Last Day in Japan - Tokyo City Tour

The Tokyo Dome Hotel for two nights in a row... travel mercies.  See our room up there on the 24th floor?  And the marvelous restaurant on the top?  From there we get a great view of the vast city and the Tokyo Dome just below on game night.  I worked on the photos while Steve took a walk around the dome and 'fair grounds' by the dome.  Go Giants.  They love the baseball.




We left the All Japan Tour group last night and will meet a new guide, Koko, this morning for this local tour.  Our first stop is at the Imperial Guest House built in 1909 and looking just like Buckingham Palace.  This is just for guests! The imperial family intrigue peeks our interest so now we'll pay more attention to the news.

After a bit of indecision about what we will see today, we

go to the Meiji Jingu Garden and Buddhist Temple.  Originally a feudal lord's mansion grounds it became the Imperial Estate during the time of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shaken... both of their 'spirits' are in the Temple.  Don't know exactly what that means.

By now we know to use the water to wash up before going into the temple. Another wedding photo session distracts us before we reach the central and rather busy temple grounds.  I found the pruning of the big camphor trees most interesting.   Could we do that in Winter Park? 


Much happening in this temple today but it's not its most busy time.  Our guide asked us to guess what the the small markings on the big wood posts in front of the temple were from.  We missed it.  They are from people throwing coins during big festivals.

German Tourist... fun.

Lots of school children and a giant gate just before we pass big stores of saki casks and wine casks.  The wine is donated by the French winemakers to honor the Meiji Emperor and celebrate good relations between the countries. The Saki is given by the Japanese saki industry to bring good will and good crops.  We can't believe these were full but the guide says they were.  There's Leslie taking a photo of the sign explaining. 

Next Koko takes us to some beautiful architecture in the city.  Scratch your head and explain how no glass fell from these buildings during the 9 point earthquake in 2011.  

Fish Market - Dick decides not to wake up a 4 in the morning for the Tsukiji Fish Market because we can get the 'flavor' of it this afternoon.  We stroll along the wholesale market and indeed get the flavor.  Dick and Steve buy some fish roe and actually eat most of it.  I tasted but couldn't swallow.   

Last stop of the day again in a wonderful garden.  We could probably never find it again, and can't remember it's name, but we fell in love with the gardeners.  Of course, there was the usual wedding couple posing in their traditional garb.  I took way too many photos here, mostly of features instead of beautiful things:  of their camellias (pruned like Alice Mikkleson says is correct), their fencing (covered in bamboo to look rustic), bamboo trellis work, special places for the turtles to sun without being bothered by people, and much too much to share here.

Wisteria!

 

We leave the Holloways at the Tokyo Dome Hotel and take off for Narita to be ready to fly home the next day.  They will fly home the next afternoon.

That's it for now.

Notions to ponder:

Contrast the Indian and Japanese cultures (Outliers to the max)

Plumbing in Japan

Architecture and Engineering on a Quake Prone Volcanic Island.

Gardening and Sustainability in India and Japan.

Maybe