The touring started with a morning trip to Meiji Jingu. Unlike with the various European religious buildings, Shinto Shrines are awesomely placed amongst nature so we enjoyed a nice walk through the forest in the brisk Tokyo winter morning weather.
Weaving amongst the crowds we figured out how to perform the correct ritual (and of course, did it in the wrong order and entered the sacred shrine without first cleansing ourselves – whoops!).
After all that weaving we head back past the traditional Japanese Tea garden with the Japanese Tea House. I’m sure this is a spectacular vista in Autumn; we were able to catch the last of the Autumn colours starting to vanish as winter set in.
There is so much to see in Tokyo, and aside from the tourist spots, we have already taken a tour through Tokyo’s central shopping areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku. Honestly it is pretty insane just getting your head around how much stuff they have for sale.
We’re expecting Osaka to be a great shopping destination, so the shopping in Tokyo itself doesn’t seem worthy of a Gitarella just yet (but you never know!). Stay tuned for next time as we get stuck into the tour further.