One of the "must see" areas of Tokyo, Meiji Jingu sports massive gates at every entrance, and a forest
built specifically as a sacred ground for the Meiji Emperor and
Empress’s spirits to roam in after their deaths.
As today is
Nicky’s last real day in Tokyo, we kind of turned it into a last, mad
rush to see what was left to see in Tokyo. Therefore, we explored
Harajuku, went to Meiji Jingu and found the Hachiko statue in Shibuya.
I got to Harajuku a bit earlier than
Nicky, so walked down the main drag for a bit. It was really hot
(apparently we’ve been experiencing the greatest heat wave in Japan
since they started recording the temperatures! 118 people in Tokyo
alone have died from heat stroke...) so I escaped into a large Daiso
store for a drink and to look around. In the upstairs portion, I found a
whole bunch of craft supplies for a dollar each, so bought a bunch of
felt to make Nicky a surprise to keep with her in Kyoto while we’re
apart. I already know what I want to make her, and will get started on
it directly after I finish this post, kekeke!
Harajuku itself is a pretty cool
place, but there’s simply too many people. I would have liked to look
around longer, but when you get pushed and shoved from every angle, its
really hard to enjoy yourself or take pictures... such a shame!
When Nicky arrived, we headed over to
Meiji Jingu, where the first order of business was the gift shop. I
bought a small white raccoon keychain, a magnet and a spoon for Nicky’s
collection~ I’m slowly amassing a small hoard of Japanese memorabilia
items, and am very proud of myself for spending so little money on
unnecessary things in Tokyo.
One of the cool things you have to
pass on your way into the park is a wall of old sake barrels~ There was
also a billboard that sported some of the poetry Emperor Meiji had
written in his lifetime, and maybe when I’m feeling more inclined, I’ll
translate it.
The shrine itself is really pretty;
calm and quiet, and one of the things I love about shinto shrines is
that they’re unpainted. You get the wood’s natural colors, and the
iron’s age shows beautifully. Compared to the colorful temple in
Yokohama’s Chinatown, this place is a different world, not just a different culture.
We stayed long enough to write down a
prayer and post it to the tree, before making an offering in the temple.
I almost bought a little scholarship shrine for my desk, but refrained
as I’ll probably be able to get one in Kyoto. We made our way out of the
park after that, and since Nicky has a lot of packing to do, we decided
to call it a day. On the way back to the station though, we decided to
walk to Shibuya, instead of taking the train, as you -can- walk from one
area of the city to the next relatively easily. The train system makes
the distance feel pretty deceptive. We walked from Yoyogi to Shibuya,
and on the way, we found a bench! These are exceptionally rare in Tokyo,
unless you pay a price of admission into a train station or park first,
so we had a small break there before continuing on our way.
In
Shibuya, I remembered that we hadn’t yet seen the Hachiko statue.
Hachiko is a Akita dog who is known throughout Japan for his
faithfulness to his master. Every day, the dog and his master would meet
at the train station after the man got off work, but one day the old
master did not return. Hachiko continued to return to the station every
day for nine years until his own death in 1935. The story is more
impressive than his statue, unfortunately, as the place is littered with
too many smokers and punks to be enjoyed. The wall mural about 100 feet
away is far better, in my own opinion.