Electric Shinjuku
After finding and checking-in at our first home base in Japan, we were pretty tired from all the traveling and sweaty from the Japanese summer humidity, so we took a shower and laid down for a bit. We weren’t severely jet lagged (or at least we didn’t think so) but ended up sleeping more than intended.
One of the torii entrances to the forest surrounding Meiji Jingu
Waiting for someone
Sake barrel offerings
We woke up again at around 3:30 PM — it was time to stroll through the streets of Tokyo and we jotted an interesting path all the way to our destination: Shinjuku. On the way, we visited Meiji Jingu — a Shinto shrine located inside a forest with more than 175 acres. It is as hauntingly beautiful as it sounds.
The chōzuya is an area outside the shrine where you purify yourself before going in
The freshest, purest water you can imagine
Make sure you bow before you go through those doors
Perfect balance between man-made and nature
Ema: wooden plates where people write their prayers, some more serious than others
Every day, the wishes written on them are communicated through the priests
Meiji Shrine grounds
There was a ritual going on: there were dozens of people all dressed in white walking in complete silence
Already in Shinjuku, in pure Tokyo fashion, we played some games burned away some 100 Yen coins at Club Sega, visited a couple six-story electronics stores, and then had dinner at this fabulous Udon place.
We ate some onigiri on the way; this one had roe inside
Small, short parking spaces — but then again, everything is in Tokyo
Bikes and traffic cones, they’re everywhere
Underground car parking featuring the rotating disc
Waiting for the train to go by to get the perfect shot
Elegant lines on Sompo Japan Insurance building
As if they needed all those signs to convince us
Club Sega
Yodobashi store in Shinjuku: six storys for all your electronic needs; all of them
Japanese salaryman ordering his — much overdue, we presume — dinner
Udon with horseradish, fried squid, lotus root and chicken
We like to get lost on narrow streets and alleys, and see how locals interact, how they live and where they eat, and after this first real contact we can honestly say Tokyo does not disappoint.
Beautiful side alley
Walking back home
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