We last left off here in Senso-Ji, the temple in north Tokyo.
I really enjoyed the experience at the temple, as it was interesting being mixed in with the national tourists of Japan. The spiritual parts of the culture I enjoy and appreciate as temples are open to everyone and it does not feel closed off or seperate from the world so speak as with Christian or Islamic places of worship.
Walking around the neighborhood and surrounding area of the temple was the first experience with what felt like normal life in Tokyo compared to the business district we are staying in and Shibuya.
In particular we are noticing how everyone is extremely friendly and I absolutely love the slight bowing of recognition and interaction with people and one another. It might seem small but this respectful exchange I think is important in how everyone treats one another with respect.
After the temple we headed for a tempura lunch.
We ordered a menu and thought we had ordered what everyone else was eating. We hadn't, but it was extremely delicious. The sauce is the highlight and is sort of a lighter soy sauce that is accompanied by finely minced onion that nearly dissolves in the sauce.
We then waddled over to Ueno Park with our bellies full.
Ueno park is gorgeous and has a beautiful path lined with cherry blossoms leading to the central area of the park. When all the trees will be in full bloom it will be an amazing sight.
The photo below is from a temple there in the park. We visited many temples throughout the day.
There was also a funeral monument to the Shōgitai, who fought at the Battle of Ueno and were nearly all killed in the battle. The Shōgitai were an elite corp of the shoguntate and the monument was very emotional. I did not take a picture as I did not feel comfortable doing so, but there were also depictions of the battle at the monument from a survivor and it looked incredible and something out of a movie.
After walking through the park we arrived at the National Museum and proceeded to exhaust ourselves.
Check it out... I forgot to take awesome photos of samurai garb, but did snap this one of the saddle and stirups.
After museum we walked into a neighborhood near the university there for coffees. We bumped into this nice temple below.
Good night from Tokyo :).
I really enjoyed the experience at the temple, as it was interesting being mixed in with the national tourists of Japan. The spiritual parts of the culture I enjoy and appreciate as temples are open to everyone and it does not feel closed off or seperate from the world so speak as with Christian or Islamic places of worship.
Walking around the neighborhood and surrounding area of the temple was the first experience with what felt like normal life in Tokyo compared to the business district we are staying in and Shibuya.
In particular we are noticing how everyone is extremely friendly and I absolutely love the slight bowing of recognition and interaction with people and one another. It might seem small but this respectful exchange I think is important in how everyone treats one another with respect.
After the temple we headed for a tempura lunch.
We ordered a menu and thought we had ordered what everyone else was eating. We hadn't, but it was extremely delicious. The sauce is the highlight and is sort of a lighter soy sauce that is accompanied by finely minced onion that nearly dissolves in the sauce.
We then waddled over to Ueno Park with our bellies full.
Ueno park is gorgeous and has a beautiful path lined with cherry blossoms leading to the central area of the park. When all the trees will be in full bloom it will be an amazing sight.
The photo below is from a temple there in the park. We visited many temples throughout the day.
After walking through the park we arrived at the National Museum and proceeded to exhaust ourselves.
Check it out... I forgot to take awesome photos of samurai garb, but did snap this one of the saddle and stirups.
After museum we walked into a neighborhood near the university there for coffees. We bumped into this nice temple below.
Good night from Tokyo :).
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