Day 14: Tourist Is As Tourist Does

As the title of the blog insinuates during my free Saturday in Japan I decided to go be a tourist and explore Tokyo for all it had to offer me. I’d been working all week on an ultimate plan to see as much as possible, and I tried to get some friends to go with me but do some communication errors I mainly went on this adventure alone. My day started early at 7:50 in the morning when I boarded the train to Tokyo Station. I’d been warned all week that it was going to be really crowded since that time was during rush hours. Yet there was hardly a soul on the train or even walking around. I got a seat on the first stop and didn’t have to give it up until I got to Tokyo Station. Now Tokyo Station was one of the original train stations created, and has a very European style due to their influence at the time. Right close by the Tokyo Station is the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Gardens. The walk there was really serene since there was no one really around (in comparisons to the Tokyo I had seen previously). As I approached the Palace however I noticed something seemed off. I had done some research prior to going and knew you could sign up for tours at a specific gate, but today there were police outside the gate and huge tents and security places set up. When I asked the officer about the tour he said I just had to continue to the official entrance. It was only some short time later that I realized I had accidentally come to the palace during one of the 9 days out of the year when it’s open to the public for Sakura viewing (the other days being the Emperor’s Birthday and another official ceremony of well wishing). So along I went with tourists and Japanese alike as we meandered our way to security. Once I got to the table where they were checking bags I learned that in order to make sure no one takes anything harmful in they conduct a sip test for any drinking containers they find. I find this a lot smarter than banning them outright especially since I really needed my water after walking all over the palace and the gardens. It was amazing getting to see this unique insider perspective and I gene got to practice my Japanese a little by asking some of the guards questions. After walking the beautiful path and seeing all the beautiful plant life the palace offered I made my way to the Imperial Gardens. From there I wandered, explorer and learned about the gardens to my hearts content (I was technically waiting for a friend at this point). Not only was everything beautiful and in bloom in some way there was also a rich history to the garden. The Imperial Garden that is open to the public was private land until it was opened in 1968 by the currently resigning Emperor and Empress. They put a lot of work into making it a culturally unique place for people to enjoy. Many of the new sections or the painfully recreated buildings were details managed by the Imperial Couple themselves. One of the most interesting things I think they added was a hybrid of koi fish they created themselves and still relate some koi to date. I enjoyed the Gardens so much and even more the second time I went through with my friend Shika from Taiwan. After reading all the signs and knowing where everything was I was able to teach her all about the gardens and we had a great time exploring them together. After we finished the Gardens we traveled across Tokyo to Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park. Meiji Shrine entrance is right next to a very popular part of town called Harajuku so the crowds I had missed earlier came back in full force as we tired to find ourselves a cheap meal at Family Mart. We ended up eating lunch and splitting a cake outside Meiji Shrine in a very cute cafe. After cake though my friend Shika had to leave to meet another friend so I was on my own again. Meiji Shrine was a very interesting place as one of the more modern but equally historic Shinto shrines. Since it is so historic many tourists flock to it to take pictures there. It was amazing getting to see the different parts of the shrine and getting to learn more about what Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shōken were like during their lifetime outside what little I had learned in my history classes. I also learned that the area that made up Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine was all donated and reclaimed land to honor the Imperial Couple. Thousands of people donated money and supplies so that Meiji Shrine could rest in the beautiful forest. I also was able to buy a Shrine book while I was there. In Japan since there are so many shrines and many people observe Shintoism as their religion it’s possible to buy these books where the people who live and study in the shrine can give you the unique stamp and kanji of that shrine. I had hoped to start collecting the stamps once I bought myself one in Meiji. While I did enjoy myself for the most part there as with any big tourist spot many disrespectful tourist that I tried my best to either ignore and politely correct when they were doing something offense. I guess as someone who loves to learn it’s hard for me to understand why you wouldn’t educate yourself before visiting another place of religion but I know not everyone is the same as me. After the beautiful Meiji Shrine I made my way to Tokyo Tower (a bit like the Eiffel Tower but now really). It was a bit of an odd trip since I had to use the underground subway and walk quite a bit but eventually I made it there. Just like the other big tourist spots I had been to today it was packed with people and since it had already been a long day for me and the tickets were pretty expensive I decided to pass on going up it and just take some pretty cool pictures of it instead. The last stop on my day in Tokyo was none other than the pure wish fulfillment that is the Mega Pokémon Store. Now if you don’t know me well you don’t know that ever since I was little I have been playing the Pokémon games and have loved the franchise dearly. So finally being in Tokyo and going to this legendary store was beyond epic. The entire time I was there I couldn’t believe all the amazing things I was seeing. If I could have I would have bought the whole store no joke but I tried my best to show restraint and buy things that I loved but were also practical. This included two new pairs of socks, some masking tape, a new water bottle, a new wallet, and two indulgent key chains. Even though I managed to restrain myself I still knew deep in my heart I would probably go back at some point to buy more stuff. After the long day I managed to have an easy train ride home back to MISH eat dinner and then crash to bed. The next day I decided to rest, do laundry, and go to the Welcome Party for MISH. More on that in the next blog!