Tokyo Meiji Shrine

I got a kick out of this sign in one of the transit halls!!

This Shinto shrine was built to honor the spirit of Emporer Meiji.

HUGE torii gate at the path entrance leading to the shrine.

I thought these lamp posts were lovely.

Hard to believe we were in the middle of a city!!

These barrels of sake were donated to the shrine.

Pictures of Emperor Meiji's rule posted along the path.

 

About 175 acres of evergreen forest in the middle of the city!!

At the entrance of the shrine grounds, you may wash here before going to worship.

 

Entrance to the central sanctuary

The woodwork is beautiful!

Paths cut all through the forest.

 

"Ema, votive tablets, are offered for 500yen a piece at the booth ahead and to your right."

If you choose to buy a votive tablet, you write your prayer on the tablet and hang it on the display. 

  

Another booth to buy prayer memorials.

Heading out of the sanctuary and back down the forest path.....

...to our last 'tourist' stop of the day---
Shibuya Intersection.

Tokyo Hard Rock Cafe

After leaving the palace grounds, we made our way back to the public transit and found the correct line to take us to our next destination. While walking through one of the underground stations, I thought for a moment we'd been transported back to California!!
 

Back on street level, Rodney was using his GPS to help us find our way to Hard Rock Cafe!! The trick is the map was coming up in Japanese! But, he got his bearings and off we went....

 

I was trying to keep up and take pictures at the same time ;0)

Now, turn this corner....

and there it is!!!
(Yes, it is a little place!! And it shared the building with TonyRoma's!!)

Time to do a bit of pin shopping to add to the collection!!!
On our journey to Hard Rock, we saw Outback Steakhouse and decided that's where we wanted to get lunch...

 

In a conversation with our sweet waitress, she (in pretty good English!) asked about our home. She was so amazed to find we live in Okinawa! I went on to talk about how we were visiting Tokyo and Disney for Rodney's birthday.

At the end of our meal, here came our waitress with the other staff and they sang
"Happy Birthday to Rod-o-ney-san"!!!

 

After taking our picture, she brought it to us printed out and in the Outback frame!

She'd even signed the back ;0)

I'd been watching groups of school girls headed home from school and finally had the camera ready when one came by!

After lunch, we boarded transport for Tokyo's Meiji Shrine.....

Tokyo Imperial Palace

We had checked out of our hotel and paid a very decent price to have the hotel deliver our bags to the airport. We now had the day to make a few stops around Tokyo for some site-seeing adventures before catching our late evening flight back to our little island. We decided our first stop would be the Imperial Palace, so we bought our all-day/all-trains tickets and headed out.

We came to our stop and found our way to the Imperial Grounds. Rodney was checking the map to confirm our directions when he saw this on the map....

Not exactly sure what it means.... nursing home, maybe? 

One of the gates to the actual palace grounds.

This is pretty much like our White House. Although, I'm not sure they have tours.

 

 

We traded picture-takings here with a couple from Argentina!

 

 

The grounds are lovely... looks like a big park, only you're not allowed on the grass!!!! We witnessed one lady get "in big trouble" from a guard for stepping over the chain into the grass. He was blowing his whistle and waving his arm for her to get off the grass!!

 

 

Definitely Old World meets New World!