Out & About during Golden Week
This is probably one of the favourite times of the year for many Japanese … a series of Bank Holidays that with only one day off combine to make a week of holiday. Unfortunately, as Tokyo and two other prefectures are back in a State of Emergency, people were asked to stay within their prefectures. We used the opportunity to explore new parts of the city.
April 29th : Showa Day, is the birthday of Emperor Showa who died in 1989. May 3rd Constitution Day to celebrate the enactment of the 1947 Constitution of Japan. May 4th Greenery Day is celebrated as a day to appreciate nature & to be grateful for its blessings. May 5th Children’s Day but until recently this was Boys’ Day whilst Girls’ Day was celebrated on March 3rd.
Wisteria Hunting
Kameido Tenjin Shrine is famous for its displays of wisteria
This is what I expected to see …
…. but this is what we saw –
….. too late by at least 2 weeks!!
Arakawa River
Even in an enormous city like Tokyo, it is possible to find wilder sections with few people around.
Todoroki Ravine
And this was much less rugged than I had hoped, but the bamboo in the Japanese garden was fabulous.
And I checked my luck again, this time at the Todoroki Fudosan Temple, then tied the note onto the fence …
Tsukiji Fish Market
Sadly the wholesale market was closed in 2018, but the outer market remains. Here are many stalls serving sushi and fresh seafood dishes, but undoubtedly greatly affected with the lack of visitors in these Covid times
Tsukiji Hongwanji
This Buddhist temple is unlike any we have seen in Tokyo; the architect based his design on ancient Indian Buddhist styles. The building burned down just 40 years after it had been completed and was destroyed again in the 1923 earthquake.
