Japan: Second Day

Today has been incredibly busy, but the weather gods smiled on us absolutely.

The breakfast buffet included dishes from all over the world, but I stuck to bacon and eggs with a side of mushrooms and spinach.

At 8.30 am, we met in the lobby to see our tour leaders from Norway (Arne and Carlos who run a popular knitting blog) plus the local guide (Mayumi). Then it was onto the bus to take us to Asakusa for a visit to the  main Buddhist temple Sensoji.

Our charming guide Mayumi, pointing out the lanterns donated to the temple.

Pagoda with five storeys.

Replica sandal: memorial to those who had walked miles to get here.

This was followed by a boat trip along the river. Our guide advised us to pick up some sushi to eat as we were cruising along. This was to constitute an early lunch, but we were warned not to eat too much as we were going for a huge dinner at 4.30 at a very famous restaurant.

The next stop was at the large Hamarikyu Gardens, dating back to the Edo period when it served as a the garden of a private villa belonging to a feudal lord. At the time, these lords had to come every year to visit the  ruler of Japan and stay there with their whole family and entourage.

Getting my fortune told. You shake the tin and a stick pops out. You then find the correct drawer and extract the paper with your “fortune”. You put 100 yen in the slot.

Drawers containing the fortunes.

This was followed by a boat trip along the river. Our guide advised us to pick up some sushi to eat as we were cruising along. This was to constitute an early lunch, but we were warned not to eat too much as we were going for a huge dinner at 4.30 at a very famous restaurant.

The next stop was at the large Hamarikyu Gardens, dating back to the Edo period when it served as a the garden of a private villa belonging to a feudal lord. At the time, these lords had to come every year to visit the  ruler of Japan and stay there with their whole family and entourage.

Lock gates to control water level.

Ancient pine tree, carefully pruned and propped up.

Lovely pathway through the gardens.

A beautiful shade loving flower.

Ruthe, my room -mate, with a young girl in a traditional kimono. Unmarried girls wear long hanging sleeves. Married women wear shorter sleeves.

This garden shows “Japan in miniature” with all the major climatic regions depicted. The famous maple trees here have not yet turned red, but will do so in 3 weeks.