We first visited the Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine in the heart of the city. This is a reconstruction, the 1920 original having been destroyed by fires during the bombing raids of World War II. It's an interesting story. Click HERE for more. The complex sits in the middle of 170+ acres of forest. All this exists in a city that has precious little open space for commercial or residential construction.
There's a purification ritual you have to perform before setting foot on the grounds of the Shinto shrine. Every shrine provides spring water for a ceremonial washing of the hands and rinsing of the mouth before entering. Our tour guide explained that it was customary to accommodate the beliefs of our host country out of respect. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," is how she put it.
Today, most Japanese are not firm believers in Shinto, however, they do continue to visit these shrines as symbols of life in Japan. We happened on this large group of karate pupils being led by their instructors before the great shrine to pray for their well-being and success in life. It may be a secular society, but it is steeped in tradition.
Next we went to Tokyo Tower. Standing over 1000 feet, a third of the steel to construct the tower came from scrap metal taken from 90 US tanks damaged in the Korean War. Click HERE for more. We only went up to the first platform. Naturally, that's where the souvenir shop is. The entire observation deck is enclosed, so you don't get the open air experience that you enjoy on the Eiffel Tower. I didn't bother going to the very top because the pollution was so bad there wouldn't have been much to see anyway.
Later we were bused to the Asakusa Cultural Center. Asakusa is the center of Tokyo's Shitamachi, one of Tokyo's few districts that has preserved the atmosphere of old Tokyo. It's main attraction is Sensoji, a popular Buddhist temple built in the 7th century. It is approached from the quarter-mile long Nakamise, a shop-lined street that has been tempting visitors with a variety of traditional goods, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.
On the grounds of the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa is a beautiful example of a five storied pagoda.
Finally, we were taken on a 40-minute river cruise down the Sumida River that runs through Tokyo. The cruise is aboard what they call a suijo-bus. They pass you underneath 12 bridges that span the river, each different. Along the way you some of old Tokyo and a lot of the new.
I'm really beginning to like it here and after eight weeks in Japan I am still in a tourist state of mind.
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