We got up (No one has adjusted to the time change yet. I got up at 5 a.m. and couldn‘t fall back asleep, Larkin got up at 3 a.m.) and went to eat breakfast at the Olympic Centers cafeteria. They have a buffet breakfast, and so we all filled up on ごはん (rice)、えだまめ (edamame beans)、さかな (fish)、たまご (egg)、ソセジ (sausage)、みそ (miso soup)、＆ ポーテト (potatoes), a semi-hybrid of a western breakfast and a traditional japanese one. We then took the subway closer into downtown Tokyo. We did a bit of walking and got to a really cool garden. There are a few random gardens in the middle of downtown Tokyo which are all very beautiful architectural juxtapositions between the looming cityscape. A few personal favorites of the garden:
pine trees grown to look like bonsai trees
exotic plants (though the plant pictured actually grows in North Carolina!)
crows!
After the garden we made our way closer to the heart of Tokyo by boat. We passed by some buildings, and I was able to get a picture of the New Tokyo Tower that is still under construction.
We got off the boat, and walked to a giant shrine. I forget the name, but it’s very famous, and I was able to recognize it from pictures and movies when we got there. I tried asking around but only got very vague responses as to what denomination the shrine falls under. There were archways similar to those in Shinto shrines, but only Buddhists were allowed into the actual “sanctuary” part. Both religions cross-over in many different ways, so maybe this was why it was difficult for it to be categorized simply as “Shinto” or “Buddhist”.
cont...
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