KarenWoo,
Thank you SO much for posting! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying this and finding the TR helpful! I hoped it would be helpful for others who hadn’t been to Japan though I was afraid I was going on far too much!

And I’m very touched by your second post, making the connection between my comment, “There were few “big” moments in our trip, but so many small moments that it added up to something special” to the lovely thought from the novel you’re reading, “Never underestimate the big importance of small things."

I’d say that Japan is in your future😉. And I want to know what novel you’re reading!

Loving your wonderful TR. Please keep going on.
I don't think I have seen white kimono, or maybe they are more of a cream color. Great that you shot those three women from behind so that we could see their really nice obi.
Am wondering what route you took to Matsumoto.

Thanks, mrwunrfl! I'm so happy you're enjoying this - you've given me (and so many others) so much help, that it makes me feel good to share my own experiences.

Since I was unaware that the white kimono is unusual, it's by sheer happenstance that I have the shot, but I'm glad you can appreciate the photo.

And the trip to Matsumoto was easy. We took the Limited Express from Shinjuku which went direct to Matsumoto. We had scoped out Shinjuku station and forwarded our suitcases the day before so we knew where we were going and didn't have problems navigating the station. It was an easy walk to our hotel from the station, too.

Sunday in Tokyo (1)We started the day proudly making sense of the Tokyo train system, which turns out not to be nearly as complicated it appears at first. But we felt very satisfied that we managed to figure it out.

First stop - Harajaku and the Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine), dedicated in 1920 to the Emperor Meiji, the first emperor of modern Japan, and his consort, Empress Shoken. The emperor is considered to be a seminal figure in modernizing Japan and opening it up to the world.

Walking through the woods, we first passed a large display of sake barrels that are offered annually to honor the spirits of the emperor and empress. Across the way are barrels wine that are offered by French wineries to honor the. As well.

Although very much a stop on the tourist route, the Meiji Jingu is an active Shinto shrine. We observed a ceremonial recital of poetry that was part of an autumn festival. It felt special to see a traditional ceremony unfold. Note: no photos of the event was allowed.

Sunday at Meiji shrine

The large Torii gate, one of the two entrances to the Meiji shrine. The torii marks the divide between sacred space and the profane.


The large Torii gate, one of the two entrances to the Meiji shrine. The torii marks the divide between sacred space and the profane.


Walking to the shrine along the path


There is a tradition in which children who are 3, 5, and 7 are celebrated. They’re brought to the shrine and their family gives thanks to the gods for their health and pray for continued protection in the future. We saw children and their families dressed up for this wonderful tradition.


Sake barrels


















There is a tradition in which children who are 3, 5, and 7 are celebrated. They’re brought to the shrine and their family gives thanks to the gods for their health and pray for continued protection in the future. We saw children and their families dressed up for this wonderful tradition.


There is a tradition in which children who are 3, 5, and 7 are celebrated. They’re brought to the shrine and their family gives thanks to the gods for their health and pray for continued protection in the future. We saw children and their families dressed up for this wonderful tradition.

Sunday in Tokyo, part 2We felt very peaceful after our visit to the Meiji shrine. Observing the ceremony was special. Now it was time to wander the streets to visit the "profane" side of the Torii! But our serenity did not last long. The plan was then to walk to the infamous Shibuya Crossing via a series of streets that a guidebook had suggested. Google maps directs us to our first street, Takeshita Street, described as “one of the busiest and brightest shopping streets in Tokyo” and known as a paradise for sweet-lovers! What could be bad?

Umm, it’s Sunday, the weather is perfect and everyone is jammed (and I do mean jammed!) into this street! Nope, not our best moment - but it was an ‘experience’!

We quickly abandoned the plan to wander along the recommended route, and stuck to a very long boulevard filled with international shops and some of the most interesting architecture we’d come across in our short time here.

By the time we arrived at Shibuya Crossing, we were exhausted (mostly from the challenges of adjusting to a 13-hour time difference). Glad to see the location of the well-known sight (even though we really didn't see it from above), but by now we had done our official tourist duties of the day and were just as glad to go back to our hotel and chill out.

Takeshita Street - what a crowd! Don’t go on a Sunday!


Keep my cotton candy safe!


Wonderful architecture along the large street - route 305? I love that there is a green space on top of the building


Another “old and new” contrast


More fun architecture


Reflections in a glass building




Well, this is infamous crossing but we’re here when it’s not so crowded or busy and we’re not looking from above. So it goes.




Yup, that says it all.

For 7-5-3 if you can't tell the girls' age by size, you can tell by their obi. The girl with the gold obi knot high on her back and a red shigoki obi below it is 7. The one in pink is 3, like the girl in my profile picture. The girls actually turn(ed) age 6 and 2 this year.

Progol, the novel I am reading is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It's about having regrets. Nora, the main character, has many regrets in her life. Should she have married her ex-fiance? Should she have chosen a different career? Should she have moved to Australia with her best friend? She finds herself in a library at midnight with a librarian and The Book of Regrets. Each book reflects what her life would have been like if she had chosen a different path. When she opens the book, she is transported to that life. Of course, as we all know, there are positive outcomes and negative outcomes in life. When Nora returns to the library after experiencing one of her choices, the librarian says to her: "Never underestimate the big importance of small things."

Progol, I just posted about the novel I am reading with a brief description, but it went into moderation. Hopefully, it will appear by tomorrow morning!

That’s interesting! I didn’t know they had age-related obis! Thank you!

KarenWoo, thanks! I’ll look for it tomorrow.

Funny, progol, that our Sundays in Tokyo mirrored each other. We were at Shibuya Crossing at around 4:00 PM and the crowds were worse than at Takeshita Street that day.

Too funny, tp! And we were thinking, “This is it?!” But Takeshita Street was unbelievably crowded - probably the worst crowds of our trip!

It’s post #29.

Thanks, KarenWoo! I did miss it and am glad you mentioned it. It sounds like a really interesting novel!

I hope to post more about the trip very soon!

Glad you were able to lose the crowds so early in your trip. For us, Miyajima was the worse. The only places where it wasn't busy were Takayama, Kamikochi, and Tomonoura. Even less popular places such as Nagoya and Okayamaeere packed.

The view from your hotel room in Asakusa is very special. All of your photos really bring home the excitement of Tokyo. I feel transported.

It is most definitely not important to stay on the Yamonote Line.

tripplanner, when I initially planned my itinerary, I had included Hiroshima and Miyajima. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t want to be in another large city, but my decision to to change that part of the trip was reinforced when I read that people were waiting on line for an hour to take their photo with the infamous torii at Miyajima! Now, I didn’t care about getting that photo, but knowing how popular the site is told me how crowded it would be! Many sites were busy - but few were uncomfortably crowded. We really did try to avoid the “big” sights for that reason and, though it meant we didn’t see the more known places, we did enjoy the places we saw.

shelemm, thank you! I loved that view in Asakusa! We had a top floor room in the hotel and I did find myself staring out at it quite often!

Once I understood the train system better, we had absolutely no problem. And having the Suica card in our iPhone made all the transfers very easy!

I promise more coming up very soon!

I really enjoyed your narrative and photos about Sunday in Tokyo! Sounds like Sundays are notoriously crowded! Has Japan been a "hot" tourist destination for a long time? Or is its popularity recent?

I love all your photos especially the ones of street scenes, old and new juxtaposed together, unique architecture. So interesting!