Tokyo - a city of contrasts

We began the day at Hamarikyu garden, established by the Shogun in 1654.

A beautiful expansive garden on Tokyo Bay with traditional Japanese reception houses, including a beautiful (re-built) tea house in which Emperor Meiji entertained former US president Ulysses S. Grant on his world tour. 

Hamish and I loved our matcha tea gazing out at the lake. A very serene experience. 

We walked through the open space and quiet of the gardens and discovered the duck hunting lake where the ducks were lured into a narrow canal to be attacked by hunting birds and then netted by humans. 

We emerged into a spacious and quiet business district of Tokyo and tried to get a taxi which surprisingly took quite some time. 

Next stop TeamLab Planets, an immersive art and light museum.

An extraordinary lights room with mirrors. 

Shin-deep water with (virtual) coy fish which actually swim around you.

 

We assumed the lights were simply on a loop, but we learnt afterward that the 'fish' swim in response to the movements of the people. So clever!

A planetarium-style dome ceiling with flowers. Wow!

An actual moss garden with weird metal structures (this one didn't do much for me).

Finally, the climax, thousands of beautiful orchids moving up and down above us. 

We were quite overcome and it certainly trumped any light show or immersive experience we've had previously. 

For our next tourist experience we made use of another side of Japanese technological know-how. Hamish needed new glasses and somewhere I'd read that in Japan you could have a free eye test and get new glasses made on the spot (30 minutes) for under $100, all tax free. So thanks to the help of a very friendly optician with a smattering of English, Hamish now has new glasses. He looks new and so does the world. 

Then time for Japanese curry and Udon soup for lunch before we headed on to Senso-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo (though it's been destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times). 

(This giant sandal is somehow  a warning to evil spirits.)

Quite a different experience to yusukuni shrine: heaps of people, a row of tourist shops (originally allowed to set up there by the temple if they agreed to help maintain it), and instead of elegant wood, the décor was decidedly colourful and ornate. 

We were struck particularly by the monks selling prayer amulets for 'success in love', a 'business boost' and 'happiness.' 

For a religion based on escaping from suffering by eliminating desire until you reach enlightenment, there seemed to be a lot of desires being sold. 

We wandered around the surrounding area known as Akasusa, formerly an entertainment district. Lots of Japanese women (and some accompanying men) were in striking traditional dress. Rickshaw drivers displayed their wares for tourists. 

Shop front doors with spectacular murals. 

But modern Tokyo is never far away. Numerous perspectives on the world's tallest tower Tokyo Skytree,

 with the 'Golden Poop' (yes that's really what it's called) nearby

 

We headed for yet another side of Tokyo life - the anime, manga, arcade and electronics capital, Akihabara. 

The 9 floors of consumer goods at Yahimoto-Akiba was a little overwhelming, as were the 4 floors of claw prize machines. Last year Isaac and Bethany sent me a proud moment with a picture of them at a poker machine in Las Vegas. Another proud moment: Hamish won a soft toy on his first try. An even prouder moment: he was able to stop there. 

Sashima dinner. The tasty sprouts with rice turned out to be individual tiny fish. 

In contrast to Akasusa, there were no women walking the streets in Japanese traditional dress. The young women walking the streets here wore another form of traditional dress - advertising their maid cafes - where men get to be waited on by 'maids.'

Finally we decided to call it a night, and headed for our taste of another side of Japanese life - the capsule hotel. Originally for 'salary men' working (or socialising) too late for the commute back home, they now serve tourists as well. We didn't try the artificial thermal pool but the capsule was surprisingly spacious and quiet.

Hopefully it stays quiet. Akihabara outside certainly won't. 

What a city of contrasts! Tomorrow the Shinkansen (bullet train) for a day in Hakone, then on to Kyoto. So thankful!