Tokyo, Japan

New-to-us Port: #58 (with an overnight).

Oh my! What a day we had in Tokyo. We are ever so grateful our Goodwill Guide, Kazue, was with us today. Not so much for our guiding skills … she is only a guide-in-training. Rather, because in her company, we didn’t have to waste time figuring out how to get where we wanted to go.

Insignia was a little delayed arriving and tying up at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal this morning. It was 8:30a when we rushed off the ship and made our way to the the closest station on the Yurikamome monorail line …. 10-15 minutes walking distance.

Kazue had instructed us to meet her at Shimbashi at the end of the line. Checking the route map, we determined the fare amount; pressed the appropriate buttons on the vending machine; slipped in crease free bills that you would think were hot off the presses; collected our tickets, receipt, and change; and mere minutes later, we were whizzing towards Tokyo, the elevated railway giving us our first glimpses of the city as we crossed Tokyo Harbor via Rainbow Bridge.

Kazue was waiting for us as promised. After introductions and salutations, she shared her plan with us … a combination of places we requested and those she thought would interest us. And then we were off on what turned out to be the first of many rail rides today.

Sengakuji Temple was our first stop. This Buddhist temple’s close association with the Ako Gishi is what makes it particularly important to the Japanese people. Even the short version of the story is too long to share, so here is a link to the Ako Incident that precipitated the burial of the 47 samurai at the shrine we visited (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_rōnin).

In lieu of admission, we were asked to purchase sets of incense sticks and lay them at the graves. I’m not sure exactly how many were in the bundles, but we had enough to lay at least one at each grave. On our way out, we stopped at the memorial hall/museum and the building where the wooden statues of the 47 samurai are housed. This entire visit was very interesting … and different from other temple visits we’ve made since arriving in Japan.

Hopping on another metro line, we traveled back into the city to see the Tokyo Tower … an orange and white steel structure a la the Eiffel in Paris. To get to the tower, we cut through the Zozoji Temple grounds, where we saw the stone statues that are considered to be “care guardian deities of children.” These deities, some dressed in red wool caps or aprons to “keep them warm,” are dedicated to the safe growth of children and grandchildren, as well as to still births or miscarried children. There were several hundred of these deity statues … quite a touching display, really.

Considering our limited time, we opted not to go up to the top of the Tokyo Tower, which has ceded its “highest” designation to the Skytree Tower. Instead, we wandered close enough to look up through the legs of the tower before continuing on.

Another ride on another metro line put us in the Shibuya area, which is known for the famous Scramble Crossing. It is billed as the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing … with more than 3,000 people using it at each traffic light change. What makes it really special is that at this intersection there are five crossings, all of which open up at the same time. The melee that follows is surprisingly not chaotic.

For a higher vantage point, we went to Starbucks and watched the crossing from the second floor seating area as we sipped our beverages. Then, we went back down to pay our respects to Hachikō, the dog that has become world-famous for his unwavering loyalty to his owner, Ueno. The story goes that Hachikō would meet Ueno at the Shibuya Station everyday after work. Although Ueno one day died while at work, Hachikō continued to show up at the station for the next 9 years, 9 months, and 15 days … until he himself died of terminal cancer. His cremated remains are buried next to Ueno.

By the time we visited Hachikō’s statue, it was getting on towards 1:00p. Time for lunch. Kazue took us to Tsuru Ton Tan, an udon noodle brasserie. Obviously a popular place, we had to join a queue to be seated. Luckily, the line moved fast and the food was worth the wait … with a beautiful view of the Tokyo skyline as visual candy to accompany the meal.

I ordered the small size hot-dipping kama-age udon with tempura. The dipping sauce had a bit more umami than I prefer, but was otherwise quite delicious. Mui ordered the medium size curry zanmai udon. I can’t imagine what the size would have been had he ordered the regular portion!!! He said it was very tasty … with just enough spice to make it interesting. The beer we ordered was a great accompaniment to the food.

After lunch, another metro ride took us to Meiji Jingu. This is a Shinto shrine where the deified remains of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shōken, are enshrined. The shrine was established in 1920, following the death of the emperor in 1912. The original structure was burned down during WWII, so the building we saw today is the reconstruction that dates back to 1958.

The grounds consist of a forest-like setting … the trees considered “not natural” because they are less than 100 years old and were planted to replace the forest that was also lost to fire during WWII. We had a long, peaceful walk through the forest to reach the shrine, passing casks of wine and barrels of sake … donated to the shrine by local brewers. There were three Torii gates along the way. One of them, built of Japanese cypress, is the biggest of its kind … an exact replica of the grand shrine gate that was lost during the war.

When we reached the shrine, we did not go inside. Not sure why … it certainly wasn’t a conscious decision. But we did see the two camphor trees that were planted in 1920 when the emperor was enshrined. These two trees are special because their root systems have become connected under the ground. They are known as the Husband & Wife, and have become symbols of happy marriage and harmonious life within the family.

Our last metro ride took us to the Ginza, the famous shopping district. But first, from the Meiji Shrine we walked through Takeshita-dori. The street is in the Harajuku area and is considered to be one of the busiest and most colorful shopping streets in Tokyo. It is indeed quite wacky, filled with youth-driven shops selling crazy clothes and accessories. Though short in length — about 400 meters long — it is filled with interesting character.

By the time we finished our Ginza wander, it was getting on towards 5:00p. Kazue was willing to walk us around for a while yet. But we were done. Our feet were screaming for rest. So, Kazue escorted us to a nearby metro station and told us which train to take back to the Shimbashi Station. We made the transfer from there to the Yurikamome Line without problem.

We were literally dragging by the time we reached our cabin. Much as it would have been wonderful to see Tokyo by night, we were in no shape to go out for the evening. Room service dinner, quiet time on the veranda, and we were pretty much ready for bed … with another day of sightseeing in Tokyo lurking on the horizon.Read more