This city is huge, very spread out and has a population of 13.6 million. It has 23 municipal wards and its government is a democracy set up much like Britain. It does still have an Emperor and Royal Family but they have no political power. Our guide gave us quite a history lesson on the Imperial system going back centuries but just know it is complicated, ancient and has plenty of controversy!
After 30 minutes of traffic we arrived at the Imperial Palace, an enormous walled compound with impressive gates surrounded by a moat, yes, a moat! It has lovely gardens, tea houses and off limit buildings. We spent quite some time strolling through the still winter drab of the gardens but I did enjoy the peace and calm of the Ninomaru Garden. I had to take a picture of the "clown" carp, he had a round orange nose. And I did take a very few photos of some trees just barely starting to blossom. The only photo of me is in front of one of the rock walls because it looks like one I took last year in Peru---those ancient engineers knew how to build things to last.
On to the Ginza district for lunch. This is the famous shopping area where only the 1% shop. Fun to watch the outfits, the traffic (lots of fancy cars), and the tourists. I did go into a paper store and ogle the beautiful origami paper and intricate greeting cards---too pricey for me!
Lunch was shabu-shabu. Thinly sliced meat you boil in beef broth at your table. There are veggies, sauces and rice---fun and delicious!
On to Yushukan, a Shinto Shrine dedicated to the war dead. This is a very controversial place to the Japanese, some believing it glorifies war, others believe it discourages war. Regardless, it is a fascinating place with both religious meaning and historical significance. Founded in 1882 after the Boshin War, it has a massive shrine building, lovely gardens and numerous buildings for different uses. We spent quite some time in the museum learning and observing about all the atrocities of all the Japanese wars, ending with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At the end of our tour a Shinto priest, in traditional garb, talked to us and answered questions about this sacred place and his religion. Shinto, literally the way of coming, evolved from Buddhism but is uniquely Japanese. It has no written teachings and is based on praising nature and ancestors. It is a way to explain and cope with that which we have no control over. This particular shrine is unusual because it is not local, as most are supported by neighborhoods. Japanese come from all over the country to honor their family ancestors as over 2 million are enshrined in this place. This was definitely not one of my favorite places but it certainly gave you lots to think about. Back to the hotel with enough time for me to go to the fabric store to buy thread to string my cranes. What a fun experience to go to this shopping mall and look at all the familiar daily items from a totally different perspective. Much of the fabric and notions were "cute", frilly and name brand. What surprised me were all the young shoppers so I guess sewing is a popular craft. I managed to pay with the correct change and even said "arigato" (thank you)!
The best experience was going out to dinner. Walked to the Ikebukuro train station, second largest in Japan, with average daily riders of 560,000! It was 5:30 and there were thousands of commuters going in every direction imaginable. We were 16 "gringos" with no clue where or what to do so we blindly followed our fearless guide who, fortunately, had a green flag we could follow. We managed to get tickets, enter the correct pay kiosk and line up two by two in the places indicated on the platform. We pushed on board, held on tight and miraculously got off all together at the right station. We were quite proud of our feat until we ran into a crazy, screaming crowd just outside. Literally pushing and shoving to walk a block where one of the stars of the new "Kong" movie was having a rally to promote the opening of the film. Insane but we survived! And, to top it off, we also got Japanese anti-Trump literature from a different group as we navigated the Las Vegas style streets to our restaurant. Dinner was calm, quiet and a new tasting experience. We took off our shoes, sat on the floor and enjoyed a traditional dinner with sashimi, vegetable rice, tempura, miso soup, pickled veggies and ice cream dessert. As we headed back we stopped at the "100 Yen Shop", just like our Dollar Stores. The train ride back to the hotel was easy in comparison but it was still shocking how many thousands of people were still out and about at 9pm.
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