Naritasan Shinsho-ji

My main sightseeing goal was to visit the Naritasan Shinsho-ji. The complex is situated at the end of the Omotesando, and it is a grand complex of about a dozen historic buildings, some of which are over a thousand years old. I explored some of the temple grounds, then I wandered into the Naritasan Park (see next post) before wandering back into the temple complex because I realized I missed a substantial part of it. The temple complex was spectacular, but the collection of buildings did seem a little disparate.

I exited the temple complex a little past 5pm. As I walked back up the Omotesando, I realized to my dismay that the unagi restaurants I wanted to check out were closing for the day. I felt a little discouraged when all I could procure was a sweet potato snack. But, as I approached the train station, I noticed more bright lights. I ducked into a very local ramen place and had a morale boosting bowl of noodles before heading back to the airport.Read more