeless quality to this garden, despite the fact that it’s situated at the heart of the largest metropolitan area in the world. Quite a fantastic time. In fact, I believe that we have been here every time we come through Tokyo, there’s that much to see!
Moving along, here is a photo standing on the steps of Zojoji temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. That large tree in front of the gate was planted by President Ulysses Grant in 1879 when he visited the Emperor Meiji. It’s one of many temples in Tokyo, though it is unique as it is not as much of a tourist destination (though it certainly drew us), but an actual temple where denizens come to pay their respects.
Here you can see a picture of the temple proper as well as a view of perhaps an additional reason why folks come to visit – it offers an excellent view of the Tokyo Tower! We made our way over there this same day, but first we’ll take a look inside the temple complex as well as sneak around the building to see what’s back there. Note the winter jackets folks still have on – it’s March, and while technically spring, it’s still quite cold in Tokyo at this time. We didn’t see any snow or anything like you’d expect in Michigan in the early spring (har har), but we still had to layer up to escape the chill.
Here is what the inside of the temple looked like, as well as some folks getting ready for a ceremony. They were practicing for some sort of festival. Erika and I watched them run through their routine while folks came in and out, sat and listened, walked around, etc. Not pictures is a large vat of hot coals with incense burning right beside us, which enhanced the “old world” feel that permeated this place.
One thing in particular that’s memorable at Zojoji is the hundreds of statues of small children in the courtyard. Parents who have lost young ones come to decorate these statues as a way of remembering them as well as passing along thoughts to other parents who may be suffering the same loss. This picture isn’t a great representation of the large number of these statues, but I thought it was compelling still.
We visited Ueno park where we saw this bronze cast of Buddha. This originally was a large statue, however it was melted down to provide metal during WWII. All that was left is what is depicted beside here. Ueno is a fantastic park that is comprised of a multitude of trees, including a famous Plum tree that is said the be “the first blooming tree of Spring” in Tokyo. Ueno was originally an area where the commoners would gather, trade, relax and make homes, earning the area it’s name which translates roughly “the low area”
Here you can see beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom. These trees lined the walkways of the park and not only looked beautiful – they smelled beautiful as well!
Erika and I visited a replica of a home from the 19th century. It was primarily wood with Tatami mats and open holes in the ceiling to allow smoke from the cooking fire to escape. This home was decorated with trinkets from the area, including an entire room full of period toys! Some of these were challenging puzzles which took several long moments of concentration to master, though I got through, well, nearly all of them. The porcelain cat depicted in the picture has his right paw raised, which denotes the welcoming of money, the sign of a merchant. If the left paw is raised, this denotes the welcoming of people, potentially an inn or a restaurant. You’re also able to see my magnificent mustache.
Heading now to Asakusa, we are able to visit a restored temple harking back to Buddhism’s heyday in Japan, where entire microcosms were established around the temple complex. The throng of people you see here were not gathered for a particular festival or occasion, this is the regular daily scene for this temple, one of Tokyo’s most popular. Merchants line the streets as people purchase items for the temple itself, as well as food and souvenirs to mark the occasion of their pilgrimage.
Behind the temple is quaint stone bridge above a pond full of Koi fish where we were able to snap a few pictures.
Some of these worked out better than the others…
Well, at that point it was time to gather our belongings and get on Japans legendary Shinkansen, the bullet train, for our journey into the mountains of Koyazan, which will be the topic of another post.
Thanks for reading!
-Michael & Erika