It was our last full day in Tokyo and we weren’t at all ready to leave. There was so much left to see and do! In eight days, we had barely scratched the capital’s surface. At the top of the list for our last day was Meiji-jingu and Meiji-jingu Gyoen, the Shinto shrine and gardens we had been shut out of two days before. Next on the list were Lonely Planet Pocket Guide to Tokyo’s “Walk Harajuku;” the Nezu Museum in Aoyama; and time permitting, Gotoku-ji, the cat temple in Setagaya City in suburban Tokyo. To bookend our Tokyo stay, we planned to have dinner at our favorite Tokyo izakaya just down the street from our apartment.
Here is the Lonely Planet on the origins of Meiji-jingu:
The entrance to Meiji-jingu is marked by the first of three towering torii, the elegant, somewhat pi-shaped gates that indicate the entrance to sacred Shinto ground. From here, a wide gravel path winds through a dense thicket of trees, taking about 15 minutes to reach the main sanctuary, a lantern-lit hall with a dramatic, copper roof that occupies a clearing beyond the final, monumental gate.
While the whole scene appears timeless (or like something out of rural Japan), the Meiji-jingu is actually a modern creation. Founded in 1920, it’s dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, whose reign (1868-1912) coincided with Japan’s transformation from isolationist, feudal state to imperialist nation.
The forest is of similar vintage, created from hundreds of trees donated from all over Japan and planted by volunteers. Considered sacred and designed to flourish over generations, the forest has been left untouched ever since. For this reason, you can’t stray from the path; you can, however, enjoy the literal breath of fresh air this rare urban forest provides….
- Meiji-jingu
We took the Chiyoda Line at Nezu Station to the Meiji-jingumae “Harajuku” Station, where we transferred to the Fukutoshin Line and exited at Kita-sando Station. From there it was a nine-minute walk to the first of the shrine’s three monumental wooden torri gates.
Along the path to the other two gates and the sanctuary beyond, we passed a wall of sake barrels on our right. Sake is used in Shinto rituals and sake brewers donate barrels of the drink to the shrine, getting a little publicity and currying favor with the shrine's kami (gods).
At a certain point along the path through the woods, we turned left toward the second gate. Just before this portal was an exhibition of chrysanthemums, some at least four-feet tall and supported on metal rods, others bonsai, including some featured in strange sandbox dramas peopled with traditional folk figures.
This video shows the scale and configuration of the complex.
Before going further, a word on Shinto shrines.
Tip #1: Shinto shrines are open to all, regardless of religious (or non-religious) affiliation. A visit requires only that one be respectful. That means no eating, drinking, smoking, or talking loudly. You can take photos, but not of the main hall or people praying. The day we visited, there were a few guards who enforced the no-photography rules.
Tip #2: The custom when visiting a shrine or a temple in Japan is to: (a) wash one’s hands and rinse one's mouth at the well before entering the inner sanctuary; (b) step over but not on the threshold, and (c) greet the resident kami by tossing an offering into the coffer, bowing twice, clapping twice, praying, and then bowing once more before turning to leave.
Beyond the gate, the Meiji courtyard was decked out in chrysanthemums and more chrysanthemums. Even on a drizzly day, the shrine was full of
visitors, predominantly Japanese.
But all that was background for the main event--the shrine to the memory of Emperor Meiji. No photos were allowed of the inner sanctuary of the main hall, but we were able to take photos of its exterior.
Under a giant camphor tree was a pavilion hung with ema, balsa wood votive tablets on which you could write a prayer, wish, or expression of gratitude and then hang the tablet on the pavilion.
The ema at Meiji are decorated with chrysanthemums, the national symbol of Japan which appears on passports, coins, and diplomatic buildings. We bought an ema, too, but we brought ours home.
Also available for purchase at the shrine were omamori, silk pouches holding amulets for good luck or protection. The text on this one says, "Success in one's studies."
Speaking of the garden, we left the shrine by another tori and found our way to the entrance to the Meiji-jingu Gyoen, on the right.
- Meiji-jingu Gyoen
Unlike the vast, impenetrable forest surrounding the shrine complex, the Meiji-jingu garden is fully accessible. Once part of a feudal estate and later an imperial property, it predates the shrine. Lonely Planet describes the Meiji-jingu Gyoen:
…it has strolling paths, benches for contemplative breaks and a pond with colorful koi and sunning turtles. A highlight is the iris garden; it is one of the personal touches added by Emperor Meiji, who designed it to please the empress. The couple often frequented the garden, which is cited as a reason for this location having been chosen for the shrine.
It was wowzer, the whole thing!
The tea house.
and the undulating fields of iris, criss-crossed with meandering streams.
- Walk Harajuku
We left Meiji-jingu and made our way on foot to Harajuku, described by Lonely Planet:
Harajuku is Tokyo’s famous fashion district, where the streets serve looks [sic] like a real-life catwalk. It's a fun place to shop (and window-shop), show off, get inspired and just hang out; there are lots of cool cafes, and always a new restaurant or street food trend to try. The neighborhood is bisected by a broad boulevard, Omotesando – what Tokyo likes to call its Champs-Élysées: with wide, tree-shaded pavements, it does have a promenade feel….[Harajuku is] busier during the day, and especially busy on weekends….
That we can personally attest to. November 9th was a Sunday and yet the light drizzle didn’t put the slightest damper on the crowds of shoppers. Nor did the rain diminish the theatrical effect of Omotesando's high-end retail shops. Such as...
Prada, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, at two locations, because when you've got it, flaunt it,
- Nezu Museum, Aoyama
A good friend from San Francisco who had lived in Japan for several years, recommended the Nezu Museum. Located at the end of Omotesando Street in what Lonely Planet calls a “chic neighborhood,” the museum seemed like a good place to look at some Asian art and have lunch.
Lonely Planet describes Nezu Museum:
Nezu Museum houses the private collection of entrepreneur and art connoisseur Nezu Kaichiro (1860-1940). Only a small part of the collection - which includes pre-modern paintings, sculpture, lacquerware and ceramics from Japan, China and Korea - is displayed at a time, in themed exhibitions that can be visited in a couple of hours.
Located in a quiet, residential pocket of Aoyama, Nezu Museum first opened in 1941; the current building - with its bamboo hedgerow and dramatic pitched roof - dates to the '00s. It's the work of Kengo Kuma, the architect who did the stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, along with many other landmark buildings in Tokyo.
Lonely Planet continues:
The garden, meanwhile, dates to the days of the original Nezu estate. Inspired by the aesthetics of the tea ceremony, it features flowing streams, rustic teahouses and antique stone lanterns. To extend the experience, head to the glass-walled Nezu Cafe - also designed by Kuma - for tea, coffee or lunch paired with garden views.
Disappointed and hungry, we took a quick walk through the garden (see photos above) and then took a few more photos of the museum’s ground floor displays (below).
Then we walked back up Omotesando to Omotesando Station, where we picked up the Chiyoda Line and exited at Kyodo Station in Setagaya City. From there, it was a 17-minute walk to Gotoku-ji.
Setagaya City
Setagaya City is suburban Tokyo. On our walk from the metro station towards Gotoku-ji, we stopped for an unfortunately unremarkable bowl of ramen. The neighborhood vibe was totally different from Harajuku and Aoyama, except for this Daihatsu Move Canbus. These tiny vehicles, many of which are electric, are ubiquitous in Japan and, like every other vehicle we saw in Japan – from buses to big rigs to taxis to fire trucks to personal passenger vehicles - it looked as if it had just come out of the car wash! I am not exaggerating.
- Gotoku-ji
This shrine is not in the Lonely Planet Pocket Guide to Tokyo, nor is it in the Lonely Planet Japan Guide. I’m not sure where we read about it, probably online, but it's all about cats. Missing our three at home in Berlin, we wanted to see it. The shrine’s website is very well done and recites the history of the shrine and the significance of the cats in its origins. The website images are really stunning and much more descriptive than the photos we took, as they include interiors. I encourage you to take a look.
Tip: If you go to Gotoku-ji, note that while the shrine closes at 5 pm, the souvenir shop where you can buy ema and Manikineko (ceramic statues of the white cats) closes at 3 pm. This souvenir shop closing time was common at the shrines and temples we visited and will impact your opportunity to collect calligraphy for your goshuin book, as well.
Gotoku-ji is actually a cemetery for a noble clan and consists of a large park and a number of ceremonial buildings and a pagoda. The shrine's website has a map.
Yanaka, Taito City
As planned, we had our last dinner in Tokyo at what I only today learned via Google is called Nezukuriya.
Tip: Google Translate camera and Google Lens are essential in Japan. Show either app an image of the most obscure object or text, and Google will identify it, 99% of the time correctly. My husband had taken a photo (below) of the sign for the izakaya down the street from our apartment HATa, which I had thought was named Light. Wrong! Today I trained Google Translate’s camera on the photo and found that the Kanji mean “competence.” Google Lens told me the name of the izakaya, which is Nezukuriya. From that information, I was able to determine that the izakaya has a website https://nezukuriya.com/ and is on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CjwkzYbj74n/!
Sweet potato tempura.
Silken tofu topped with miso paste, green onion, and sesame seeds.
Udon with eggplant, tomato, and sesame seeds.
Beef sukiyaki with raw egg dipping sauce.
Grilled mackerel marinated in miso.
Two kinds of sake.
Google Lens tells me the first bottle is: Sakuragao Junmai Ginjo sake, a dry sake brewed in Iwate Prefecture from rice and water without adding yeast. It has a clean, crisp taste with a smooth, delicate flavor. I would have to agree with Google Lens here.
Google Lens also tells me the second bottle is Kitsune White Fox (Byakko) Junmai Ginjo sake brewed in Shiga Prefecture and known for its soft flavors with hints of citrus. Again, I would have to concur. :-)
The Nezukuriya Krew who made our Tokyo stay memorable and delicious, from left to right: the partner who does all the cooking, the server who is studying German, the partner who does all the food and sake sourcing, and the server who is studying to be a veterinarian's assistant. So full of life and optimism!
A great send-off. Damn, that was fun! (As you can tell from the crooked selfie angle.)
Keep it real!
Marilyn
What a delight to explore Tokyo with you. It's not a city I've craved, but obviously I've just been ignorant of its charms. Especially love the gardens, the temples, and the over-the-top places of designer clothing. Plus the kitties.
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