Tokyo Trip 2017
Day 4
It’s now been 2 months since we returned from Tokyo, and the specifics of what we did each day are a little hazy. Why I didn’t just power through and finish writing about the trip when I could actually remember the trip is anyone’s guess. No, actually, I remember why. It’s because I was getting too depressed thinking about how I wasn’t in Tokyo anymore. I’m better now. Kind of. So here’s day 4’s run down.
We spent a lot of day 4 trekking to the Meiji Jingu Shrine, then the national garden. May isn’t the most exciting time for plants, with nary a cherry blossom to behold, so I wasn’t blown away by the gardens. BUT, there was a children’s arts and crafts festival in the middle of the garden, and approximately two hundred small children in adorable hats were running around and the cuteness nearly killed me. I ended up spending $40 on a whistle. I dunno. I got caught up in the moment.
Our friends live in Tokyo, because we’re hip, cosmopolitan millennials and having friends that live in Tokyo comes with the territory. We met up with Ryan and Kathryn for dinner and ugh, I’m the worst, because I can’t remember what the food we ate is called and also I’m too lazy to google it. But it was delicious. Like a mix between an omelette and a pancake but with a lot of meat.
Then for dessert we headed to Royal Host, which is, as Kathryn explained it, some Japanese business man’s idea of decadence after his first trip to America in 1989. This place was like if Donald Trump bought a Denny’s franchise. We all ordered a dessert, and each was about half as sweet as they should be, but lovely in presentation, and marveled at the gold trimmed vinyl booths and impeccable customer service. Stephen ordered french fries and our waiter brought him a fork in a fancy box.
Oh! Also! That day there was a Buddhist (or maybe Shinto?) festival at the Asakusa temple. We were so lucky to have Ryan and Kathryn there to help us understand what was happening. Which was this: a large group of neighborhood volunteers were carrying a heavy representation of a deity around the district to bless each business. I’m making it sound a lot weirder than it was. It was actually rad.

And very crowded.

Anyway, after Royal Host we visited an arcade. Arcades in Tokyo are a far cry from the only arcade I’d ever visited prior to our trip, Provo Utah’s Nickelcade. The Tokyo arcades, or at least the few that I saw, are well lit, clean, and don’t smell of farts. And they have great photo booth editing options.

Later Ryan and Kathryn showed us a tiny shrine atop a hill, and taught us how to properly worship. Worship may not be the correct word. Pay respect is better. Of all the shrines we saw in Tokyo, this secluded and essentially private shrine just off a bustling street was probably my favorite. Kathryn told us she’d often visit the spot on stressful days, and enjoy a minute of peaceful meditation. We could all use more moments of peaceful meditation, IMHO.

