Tokyo

We met Harold and Diane for a two-night stay in Tokyo at the New Sanno Hotel, a surprisingly elegant and affordable U.S. Navy hotel right in the heart of the city. The Tokyo Metro system was our preferred method of travel and worked pretty well except that a few stations that were not stroller friendly. Thankfully, we weren't traveling during the morning commute, so we didn't witness the "pushers" cramming people into the cars, but I did see a car labeled as reserved for women only during certain hours so they don't have to be body-to-body with men.

Upon exiting Harajuku station, we passed by Takeshita Dori, a narrow, pedestrian-only shopping street. Click on the picture to see how packed it is; we didn't even try to go here with a stroller.

Our first destination was the Meiji Jingu Shrine in the Harajuku neighborhood. This torii gate was built of cypress more than 1,700 years ago.

Shaded, tree-lined walkway leading to the shrine...

Bamboo fencing, so much more aesthetically pleasing than orange plastic or chain link fencing...

Sake barrels presented as offerings at Shinto shrines (and providing cheap advertising for each of the brewers printed on the barrels)...

 

Entrance to the shrine...

  

Vegetable offerings...

We saw two different wedding processions during our short time at the shrine...

We also happened  to be at the shrine during the Seven-Five-Three (Shichigosan) festival that celebrates seven- and three-year-old female children as well as three- and five-year-old male children. Kids dress up in kimonos and visit Shinto shrines with their families to celebrate healthy growth. This little girl is sporting a kimono robe tied with a traditional obi (sash).

Meiji Shrine...

For lunch, we headed to a Hawaii-based burger joint, Kua Aina. As you can see from the picture below, the building goes straight up, and since our mammoth stroller wouldn't fit up the stairs to the main seating area, we all perched on small stools at a very small counter  to eat our meals. My tuna and avocado sandwich was delicious and I think the group consensus was that the burgers were good, but not Five Guys good.

After lunch, we began our trek to the Tokyo Metropolitan government Building (the two towers pictured above), the tallest building in Tokyo, to view the city from a 45th floor observation deck. It was quite hazy by the time we arrived, but apparently visitors can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day. After experiencing the natural beauty in Yoyogi Park at ground level earlier in the day, I was struck by how this massive forest (the dark patch of trees pictured below) was simply dwarfed by the sprawling city landscape. I couldn't help but reflect on the unbelievable number of ancient trees cleared to make way for a new cold, gray forest of buildings, but at least someone had the foresight to preserve small patches of natural beauty within the city. 

Yoyogi Park

 Autumn leaves at their prime

And finally, what trip to Tokyo would be complete without a funny Japanese advertisement that jumps out to the American eye...

 

 We didn't even begin to scratch the surface of Tokyo, but it was fun to be touring a major city again, albeit at a much slower pace- all the more reason to plan a return visit!