TOKYO – We had visited Tokyo previously and seen most of the “must see” sites for tourists. This time
we chose to have a guide for one day and then to have the remaining time to
ourselves. One of the places we went was Yanaka
Bochi, the cemetery where the last Shogun of the Tokagawa era is buried. We
found the cemetery very interesting. By law everyone is cremated and then the
ashes are placed in an urn which is buried in a hole in the plot. The plot
already contains a stone with the family crest and/or name. There is also
another stone on which the names and dates for all family members buried there
is engraved. Many are missing metal fences, statues, etc. because they were
melted down in World War II. Some graves are Shinto and others are Buddhist.
Leaving the cemetery we passed
a Buddhist shrine with chains composed of thousands of origami cranes
decorating it. Nearby was a large bronze Buddha from the Edo period. We left
the cemetery under an alley of huge cherry trees.
We strolled to the nearby Jyomyoin Temple. The garden of this
Buddhist temple contained thousands of tombstone-like markers engraved with
donors names and denoting a relative. In the temple itself there was a huge
bell rope to use after making an offering and praying.
At Nezu
Museum in the garden the gorgeous purple irises were in
bloom. Then we returned to the building to see a special exhibition of Japanese
paneled screens; the highlight was a pair of gold screens decorated with purple
irises. These 18th century masterpieces are considered national treasures. The museum's
second floor contained an exhibit of Chinese bronzes and another on vessels
used in the tea ceremony.
At Tasaki where a lady demonstrated how they make cultured pearls.
She also explained the locations of their pearl farms---of the coast of
Myanmar---and showed the different kinds, colors, sizes and qualities of
pearls. Who knew they used ground bits of shell from Mississippi River mussels
as the core of their pearls
Our next stop was Roppongi Hills Mori Tower/Observatory where
we ascended to the 55th floor for a view of the city called "Tokyo City
View;" there was too much haze to see Mt.
Fuji .
When we visited Asakusa Temple, the surrounding area had
changed a little in the past 10+ years. The three-day-long Sanja Matsuri (festival) officially begins tomorrow and people were
erecting food tents as fast as possible. A lot of people, including students in
uniform, were pouring into the area; it's estimated that some two million
people will visit the area during the three days. We wandered into the shrine
area itself; that had not changed except for a price increase on
"fortunes." Then we looked at the souvenir shops lining the entrance
pathway. We also wandered through the market between the station and the temple
looking at the utilitarian items for sale.
.
Hie
Shrine was
next to our hotel. This ancient
Shinto shrine, which has ties to the Imperial family, has been rebuilt several
times. Black curtains prevented our entering the shrine itself but we were able
to access the grounds. A half dozen or so ladies were chanting to the left of
the entrance to the shrine itself.
