Tokyo - day 4

Day 4 was our first free day. We decided to navigate the subway system on our own and go spend the afternoon in Shibuya and Harajuku. The subway system was much more user-friendly than when I was still living here. They've made it more convenient for foreigners to find their way around, having more signs in English. The only trouble we really had was the whole ticket entry/transfer areas. If you don't pay attention to what subway line you're on and put your ticket through a gate that is not for that subway system, the gates lock you out and you get dirty looks from all the busy folk trying to make their train. If there's one thing you can rely on in Japan, it's the train system. They are very, very punctual.






At the train station in Shibuya, many people meet up with others by the Hachiko statue (pictured above). The story of this dog statue is here. I still get a little teary when I think about Hachiko waiting for his master at the station, years after the professor's passing. It's that devotion and the special bond a dog can have with a person that gets to me. I've never really been a dog person, but as Bear is, I'm learning more about dogs and look forward to the day when we can have a dog and a cat to add to our family.


But I digress. We didn't capture the entire section, but I'm sure you've all seen that famous humongo-ginormous crosswalk they always show to depict how crowded Tokyo can be (it was also in the movie Lost in Translation). Anyway, here's a photo when we were there. This was in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday.





A good mix of people, young and old, fashionably dressed to the suited salarymen. Lots of shopping here, which is what Bear and I did. As much as I got reamed by the gals in my knitting group for not stopping by any yarn shops while here, I did stop on the craft floor of a department store and stocked up on some things there, so it wasn't totally a craft-free trip (so there!) :)



Our next stop was Harajuku's Takeshita dori. It's a pedestrian walkway lined with trendy shops. This is a picture we took at the beginning of the walkway. It was as crowded as I remembered it.





This was a place I frequented quite often as a teenager growing up in Japan. My friends and I would take the train ride on the weekends up here and go clothes shopping. I was looking forward to see whether it had changed any. Surprisingly, it still felt the same, although many of the stores have changed since I had been there. The other thing that changed was my perception of how long the pedestrian street actually was. I remember walking down this walkway as if it were miles and miles long, but it was actually a very short walk.


I was mentioning to Bear that I used to get these delicious crepes at a crepe shope that was located mid-way through Takeshida-dori.



And guess what???




I was delighted to see that the shop was still there, so I made a beeline for it and ordered what was "my usual":





A warm thin, eggy crepe filled with sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream. It was heavenly and Bear and I devoured every bite. (For those in the Seattle area, if you wish to try a Japanese style crepe like this one, go to Unicorn Crepes in the International District).



We strolled around a little more to walk off the crepe. Here's the entrance to Meiji shrine .

On our way back to the subway station, Bear noticed a young artist seated on the floor working on Japanese calligraphy .

For a donation, he would write your name (or write words inspired by the artist as he observed you). We thought it would be a great souvenir for Bear's eldest son to get his name in Japanese.

Bear found one ink painting that the artist had on display that he liked. It was the character for "Dream" and had some brushstrokes alongside the character that made the picture dreamlike. We decided to get this one for ourselves.

Our weary little legs were not used to all this walking we've been doing in Japan. It actually felt really good walking throughout the day, but it was past that point where Bear and I were practically hobbling along in pain. We finally got off the station by Ginza and were waiting by the crosswalk to cross the street when we noticed this Buddhist monk, ringing a bell, holding a metal begging bowl and slowly, methodically walking the streets of Ginza. He is performing the act of takuhatsu.

I found this passage on Matsuyama Mokurai's website with a good description of this act in detail:

Despite attempting to be self-sufficient, most monasteries would practice alms rounds. Collecting alms was a symbolic act as well as a practical one and, thus, even if the monastery's warehouse was full, the monks would go beg. Usually, a procession would proceed out of the monastery and through the main streets of the neighboring village. One monk would lead the way, making noise with his shakujo. The other monks would follow in single file carrying their alms bowls. Citizens of the town would come out and drop things into the bowls. Monks might also stand silently on a street corner holding out their bowls for people to drop alms in. Sometimes ringing a small bell. This was typical of monks on pilgrimage. It is a practice you can still see today. Communication with lay people was usually limited. Monks kept their hats on and did not engage in conversation. Such interaction would cause the alms gift to become an act of favoritism. If kept anonymous, the begging is thus ennobling for both parties.

There's a little more information on Zen Buddhist monks and takuhatsu here. The kanji characters on the front of his garb reads Takanoyama, which I think is a famous place known for its numerous temples. I'm guessing the takuhatsu is for his pilgrimage there.

After we got back to the hotel, we freshened up and spent the evening having dinner with a few of my friends from high school. Although it had been over 18 years since some of us last saw each other, and despite some of us being married or with kids or whatnot, we all agreed that we all still looked the same. It's a comfort sometimes to know that some things don't change (heh, especially if you were thinking that you were showing signs of age - woohoo!)

Up next: Day 5 - some shots from the famed Tsukiji fish market.