April 4, 2014
April 4, 2014
Our internal clocks are still off, so we are up before dawn, and the first ones at breakfast. Afterwards we take a commuter train clockwise around Tokyo getting off at Yoyogi park. It is all pretty easy as Japanese trains are very modern with electronic signboards that alternate between Japanese and English.
We are here to visit the Meiji Shrine. We enter the park under an enormous wooden torii. The shrine is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji. He was the one in Tom Cruise’s movie “The Last Samurai” who wrested power from the ruling Shogun and samurais overturning the feudal order and restoring imperial rule in 1868. This change was precipitated when American Commodore Perry and his “black ships” sailed into Japanese waters forcing the country to open up. Humiliated and made painfully aware of their backwardness, Japan embarked on rapid reform and modernization under Meiji.
We are starting to see the sun peek out so we head to Ueno Park to enjoy the cherry blossoms. This is festival time or “hanami” for the Japanese. Many of the cherry trees have tarps under them with locals feasting and drinking their favorite beverage. We are in awe as we walk through the park along cherry blossom-lined paths. I could take wonderful photos but all of Tokyo seems to be doing likewise.
Aimee is getting hungry so on the way to our next destination, we stop in the Akihabara ward for lunch. Our guide yesterday recommended soba (buckwheat) noodles. We easily found a diner that served a bowl of these noodles topped with tempura. We have seen many people enjoying this meal, but both of us are left bewildered. We are eating a bowl of wet spaghetti noodles with chopsticks! And flavor; there wasn’t any!
On to Tokyo Station in the heart of downtown, we walk west toward the Imperial Palace. The grounds are immense, more than a square mile. It is surrounded by a wide moat and walls made of large stone blocks. We pass through a gate to find yet another moat and yet another wall. In feudal times this fortress must have been impregnable. We can see part of the present palace atop a hill in the distance. Since the current emperor lives here it is not open to the public. Only the east garden is open. In the middle of the garden is the hill and foundation of the original Edo castle. A few watchtowers are all that remain.
Edo is the original name for this city. It was established by Shogun Tokugawa (of James Clavell's Shogun fame) who reunited all of Japan. After the Meiji Restoration, the emperor moved the capital here from Kyoto and built a new palace atop Edo Castle. Edo was renamed To-Kyo (Eastern Capital).
After wearing out our feet today, we leave the palace grounds by the northern gate and visit the Yasukuni Shrine dedicated to those who died fighting for Japan before heading back to our hotel exhausted.
Our internal clocks are still off, so we are up before dawn, and the first ones at breakfast. Afterwards we take a commuter train clockwise around Tokyo getting off at Yoyogi park. It is all pretty easy as Japanese trains are very modern with electronic signboards that alternate between Japanese and English.
On to Tokyo Station in the heart of downtown, we walk west toward the Imperial Palace. The grounds are immense, more than a square mile. It is surrounded by a wide moat and walls made of large stone blocks. We pass through a gate to find yet another moat and yet another wall. In feudal times this fortress must have been impregnable. We can see part of the present palace atop a hill in the distance. Since the current emperor lives here it is not open to the public. Only the east garden is open. In the middle of the garden is the hill and foundation of the original Edo castle. A few watchtowers are all that remain.
After wearing out our feet today, we leave the palace grounds by the northern gate and visit the Yasukuni Shrine dedicated to those who died fighting for Japan before heading back to our hotel exhausted.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 8:35 AM
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