Exploring Tokyo

#shinjuku #YoyogiPark #MeijiJingu #ShibuyaScrambleCrossing

Today we set out to explore Yoyogi Park and the Temple there. Using Google Maps (second tip- We downloaded an eSim, in this case Ubigi, before we came to Japan and this proved to be cost effective and very useful). Although quite a distance, we were soon in the park and made our way to the Meiji Jingu temple as our first experience of this traditional Japanese site. 
Fortunately, as we arrived there was a wedding party entering in traditional costume and we joined the crowd to admire this procession. Apparently, you have to be very important to get married here.

As we explored further, other guests arrived and I was able to capture a young child in traditional costume that I sketched later on my iPad.
Sue was keeping a journal of our trip and had started to collect memorial stamps from the places that we visited. She had one from the hotel, one from the government building and today she collected a Goshen shrine stamp. She continued to do this throughout our trip. We spent time looking round the shrine area and we visited all the other buildings, admiring the architecture and ethos of the place.

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Leaving the park, we entered the busy town of Harajuku that was quite upmarket and had one small highlight which was a mirrored stairway. leading into a shopping plaza, where tourists travelled up one escalator then came down the other side taking photographs. The effect of all the mirrors provided a kaleidoscopic view. 

Moving on, we left the busy part of town to explore the side streets and eventually came across what seemed to be a building containing small studios of young artists showing their work. It was interesting to see these young people dressed in unique ways often linked to their work. One customer caught my attention and provided another super subject matter for me to sketch on my iPad.

​Below is some of the artwork on show and a couple of animators hard at work.

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Next, we made our way to the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing. As it was a Saturday the crowds were out in full force. It was exhilarating to stand amongst them. We then followed the advice given to us in a guide book, to go to the second floor of Starbucks and watch the crossing from here. Another memorable experience.

After walking through some of the side streets, we made our way back to the hotel before going out again for something to eat. A long day with us covering over 30,000 steps but well worth it.