Rainy Day in Tokyo

Gong cord and lantern at the entrance to Kannon Hall

We set out this morning at 8:00 for breakfast at the bakery and then a quick subway ride to Ueno Park.  It was overcast, with rain in the forecast.  We walked through part of the park.  Our first stop (I should say this was my first stop, because the girls seem to have already lost enthusiasm for these Japanese cultural treasures.) was Kiyomizu Kannon-do or Kannon Hall, an auspiciously painted red and gold Buddhist Temple.  Enshrined is the protector of childbearing and child-raising, and women often come here to pray. However, I took off my sandals and knelt before the beautiful altar in solitude while Katya and Katie waited outside.  Nearby is the Benzaiten, or Bentendo Temple, set on a peninsula jutting into water-lily clogged Shinobazu Pond.  It is actually a copy of the original, which was destroyed in the bombings of 1945.

After a walk around the pond, viewing carp and a turtle near the shore, we made our way toward the interior of the park and the Tosho-gu (Tosho Shrine), which was erected in 1651 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogonate.  Of particular beauty were a series of red torii leading up stairs through wooded grounds.

Toshu Shrine

On our way to the Tokyo National Museum in the park, we spotted a newly opened Starbucks!  Feeling a bit chilly, we stopped in for cocoa (for Katie and me) and a caramel steamer (for Katya).  The museum itself is comprised of a number of buildings.  The first one visited was Honkan, which highlights Japanese Art from early times to the present, including lacquerware, swords and ceramics.  The spacious exhibit rooms with their high ceilings are peaceful and the artwork is tastefully displayed.  However, there is much less on display than is typically seen in western museums, which was a bit disappointing.  I toured one of the two floors in a little over an hour and then met the girls in the museum shop.  They had finished their tour and, despite the fact that it had started to rain, decided to go the Ueno Park Zoo instead of looking at more artifacts and artwork.  So off they went, and I enjoyed the other floor of exhibits in Honkan Hall as well as archaeological exhibits in Heiseikan Hall and Buddhist sculpture and decorative arts, including beautiful kimonos and lovely statues of Boddhisatvas from the 7th and 8th centuries.

I met the girls in the rain, with Katya braiding Katie's hair under a tree near the Tosho-gu.  The weather did not bode well for visits to formal gardens, so we headed back to Tokyo station and the hotel.  We bought some goods at a bakery for lunch, which we ate in our room.  Later, we ventured out into the underground maze surrounding Tokyo station's subway and train passages, stopping to get our JR Railpasses (in exchange for our vouchers) and make reservations for our train trips.  We are excited about riding the bullet train on Thursday for the first time!  Then I took the girls to a nearby department store.  In Japan, the department stores all have confections, baked goods, bento boxes, salads and a host of other yummy food available at the lower levels.  It is a treat just to wander the aisles and look at the beautifully displayed food.  After making our selections, we headed back to our room to eat our small feast.

The girls are tucked in their beds, Katie listening to her iPod and Katya playing a game on her DS, so I think they may be ready for lights out in preparation for more adventures tomorrow.  --Sherri