Day 7 (Part 2) Meiji Jingu

After the craziness of the festival at the Tsukiji fish market, we felt the need to do something that involved less people and hopefully some sitting. Tripadvisor suggested Meiji Jingu as the #1 Landmark to be seen in Tokyo. We had no idea what it was, but it looked like a park on the internet. So we hopped on a train and went there! It's good to know that if you're planning on traveling around Tokyo, you can buy an all day, unlimited metro pass for 600 yen ($4.86). An unlimited metro card in NYC is $31 (that's for a 7 day pass, the shortest duration available). Save your feet and invest in the unlimited pass.

Anywho, if you're interested in what the shrine is all about, it's dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken. The Emperor was responsible for the modernization of Japan and is a highly revered figure here. When they passed away, in 1912 and 1914 respectively, 100,000 trees were donated from all over Japan and overseas to build a shrine and forest honoring their souls. All of the trees were planted by hand by volunteers. While the forest was carefully planned, today it cannot be distinguished from a natural forest. 

Very much like Central Park in NYC, the Meiji Jingu is an oasis of calm and green in the midst of a huge city. It was refreshing to walk under the tall trees, away from the hot sun for a little while.

Entrance into the park, made from 1,500 year old cypress

Sake tributes. We were very tired in this picture

The entrance into the main shrine

Beautiful woodwork

The main shrine

A traditional Shinto wedding was taking place

There were bonsai on display near the shrine. I'm not sure who the artist was, or how old the trees are because all the signs were in Japanese, but it was impressive work.

Close up of the sake offerings. I like the ones with the cherry blossoms!

Some fun stuff we saw while on the way back to Yokohama:

Pads...for your armpits. Honestly considered buying these. The humidity is REAL.

Just so many people!

Even the buses are adorable.

We were seriously dragging ass by the time we got back to Yokohama. We needed dinner, but neither of us were incredibly hungry, or feeling adventurous. So we opted for a British style pub right off the train station. We split some fish and chips and a mini shepherd's pie. Then someone may have been asleep by 9pm. Or maybe 8:45. And it certainly was not me. Nope. Not me. (ok....it was me).

All the liquors poured by gravity.

Zima is still a thing here.

Oh yeah...no forks or spoons for the food. That means fish and chips with chopsticks!