Bits of Old Tokyo

10/20/2014

Meiji Shrine

Flashing billboards and sky-high buildings may be representatives of Tokyo today, but once upon a time this metropolitan city was just a small fishing village. Back in the day after the imperial capital was relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo, Tokyo gained a lot of cultural significance. To this date, it has sustained its importance as the cultural and historic center, albeit Tokyo's probably more and more often perceived as this modern high-tech hub.

In terms of visiting sights, there are obviously way too many points of interest for only one week, and so we had to narrow down a couple of places we personally found most interesting. These included the world-renowned Meiji Shrine lost in the woods of Yoyogi park, the Sensō-ji temple complex that's known for its traditional style and the impressive five-storey pagoda, and the more quaint Zōzō-ji temple that's located just next to the Tokyo Tower. Here's a quick peek at each of them...

MEIJI SHRINE (Meiji Jingū) 明治神宮

If I need to point out something beyond the obvious, I'd say I absolutely loved the nature feel of this Shinto shrine. And by obvious I mean that initially we loved every shrine we'd see on our way, but since Tokyo was our last destination in Japan (and in our trip in general), we had already seen a fair share of temples and shrines, if you know what I mean. So taking that into consideration, this shrine still managed to capture our attention in a very pleasant way thanks to its charming environment.

SENSŌ-JI TEMPLE 金龍山浅草寺

This temple complex was actually like a little old-time village. Once we were past the initial torii gate that ultimately leads to the temple, we had to walk through a market street (it was more like bunch of souvenir stalls but not too tacky- you might just find the perfect kimono to bring home to). On the actual temple grounds you have a couple of buildings like the main temple, the five-storey pagoda and two beautiful, grand Gates with giant lanterns hanging from them (the picture below). I'd say this was visually one of the most beautiful temples we saw in all Japan!

ZŌJŌ-JI TEMPLE 三縁山増上寺

Last but not least we visited the Buddhist temple Zōzō-ji. As we stepped through the scarlet gate and entered the temple grounds, we might as well have stepped into another world - busy streets with high-rise buildings turned into this quaint oasis where it felt as if the time would be standing still. With the help of some gentle evening rays, the place worked its magic on us...