The day was so beautiful and warm I couldn’t help but stop and take a quick selfie.
I was feeling a lot more myself this day because the plane crud was starting to wear off. I was ready to explore, find some delicious noodles, and look at some of the more iconic sites that reside in Tokyo.
The big problem I ran into today is I woke up early again and arrived at my first stop almost 2 hours before anything actually opened. The upside is I got to look at a lot of these sites by myself and without people.
I didn’t plan this day at all, which resulted in a bit of a slapdash decision to start at the Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple. The morning light was really beautiful shining through the flowers.
These little birds were up as early as I was. They were zipping around looking for food before the rush of people came. When I came back a little later they were nowhere to be found.
These statues were a way that family members remember children that have died early. The pinwheels, coats, and hats that they wear are to protect the spirits of the children.
When I walked up to the Tokyo Tower I didn’t know what to expect. It was something I hadn’t researched beforehand. Ultimately, the whole area was under renovation and I decided to bail to nearby park and relax.
I found the intersections so interesting because everything is so symmetrical and patterned. Sometimes a random picture you take while crossing the street sticks with you!
Winter in Japan is an odd dichotomy of green trees and brown trees waiting for the spring. Back home it’s all just brown, so I was loving the change.
I’m relatively sure these are fig trees, but not confident on that. Either way, the way the branches and flowers left enough space where I could frame the Tokyo Tower was pleasing.
Like the last picture where I looked for a good frame, I spent far too much time on this one looking for a perfect bokeh blur.
The sky was so blue and amazing that I found the contrast with the red of the tower enticing.
At this point I decided to walk back to the centre of Tokyo for lunch and see some more of the city. I took this picture because it’s one of the few seasons this would work. In the spring you’d lose a lot of the detail that would sit behind the leaves.
Walking back through Zojoji Temple I was drawn to the cloudy skies and the contrast of the new tower and old temple.
I try to avoid transit as much as possible and walk everywhere (which I had to abandon quickly because Tokyo is HUGE). This is one of those little spots along the way that I stopped to rest and enjoyed the view.
This was the point where I realized that to get into the Imperial Palace I’d have to wait in line and be patient. I took this picture and bailed, because I decided beer and noodles were a good use of my time instead.
In remembrance of a very special dog to our family, I had a large beer and took a picture to commemorate the moment. Her name was Kirin and she was named for this beer.
Another cool piece of art I found while walking back to my hotel. I was starting to crash at this point and needed a rest. I had big plans for the evening!