NOW we’re touring!

Wed. Aug 29, 2018    No more shopping malls, today we get to see the real tourist sites.  We weren’t leaving until 9:00, but we woke early so decided to get down to breakfast before the crowds.  6:30 was a good call as we had the place and the fresh goodies to ourselves.  Rain is gone, but it’s overcast and humid.  Yoshiko-san continues to entertain with her almost caricature English.  She substitutes L’s for R’s and mangles things in hilarious ways.  She thanked everyone for their copulation (cooperation) in getting on the bus on time, and of course we would have lice for lunch.  She is, however, an absolute sweetheart and is tireless in catering to us. When she was married, she lived with (and deferred to) her mother-in-law who, apparently, took full advantage of the situation.  Yoshiko decided to learn English as a means of escape.  Now, she says, when she goes to the cemetery, she thanks her MIL for motivating her to learn as she now gets to travel the world.

Our first stop today is to go right around the corner to the Tokyo Tower that has loomed over us since we arrived.  Opened in 1958, at 333 meters it is the second tallest structure in Japan.  We didn’t go to the expensive top, but the lower observation deck, which was plenty tall to see the city (see pic in previous post).

It’s hard to appreciate how tangled and tortured is the layout of Tokyo which, like Topsy, “just grew.”  Even the rebuilding after the WWII firebombings didn’t do much to lay things out in a more orderly fashion.

We got back on the bus and motored across town to the exterior grounds of the Imperial Palace, the Kokyo Gaien National Gardens.  The inner grounds of the palace are generally not open to the public. Only on January 2 (New Year's Greeting) and December 23 (Emperor's Birthday), are visitors able to enter the inner palace grounds and see the members of the Imperial Family, who make several public appearances on a balcony.  Nonetheless, the Gardens grounds are impressive, beautiful, and oddly serene in the geographic center of Tokyo.  The Nijubashi are two bridges that form an entrance to the inner palace grounds. The stone bridge in front is called Meganebashi (Eyeglass Bridge). The bridge hidden in the back was formerly a wooden bridge with two levels, from which the name Nijubashi (Double Bridge) derives.  People on the bridge give some scale.

The group doing its thing on the grounds.  Loni’s red hat is easy to spot!

Much of the grounds was like a full-size bonsai garden, with the trees carefully pruned.

And, of course, made a perfect backdrop for the happy tourists.  These grounds originally were the site of Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate that ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. In 1888 construction of a new Imperial Palace was completed. It was destroyed during World War Two, and rebuilt in the same style, afterwards.  The stone bridge and the walls, however, are the originals.

Next up was a visit to the big Tsukiji fish market, allegedly the world’s largest.  The portion we would see is only a fraction of the huge place.  Most of the action is the wholesale part, which takes place at night and early dawn;  during the day it’s the much smaller section for retail sales to consumers, lunch-goers, etc.  Below, we are on our way into the market area, Chuck (blue shirt, tan hat) leading the way, Alice and Loni bringing up the rear.  There were lots of vendors selling cooked product, but since we had lunch in the offing we mostly looked.  I did try some squid jerky, which was salty, very chewy, but good.  These were the more open areas.  Sometimes the way narrowed down to where you could hardly move in any direction.  But, there was never any shoving.  Everyone did a polite shuffle to make their way through.

After seeing all this food it was time to walk to the Tama Sushi restaurant a couple of blocks away.  We were supposed to meet Yoshiko at a predetermined intersection, which got more than a few folks confused.  We had left the market early to see a nearby temple, which looked more like a stone train station, and met up with one of the more elderly members of our group who was traveling alone.  He was hopelessly lost, and I’m very glad we were there to guide him back.  Otherwise, it would have been hours of delay for the group while he was hunted down.  In areas that are known to be high tourist spots, like the fish market, the signs are bilingual, but this is not the norm throughout the city.  Everyone eventually made it to the meeting spot and we herded along to the restaurant.  Not the fanciest of buildings, but it was quite nice inside and we got our first real sushi experience.  Unfortunately, due to comments from prior tours, they had “dumbed down” the menu to very ordinary fish, and eliminated the more exotic fare.  Phooey.  I’d have preferred a little adventure.  What we got, though, was very good.  Tuna, salmon, shrimp, and eel.  Allergic Loni got two salmon for the nixed shrimp.  Things were rounded out by sushi rolls, fresh ginger, miso soup, salad, vegetable tempura, green tea, and a savory egg custard.  We couldn’t believe it, but some of our less-open tour mates “ewed” the eel and the custard, and faint murmers of “what, no dessert?” were heard. Sigh.  Guess that’s why the menu got reduced to its current state.

We waddled back to the bus and took off for the outskirts of Tokyo to a lush forest that held the Meiji shrine, dedicated to the Meiji emperor.  Shrines are Shinto religion, temples are Buddhist.  Shinto, explained Yoshiko, predates the 7th century and is based on the spiritual forces in nature:  trees, mountains, water, etc.  As we walked through the forest to the shrine, we passed through several huge Tori gates which are believed to have the power to block evil forces.  We found these throughout our trip, large and small, sitting on land or in water.  Don’t know about the alleged powers, but they are impressive to look at.  Chuck, left, Yoshiko and Loni lead the way.

The shrine itself, while quite elaborate in its exterior architecture, is austere on the inside.  Simple, straight lines of natural wood without any adornment or icons.  You’re supposed to get a sort of inner peace from the simplicity, I guess.  There is a hand washing ritual that visitors are supposed to observe, although no one cares if you do not.  To purify yourself, you pour water from the dipper to the left hand, then the right, then back to the left.  You’re then supposed to rinse your mouth out, but I didn’t observe anyone taking that step, not even the locals.  Sorta like kissing the Blarney Stone.  Yuck.  At the shrine, you stay behind the railings and bow 2 times, clap hands twice, then bow again.  Once done, you can toss a small coin inside and say a prayer.  There was an adjacent structure where, I kid you not, you could drive your new car in for a blessing!  Outside the shrine area, there were these sake which are donated annually by their makers. The array stretched about 60 or 70 yards, so this is just a small section. Sipping a cup of sake is a prayerful act of symbolic unification with the gods. Shinto shrines and sake manufacturers maintain a symbiotic relationship, in which the shrines conduct rites to ask the gods for the prosperity of the brewers, and — this is where the barrels come in — the brewers donate the grog that shrines need for ceremonies and festivals. Apparently, the barrels on display are empty, and the brewers donate in bottles what the shrines need for ceremonies.  Too bad.  If they were full, it would be quite a Shinto shindig at the end of the year.  Opposite this display is a similar one containing wine barrels.  Equal opportunity booze!

Tori gate entry to the shrine, elaborate doors with woman performing the bowing ritual, map of park, the facade.

Back to the hotel for a non-A beer and kick back before the group dinner.  Tonite was to be a tapas dinner, but what we got was really strange.  We got a salad, rice bowl, egg roll, then southern fried chicken with egg sauce, accompanied by BBQ chicken, overbaked rolls and ice cream.  Tapas?  Apparently fried chicken is popular here, especially at Christmas time when it is the custom to have KFC.  Yes, that KFC.  Dates back to some promotion back in the 70’s that was wildly successful.  Anyway, it was mostly tasteless and really disappointing. This place, I am sure, was the subject of many comments on our end-of-tour ratings.  It made my list!  And, poor Alice, who can’t eat chicken.  No substitutes available.  No photos of this disaster.  Too bad a good day ended on a sour note.