Japan Log Day 4

Day 4: Last Day in Tokyo, 3/25/19:

Today was our last day in Tokyo on the front end of our trip. We started by getting reserved seats on the Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima. Then we toured the outside of the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately the gardens are closed on Monday and Friday so we couldn’t go in. It is something to check out when we return later in our trip.

Jonathan and I then went to Ginza to try and get a seat at an all you can eat Waygu Restaurant but they were full so we went to a department store and got some food and sweets. We ate those in Ueno Park.

We toured Ueno park looking at the early blooms of the Cherry Blossoms. We saw a monument to the location where the last Samurai stood against the Meiji Government and committed Seppuku. The monument is where their ashes were spread and was maintained by the family of the last survivor until 2003 when the Tokyo government took over care. We toured two shrines, and I was surprised by how much commercialization was going on at the first shrine. People selling trinkets right outside. We strolled through the food vendors for the Sakura Matsuri that was going on.

We then walked a few kilometers to the Nezu Shrine, which is not a tourist shrine but is becoming known for it’s Tori Gates similar to those in Kyoto. The nice thing about this shrine is because it’s not a tourist shrine you do not have people all around the gates and can get some nice pictures.

We finished the day by going up Tokyo Sky Tree at night and taking some pictures before grabbing a late dinner.