 |
| Fairly Obvious: Man on Turtle |
With so little time in Tokyo, I had to make the most of my days and cut down on some of may plans. I decided to start with the Edo-Tokyo Museum, since I knew so little about the history of the city. Much like many establishments, the Museum is actually on the second and third floors with very little on the first floor. I thought I'd spend a couple of hours learning about the city and maybe find some hidden gems to visit later in the day. Boy, did I underestimate how much time one can spend in that museum! I think I ended up spending four hours and I only saw the Edo part; I barely got to the Tokyo section. I was very impressed with the organization of the museum: the exhibits were easy to follow, translated into English, and extremely informative. There was a life-sized reproduction of a tea house; detailed models of the Shogun's palace; and many hands-on exhibits. Everyone was encouraged to lift things, locate people and locations using binoculars, and take lots of pictures. I was surprised to learn more than I ever expected about the importance of controlling and taxing the water supply in Edo. I very much wanted to explore the Tokyo side of the museum, but I was exhausted from information overload (see, kids how learning can be dangerous?). So off I went in search of food...or so I thought.
 |
| Shogun's Palace |
 |
| Please Carry Me! |
As I walked down the street in the Sumida District, I came upon one of the many parks that dot the city. I had no idea what was inside or even if it was an important place, so I decided to investigate. Yokoamicho Park was very clean (as expected) and held a temple and at least two memorials. Apparently, the park is quite famous for some not-so-happy reasons. First, over 23,000 people were killed here during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, when I firestorm engulfed the park. I did not know
about this devastating earthquake until I learned about it at...the museum earlier in the day. Thank you museum! There is a memorial commemorating the victims as well as a charnel house, which I missed. In the center of the park there is a temple (Shinto? Buddhist?) were visitors can come to reflect. It was my first visit to a working temple and I was suitably awed. There was, of course, an altar where people and pray and pay their respects. I was able to light a stick of incense, after which I sat in one of the pews and listened to the silence. As I was leaving I also learned that the temple also commemorates the victims of the Bombing of Tokyo from 1944-45. This brought a whole new series of thoughts to mind. When I went outside, I found the memorial to the bombing victims. As I stood there, I couldn't help but think that there is a lesson from which all of us can learn: Don't bomb the American fleet when it is sitting peaceably at anchor, you will be sorry!
It was now past one o'clock and I still had not eaten since early in the morning. I went in search of a suitable place to dine; but, before I could find a restaurant, I came across what appeared to be a children's parade. At that point, the festivities had not begun but something cool was about to happen. Parents were preparing their children, fixing their clothes and putting them into a line. And there were
instruments! I saw pipes and plenty of drums, one of which was on the back of a small truck. I wish I had asked why they were having this parade but i kept mum. After a few minutes, the children began slowly marching, walking in time with the beating drum. I followed the parade as the music continued and the children chanted. The parents were leading, they were not actively participating. After some minutes, I broke off from the procession and resumed my search for food. Apparently, I could not shake the parade, since it continued to wind through the streets as I searched for an open restaurant. Just when I thought I had left the children far behind, I heard the music and the chanting again. Perhaps they were following me and I was leading the parade. Interesting thought.
After another twenty minutes of searching I finally found a restaurant. It was a noodle bar where patrons have to order from a machine, get a ticket, and present said ticket to the chef behind the bar. I ordered a medium bowl of noodles which ended up being enough to feed an entire family. With my belly full and my feet rested, it was time to find new adventures...
With so little time in Tokyo, I had to make the most of my days and cut down on some of may plans. I decided to start with the Edo-Tokyo Museum, since I knew so little about the history of the city. Much like many establishments, the Museum is actually on the second and third floors with very little on the first floor. I thought I'd spend a couple of hours learning about the city and maybe find some hidden gems to visit later in the day. Boy, did I underestimate how much time one can spend in that museum! I think I ended up spending four hours and I only saw the Edo part; I barely got to the Tokyo section. I was very impressed with the organization of the museum: the exhibits were easy to follow, translated into English, and extremely informative. There was a life-sized reproduction of a tea house; detailed models of the Shogun's palace; and many hands-on exhibits. Everyone was encouraged to lift things, locate people and locations using binoculars, and take lots of pictures. I was surprised to learn more than I ever expected about the importance of controlling and taxing the water supply in Edo. I very much wanted to explore the Tokyo side of the museum, but I was exhausted from information overload (see, kids how learning can be dangerous?). So off I went in search of food...or so I thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment