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Sightseeing

Week 1 Sightseeing. Wednesday morning: fish market, subway, bus tour of Tokyo, Asakusa Shrine; Thursday: ceramic shopping; Friday: Oriental Bazaar and Meijii Shrine

Tsukiji Fish Market

The best time to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market is 5 a.m. So after four hours of sleep, we took a taxi to the market Wednesday morning. We saw stalls selling everything from octopus to seaweed. Japan exports most of its fish and the hot item at the auction is yellow fin tuna.

Back to the hotel on the Tokyo Subway.

After breakfast we met in the lobby for a bus tour of Tokyo, which included a drive around the Imperial Palace grounds, a tour of a government building , and a visit to Asakusa Shrine after lunch.

National Diet Building

Japan’s legislature, the National Diet, is comprised of two houses—a lower House of Representatives and an upper House of Councillors. A bill becomes law if a majority in each house approves it. However, if a bill does not receive upper-house approval, it can still be passed into law if two-thirds of the lower house approve it on a second vote.

Ignoring our diet

After lunch at Sansada, we walked through the market stalls that line the entrance to the shrine. Before you enter the shrine, etiquette requires you dress appropriately, cleanse your hands and mouth with water from the fountain, and advance before the god enshrined. Then throw some money into the offertory box, bow deeply two times, clap your hands twice, and bow deeply once more.

Asakusa Shrine is the oldest shrine in Tokyo. It was completed in 645 and is the site of many Japanese traditional events. The dominant religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism and most people practice both faiths. Shinto is native to Japan and focuses on worship of nature, ancestors, and sacred spirits that personify the natural world. Smoke from burning incense can cure what ails you.

Following afternoon presentations at the hotel, I went ceramic
shopping in Rappongi with Leland Leslie from Oklahoma.

Meijii Shrine

One of the most sacred landmarks in Tokyo is the Meiji Shrine. It is an outstanding example of Shinto architecture and a beautiful nature preserve in the middle of a crowded city. The shrine is the spiritual home of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken who established parliamentary institutions, promoted friendship with overseas countries, fostered the development of the nation in every cultural field, and promoted national welfare and women's education.

The 40-foot torii is the largest wooden gate in Japan. It is made from cypress trees that are said to be more than 1,500 years old. It prepares the visitor symbolically for the spiritual presence of Emperor Meiji, a Shinto god.