Our Asian Adventure: Tokyo, Part 1 - sometimes the best sights are off the crowded path, especially with a local tour guide (and you might even find some vintage vinyl)

We were eager to return to Tokyo after our one day layover in nearby Narita a month ago in the early days of our Asian adventure which simply whetted our appetite for more Japan. Now, after four full days in Tokyo, I can't wait to return and really discover this city.

Tokyo sits about half way down the east coast of Japan, and if you look at a map, you recognize that Japan is surrounded on it's west side by some pretty 'power-house' countries (Russia, China and Korea) which I am sure makes for some interesting political dynamics.

From World Atlas:

Yes, what you've heard about Tokyo being busy is true. It's the biggest city in the world with almost 36.5 million people in the metro area, covering just over 5,000 square miles. Japan's total population is 126 million people in a country that is about 146,000 square miles in size. (In contrast, Canada's population is just over 40 million in a country that is 3.8 million square miles. We are used to wide open spaces.)

Add to those stats the fact that we arrived in Tokyo in prime cherry blossom season (more on those cherry blossoms later). We did not know this when we planned the trip until we discovered the cost of hotel rooms in the mid-city and wondered why they were so high. It is estimated that about six million people visit Japan during March and April when the trees are in full bloom. That doesn't account for the Japanese nationals who travel within the country to see the blossoms. Japan is also experiencing a record number of travellers in general with over 30 million visiting in 2024. So between the population and the travellers, that is a lot of people. (And that is why we decided to stay at the Tobu Airport Hotel as I described in a previous blog post.)

Simply knowing those stats is intimidating, but we fast learned not all of Tokyo is elbow-to-elbow; you can escape the crowds, for the most part, by jumping off the metro just a few stops away from city centre, and especially by booking a private guide for a day of custom adventuring. On our first day in Tokyo, we had booked "Posh" through Get Your Guide, 'Toyko: Private City Highlights Tour With Local Guide" for a six hour 'tour' (which Posh graciously extended to eight hours), and this was a great introduction to the city and to that intense metro system.

Posh met us at the Narita Airport Terminal 2 train station to take us to our first stop and for our introduction to the Tokyo metro (you really do need to use the metro system in this city). We immediately loaded the Suica card into our phone 'wallets'. The Suica is a tap card that pays for the majority of the trains and can also be used to buy food and drink. It's very handy. Once it is loaded into your phone's 'wallet', you add money from your credit card and just tap the phone entering the turnstyle and exiting when the ride is over. The card will show exactly where you have been and how much money has been spent and if you need to top up the value. It's really quite easy and efficient. You could also use a Pasmo card which apparently works the same way. You do have to buy tickets at a counter or machine for some trains and some express lines.

It's your ticket to ride.

At first glance, the Tokyo metro/rail system is daunting. But if you take it step by step, it's like any other metro in the world, only with several different 'layers'. There's the Tokyo Metro with at least nine lines and the Toel Subway with four lines. Then there's several private lines such as Keisei. It's a good idea to download a route planner app to help. 'Rome2Rio' is also always handy. That, combined with a visual of the metro map, well-signed train platforms and digital live updates in each train car will get you where you want to go. You might make a few errors now and then. Just make a game of it. If you end up at the wrong station, recalculate and get on another train. A good site explaining the Tokyo metro and train system is 'Go Tokyo - The official tokyo travel guide' at gotokyo.org. And don't worry about mistakes (wink) - trust me, the staff are helpful.

We had spoken with Posh before we arrived and told him that we wanted to see some 'off the beaten path' places that tourists might not find. We could see the main tourist sights on our own - and we knew those would be crowded. He was really happy to oblige, and we strongly recommend him as a guide. With his degree in history from Tokyo University and his MBA from Cornell, Posh "knows stuff". (If you are interested, private email me through my site, and maybe I can connect you.)

So, on the Keisei train line we went with Posh for a splendid day of adventuring in lesser-visited Tokyo.

Our first stop was Shibamata, a neighbourhood in eastern Tokyo where we experienced 'old' Japan. The town is known for it's traditional charm, not at all like the busy downtown Tokyo. They say it's like stepping back in time. The main street, Taishakuten-Sando, is also the approach to the Shibamata Taischakuten temple. The street is a lovely walk-way lined with shops and restaurants selling local goods and food, some businesses having long generational histories. We loved checking out the shops and sampling local delicacies.

Street scenes:

I love this retro picture of Posh and me walking down the old main street:

Shibamata is also known as the home town of Tora-san who was the protagonist in the popular movie series Otoko wa Tsurai yo ("It's tough being a man'). Tora-San was apparently "a hustler who was always unlucky in love" according to the Go Tokyo Official Travel Guide. After each of his esapades, he returned to Shibamata and the family 'dango' (skewered rice flour balls) shop. The bronze statue of Tora-san is like a greeter on the train platform.  The statue and placards and pictures describing scenes and shooting sites from the movie add another 'retro' feeling to this little town. You could even tour the Katsushika Shibamata Tora-san Museum if time permitted.

At the end of 'main street' is the carved wooden Nitenmon entrance gate to Shibamata Taishakuten Temple. Many Buddhist temples have a Nitenmon gate. 'Nitenmon' loosely refers to two 'heavens' or two deities that are inside the gate to protect the temple's grounds from evil spirits.

Shibamata Taishakuten Temple is a Buddhist Temple dating to 1629 but with the current temple being built in 1929. It survived WWII bombings. Posh explained that the temple was also made of Japanese cypress wood as opposed to brick or concrete. The wood is not only durable but also reflects the importance of nature and craftsmanship. The temple is surrounded by pine trees that represent good fortune and resilience.

The temple is unique for being surrounded by layers of intricate wooden carvings depicting aspects of Buddha's life and teachings and/or carvings of animals considered lucky in East Asia. Each panel tells a story. You would have to study these carvings for a long time to ascertain all the meanings. The detail is truly amazing. The carvings were completed between 1915 and 1929. Fierce carved wooden dragons support the building. The carvings are simply stunning.

Behind the temple is a beautiful Japanese Suikei-en garden (a pond garden) - with no one in it. It was such a great place to relax and contemplate life. A covered walkway surrounds the garden for lots of viewpoints and photo-ops.

In a future trip, I will definitely be returning to Shibamata to stroll the streets, eat in little cafes, and walk along the adjacent Edo River.

Yes, it's cherry blossom time. Our next stop in lesser-visited Tokyo was Rikugien Garden for our first cherry-blossom sighting. Posh wanted to show us a special tree that might be missed by the majority of travellers. He explained that he believed the weeping cherry blossom tree in Rikugien Garden was from seed as opposed to being "cloned" or grafted. He said that cloned trees all have the same DNA and thus are picture-perfect trees that all look alike, with branches of flowers extending straight out which is why you can see a row of identical trees that make for amazing photos. He also said that trees from seed generally live longer than cloned cherry blossom trees. The Rikugien weeping cherry blossom is 70 years old and magnificent. (By the way, I did not know there was so much information on line about cherry blossom trees. You might want to research it yourself.)

So, we saw our first Tokyo cherry blossom tree in Rikugien Garden. I'll be showing many more pictures in my next blog - and, yes, they are 'perfect' cherry trees (obviously cloned).

Rikugien Garden has much more to offer for another time. It is considered one of the most beautiful of the Japanese style landscape gardens dating to about 1700. 'Rikugien' means 'six poems garden', replicating scenes from famous poems. There is a large central pond, small hills, forest, trails, and teahouses. They say autumn is an especially beautiful time to visit. The weeping cherry trees are near the main gate. I could spend hours in this park on a future trip. Although the garden covers about 88,000 square metres, it is about one third of the original size.

It was time for lunch, and Posh told us he was "lucky at food". We believe him as he found us a small and very affordable cafe, 'o la la', with a delicious set menu.

After refueling, our next stop was the Nezu Shrine complex situated in the Bunkyo ward of Tokyo. The complex actually contains three shrines, the Nezu Shrine which some think is the most beautiful shrine in Tokyo, the Otome Inari Shrine in dazzling red, and the humble little Komagome Inari Shrine. This area is far off the beaten tourist path and is quiet, beautiful, and peaceful.

The Otome Inari Shrine and Komagome Shrine are linked with the big Nezu Shrine by what could be one of the most popular photo-ops in Tokyo, a long row of Vermillion (red) Shinto Torii (literally translated to 'bird perch') gates where there are no bad photos. The lovely row of donated red gates is a symbol of devotion and gratitude of the worshippers whose wishes come true.

We arrived at the Nezu complex through the entrance closest to the humble little Komagome Inari Shrine. We were taken by the little foxes standing guard, many with red scarves around their shoulders. Foxes are associated with Inari, a popular diety known for protecting rice farming and harvesting and are seen as guardians of the shrine. The colour red is associated with protection and warding off evil spirits. It was at this little shrine that Posh taught us the correct way to ask for wishes: bow twice, clap twice, keep your hands together, ask silently for the wish, and bow again. Back away silently and respectfully.

Through some stunning Vermillion Torii gates, we came to the Otome Inari Shrine, a symbol of women - "Otome" means women and, as I mentioned, "Inari" refers to the god of rice, agriculture, and prosperity. I read that the Nezu area was traditionally the location for brothels, and the women would become attached to this little shrine to ward off bad luck. I don't know if this is true, but it certainly adds to the 'story' of this beautiful shrine. (I imagine that there are many legends and much folklore attached to all of the historic shrines and temples, some true and some not.) It makes sense that people might pray here for love and good fortune. The shrine dates to 1706.

The red of the shrine is beautiful against the green azalea plants which are apparently quite a sight in spring when all 3,000 of them bloom. (An Azalea Festival is held here each year in April and May.)

The beautiful Otome Inari Shrine and solemn Komagome Inari Shrine really pack a punch of information and beauty for such small shrines.

 Legend has it that if you visit the Nezu Shrine from north to south, you will lose evil spirits and your wishes will come true. Hopefully, we walked north to south from the Otome Inari Shrine through the gates over to the Nezu Shrine, but I don't know.

The Nezu Shrine is one of the oldest and considered to be one of the most beautiful and important shrines in Tokyo. It is known for it's architecture and for it's setting with all those azalae and the red Torii gates and Otome Inari Shrine in the background. It dates to 1705 and has a lengthy history and legends attached that you might want to research. The shrine is said to have been moved to its current spot by the 5th Shogun who loved dogs. It has withstood several disasters such as earthquakes and war. The Nezu Shrine has been preserved in it's original structure and is believed to offer protection and blessings.

Approaching the first gate, the Romon Gate across the Shinkyo ("sacred") Bridge:

Looking at the shrine through the second gate, the Karamon Gate:

And the Honden, or main hall, of the shrine:

The shrine is guarded from evil by Komainu, "lion-dogs", traditionally placed before the entrance of shrines.

The Nezu shrine complex is definitely worth a visit if you're in Tokyo, especially if you are tired of the crowds in the touristy areas.

The day was wonderful so far with traditional Japanese history and culture but we were about to fall upon the best 'find' of the day (well, in my husband's view) right outside the gates of the Nezu Shrine complex. . . . a collectibles store selling vintage vinyl records. This is his dream for all of our travelling expeditions. He came to learn that Tokyo is a hotspot for music and vinyl of which I will tell more in my second Tokyo blog. On a side note, he carries a cloth bag in which he can fit exactly 21 vinyl records. He was even more pleased when Posh showed a genuine interest and knowledge of music.

Our men and Posh perusing the albums:

The store had some other interesting collectibles:

Posh was once again "lucky with food" as he found us a good coffee house for our last visit together before our perfect day ended. Tokyo has plenty of coffee, and there just might be another story in my final Tokyo blog post.

We began our walk to the nearest train station as our day with Posh was ending. After about 10 minutes from the Nezu Shrine, we happened upon the Yanaka Ginza area, also known as "Cat Town" (apparently this area of the city is cat-crazy with memorabilia, cat-shaped sweets, cat banners and, of course, real cats). It's a retro area with a small, only 175 metres, but very popular, shopping street full of vintage shops and cafes. We did not go down the street but got a good view from the Yuyake Dandan ("sunset stairs") which is obviously a popular photo stop, especially at, well, sunset. Posh told us this street is really being marketed to tourists.

This young lady was posing on the Sunset Stairs with the Yanaka Ginza street in the background:

You might have noticed by now that Tokyo has shrines and temples, lots of them, ranging from massive works of architecture to humble little spaces? They can stand out and dominate a neighbourhood or they can be tucked discreetly away It is estimated that there are over 150,000 in Japan.  I wonder how long it would take to visit all the shrines/temples in Tokyo? I imagine someone has done it. In fact, an interesting blog is 'Foxed In The Head: Cycling To All Inari Shrines in Tokyo's 23 Wards" by Tokyo Fox at tokyofox.net. And I am sure you could study Japan's shrines and temples for the rest of your life as they have such a history.

In the course of our short walk to the station, we passed at least one more (and probably more that we didn't notice), the little Daikokuten Kyoo-ji Temple from the 17th century.

We also passed the Former Homesite of Okakura Tenshin, a scholar, leader of Japanese painting, art critic, and promoter of Asian arts and culture. He is known world-wide for his work in the arts. This little building, built in 1966, is a recreation of one of the hexagonal buildings at the Japan Art Institute which he founded.

And that ended our perfect first day in Tokyo. With Posh's help, we experienced authentic Japan, avoided the crowds in the central and touristy areas yet saw some big sights, and even purchased a vinyl record (or two). Today was the day that I knew I would return to Tokyo because four days would only scratch the surface of a city with so much to discover. Even Posh, after being born here and living here, discovered a few 'new' things today that he hadn't seen before, off the beaten path.

Thanks for reading, and please check back in a few days for my final blog post from Tokyo, ending our super Asian adventure.