Sunday, April 2, 2017
Tokyo

We had a leisurely morning and a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel.  All of our breakfasts are included.  We did not have to meet the other tour people until 11:00 which was great.  We were to meet at the river to take a waterbus so on the way we visited Tokyo's oldest temple, Senso-ji.  Then we strolled through a garden to see the beginning of the cherry blossoms blooming.

The river front was packed with people but we found our group and boarded the waterbus for a ride down the Sumida River. It was very crowded so we didn't have good views, but I did notice this sign on the boat and it pleased me.  "May peace prevail on earth."  

We only traveled on the waterbus a few stops and we got off and walked through Hama-rikyu gardens.  They were once the private playgrounds of Japan's old shoguns.  Our tour leader walked us to meet our bus and a local guide to visit another temple.  On the way to meet him we walked on an elevated walkway and we noticed this gigantic clock!  Very cool. 

The local guide took us to see the Meiji Shrine dedicated to the deified spirts of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken.  He was emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912, during which Japan was dramatically transformed from a feudal country into one of the great powers of the modern world.  The picture below is of the Shinto Gate leading into the 170 acre forest where the shrine is located.  

Such a gorgeous weeping cherry tree!

While we were visiting the shrine we were lucky enough to see a Shinto wedding procession.  The bride wore a simple but beautiful white gown.  Our guide said there are many reasons why a Shinto bride wears white, but one explanation is that the bride is a blank canvas and the groom can "paint" the bride with his expectations and wishes for their future together.  The guide also explained one reason why the bride wears a white hood is to cover her "horns," which she will uncover when her husband is too overbearing or demanding.  

Outside of the shrine we saw many rows of these standing cement "babies" approximately 18 inches high.  There is a very sad explanation for these.  When people die, they cross into heaven on their own.  The adults, of course, have legs, so they can cross the river into heaven. Babies who die (unborn or infants who are unable to walk yet) obviously cannot cross the river to heaven so their parents put a cement baby at the shrine to represent a Shinto baby diety who will carry (or assist) the human baby across the river into heaven.  As you can see, many parents dress these babies for the weather or with other clothing personal to them.  This picture really touches me. 

When we left the Meiji Shrine we boarded the bus for a trip to the Tokyo Metropolitan Governent building which is very new and modern. When it was built they included a public area on the 45th floor which has amazing views of the city.  Such a huge city!

That was the end of the tour and we were delivered back to our hotel.  We were on our own for dinner that night so David and I just had some snacks in our room and went to bed early. This sightseeing stuff really wears us out!