Tokyo

The advantage this morning to having jet lag was that we were all awake by about 4:30am so we had no problem getting up and heading out early to the famous Tsukiji fish market, the largest in the world.  

It was here that we encountered our first brave knight of the day.  Unless you are participating in the auction or receive on of the 100 viewing tickets, the general public is no longer allowed in the fish market until 9am.  This detail escaped us!  It was clear we were taking our lives in our hands as we wandered through this very busy place, but we were delighted with all of the sights and sounds.... right up until we were apprehended.  A security guard marched up to us and in very broken English and a very unhappy face, let us know that we were not allowed to be there.  He quickly began the process of escorting us off the premises.  As we followed him through the maze of buildings and out of the loading docks, we chatted as best we could through our communication barrier.  He saw my Canadian flag and asked, "Rocky Mountains?"  We were off to a good start!  I asked him about the legendary giant tuna in the market.  I repeated myself several times as he seemed to not understand me.  Suddenly, he stopped and smiled, motioned to us that we were to zip our lips and follow him.  He turned back around and again led us through the maze and deep into the fish market to give us a personal tour of the sights.  

He took us past some of the frozen tuna and over to where some of his buddies were still carving some giant fish.  They all got such a kick out of the boys...

...especially when NoFear agreed to hold this freshly popped eyeball!  Ewww!

With our tour complete, we headed back out into the sunshine.  At the nearest vending machine, we discovered the coolest - I mean WARMEST - treat!  Hot chocolate in a can that comes out heated!

We wandered through the local market and then headed to the Hongwanji temple where we were to meet our next brave knight.  First, we were treated to a wonderful chanting service by the Buddhist monks of this beautiful temple.  

 Isn't it wonderful how the kindness of people can make all the difference in a day?  Our "guide" today was a good friend of our good friend who volunteered to show us the sights, just because she could.  So amazing and such a fun day.

Our first stop was to the Asakusa area where we were delighted by the Sensoji Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century.  It happened to be a festival day, so we got to see many of the traditional celebrations, including the golden dragon parade!  

This beautiful parade was accompanied by a band of these lovely women.

We learned how to wash before entering the temple.  First, fill the cup from the spout and pour into your hands to wash them.  Next, fill the cup again, pour into your hands and drink.

These fires/incense are said to bring blessings to you as they waft around you.

These handsome festival-goers were as anxious to pose with us as we were with them!  Pretty sure they were BYU fans.  ;)  We saw so many beautiful, traditional costumes.  

Beautiful gardens surround the temple.  We are a week or two early, but very soon this picture would be framed with spectacular pink cherry blossoms.  

The famous Kaminarimon gate, originally built in 942.  The statues of Fujin, the wind god, and Raijin, the thunder god, keep an eye on all who enter and exit here.

We decided to tour the rest of the area on a rickshaw.  Behind us is the Skytree, the tallest structure in Tokyo with a viewing deck that overlooks the city.  We opted to see things close up.

The boys enjoying the sites of the historic Asakusa district.

We were so thrilled to congratulate this beautiful couple as they hurried past!

Watching our rickshaw guides racing us all over town, really built up our appetite.  We headed for one of our favorites, a katsu house.  Yum!  The cute little lady that runs this establishment was so kind to the boys.  She gave them cookies as we were leaving and then called us back to give them toy cars as well.  Katsu and miso soup.  Just enough to delay the return of jet lag for a few more hours.

A few of the earliest cherry trees starting to blossom.  Spectacular!

Through a friend, we had the rare privilege of visiting the studio of truly remarkable artist.  His name is Allan West.  He has studied the ancient methods of screen artistry and lives in Tokyo with his family where he produces stunning work.  One of his recent screens greets those who enter the Japan Fukuoka Temple.  His studio is in a historic area and building of Tokyo.  Even the walk there was filled with beautiful shrines and gardens.

Another washing station - likely not the actual name.  See the lines with white paper tied to them?  People in need of blessings write down their prayer requests and tie them to this line in front of the temple.  The boys are getting the hang of the washing ceremony.

This happy guy was watching over the beautiful gardens.

A nearby cemetery.  Each ancestry line is written on the wooden sticks.

I couldn't get over the beauty of this tree.  Its branches had been carefully stretched out over these arbors.  The gardener here told us that this tree was more than 100 years old.  

Finally, we arrived at Allan West's studio.  He answered all of our questions and was so gracious to show us some of his work and teach us of some techniques.  All of his paints are produced as they were centuries ago, through adding crushed minerals to medium.  Most have gold accents added to make them shimmer.  The pictures cannot do them justice.  We all just walked around saying, "wow."

Many thanks to these wonderful and talented people.

Our eyes were beginning to droop and our legs were beginning to shake.  Just when we thought we could go no further, our guide spotted the missionaries.  One of them was someone she had known as a boy -- fun!  Our quick visit with missionaries and a small treat of ice cream wrapped in pounded sheets of rice (mochi) gave us the energy we needed to make one more stop.  I should note, the boys thought the mochi was a perfectly terrible way to ruin ice cream!  Of course, they gobbled it anyway!

The last stop on our fabulous whirlwind day in Tokyo.  Said to be the busiest intersection in the world - Shibuya crossing!  How could we not see that?  We stood on a small wall to watch the chaos before we joined it.  Because so many people look to cross, all lights stop at the same time and all crosswalks turn green.  Mobs from every direction swarm into the street.  A few seconds later, almost as if by magic, the street is clear again and the traffic begins to move until the process is repeated.  The sheer number of people waiting to cross is mind-blowing.  Of course, we had to give it a try!

What a perfect day in Tokyo!  Perfect weather, fabulous friend and guide, kind people, beautiful artwork, and sites, sounds, and smells that boggle the mind.  We loved every minute!