We started the morning at the same breakfast place, trying to recoup from the long night before. I felt much better after the soup and yams I ate, and Troy, Scott, Aiden and I headed back to the same temple we visited the night before. Our impromptu guide was right; it was packed full of hundreds of worshipers there for the festival.
Since we had had a crash course in etiquette already, we were able to assimilate into the crowd and do everything correctly. We purified ourselves in the smoke, washed out hands and mouths in the fountain, threw coins into the offering area, and finally went inside the temple. It was so beautiful I had to fight back tears.
We left the main building, and walked through the courtyard areas of the grounds. It was so different from the night before. Everything was open and teeming with people looking through the hundreds of shops, more small shrines, and entertainment.
We left the temple grounds, and just walked until we reached a river and a fun park. Aiden was happy about that, since he hasn't really had a chance to run around much on the trip so far. It was especially pretty since the leaves are turning for fall.
We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading out for our big night in downtown Tokyo. We went to Shibuya and Shinjuku, which is the busiest and brightest part of the city. My camera unfortunately decided to crap out in the train station on the way there; I'm going to try to salvage what pics I did manage to take later and hope that some came through.
Shibuya was very crowded with Japanese and tourists alike, all dressed in their best, shopping and dining. We had dinner at a restaurant there...let's call it our Bizarre Foods dinner of the trip. We started with an appetizer of fried eel spines, followed by fried pork cartilage, fried noodles, and yakitori consisting of the following chicken parts: breast, egg yolk, hearts, livers, gizzards, wings, thighs, and tail. It was an interesting dinner to say the least.
We hopped back on the rail and headed to the Times Square area of Tokyo. At this point I was exhausted, my feet hurt, and I was feeling a bit queasy from dinner; the absolute crush of people and being blinded/deafened by the lights and sounds of it all was just a bit overwhelming for me in the moment. I consider myself more of a city girl, but this was entirely new and just too much. It's weird, but I think if I had had my camera I would have been able to isolate it into segments and concentrate on one thing at a time instead of being just bewildered by it all. I hope to go back when we come back to Tokyo at the end of our trip, my new camera in hand and knowing what to expect.
I did realize, through the two absolute different Japans that I experienced from the day to the night, that I prefer the old, quiet version to the new, modern Japan. That makes me excited for the rest of the trip, as we're headed to Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara next, which progressively get more traditional. We'll see!
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