Meiji Shrine
The first full day of our tour started with a metro ride to get our Japan Rail passes set up and then to visit the Meiji Shrine. Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. We were able to see a wedding procession and a newborn being blessed. We followed the specific procedure to pray and make our wishes. The standard Shinto shrine etiquette, often called Nirei Nihakushu Ichirei, involves two deep bows, two loud claps to invite the deity, a silent prayer, and a final deep bow. This practice is done after cleansing hands and mouth at the purification fountain and making a small coin offering.
Just outside of the shrine we visited Takeshita Street, know for its animal bars, unique fashion shops, and over-the-top food stalls. It was quite the cultural difference to experience only a three minute walk from the shrine.
Art Aquarium
Since it seemed that rain was imminent, we tried to find a good indoor option. A short metro ride away was the Art Aquarium Museum. The museum is a living art exhibition with more than 30,000 goldfish on display. It is right at the Ginza metro station and inside of a mall.
Ginza is known as the city’s top shopping district and is packed with upmarket boutiques. We decided to walk through the neighborhood to see how the other half shops and visit some of the flagship stores, like Uniqlo. Across the street from Uniqlo we found the Ginza Graphic Gallery and couldn’t pass up a free gallery focused on Japanese print art.
Rest & Relaxation
Since we had been going pretty hard since we landed and were very early in the trip, we decided to take it easy for the night. We picked up some instant ramen and egg salad sandwiches at the 7-11 next door. We dropped off some laundry in the hotel laundry facilities. The machine cost just $3.75, dispenses laundry detergent, and both washes and dries your clothes. On top of that, you can check the status of your laundry load on the TV in our room.
