Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Shibuya

Meiji Shrine One of the many places that I was looking forward to visiting during my stay in Japan was the many different shrines located around Tokyo. Luckily, last wednesday we had a day off; mainly due to the rigorous testing that we took part in all of Tuesday. We, therefore, decided to hit up the Meiji Shrine which is located close to the Harajuku subway stop off of the Yamanote line. According to my guide book (Fodor's Japan) the shrine was built to honor Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken for pushing the country towards modernization. The Shrine is located in a densely wooded area with spacious trails. It was really hot that day so we were very thankful for the shade. Along the path to the shrine we came across a huge rack of wine barrels. According to the sign posted next to it, these barrels housed wine located from France that was donated by Yasuhiko Sata for the consecration of the Meiji Shrine. If you ask me that's one nice damn gift.

The entrance to the pathway that would lead to the shrine was marked by an impressive gate that was about 40ft high. It was breathtaking to see up close and it was mind boggling to think that japanese people from way back when painstakingly carved the gate in addition to raising it.

Entrance Trail to Meiji Shrine

Before entering the shrine on our left is a large basin with flowing water from a wooden spout. We were instructed to wash our left hand then our right hand and then pour water into our left hand and rinse out our mouths. This was to cleanse us of any impurities before stepping into the sacred ground. We all took turns performing the ritual and it was interesting to watch the locals come in and do the same.

Cleansing Ritual at Meiji Shrine

The outer court yard of the shrine is expansive and was lined with little booths here and there where you could purchase special charms for good luck. Some of these charms included health and purity of the soul, a safe delivery when giving birth, and love charms. Other ones that were kind of interesting were good luck charms for entrance exams and a marriage charm which one of my friends got for his little sister. The outer court yard gave way to an inner court yard that housed a very large tree. From afar I couldn't exactly make out what was surrounding the tree, but upon closer inspection I realized that it was a place where you could hang wooden prayer tablets with personal messages around the tree. Each day, prayers would be held so that the deities would hear each of our personal prayers. There must of been hundreds of them. A couple of friends and I bought one and wrote our own personal prayers on the back. I wished for good fortune, health, and luck in love for all of my loved ones. Wooden Prayer Tablets

After hanging the wooden tablet on the tree my friends and I decided to pray at the shrine itself. Before praying you are to bow twice, clap twice, think of your prayer then bow once again. It's usually better luck if you offer money to the shrine. I joked with my friend Lulu that she should offer a lot of money so her prayer would be answered faster.

Harajuku The Meiji Shrine was conveniently placed right next to one of the most popular shopping areas for people in their teens which is Harajuku. I'm sure you've heard of Gwen Stefani's harajuku girls. I never knew the true meaning of harajuku until I went there. The fashion is, well, interesting and unique to say the least. The current trend is leaning toward a punk avril lavigne look, but it was not uncommon for me to see people dressed up as though as if they were going to an anime convention. I saw someone dressed up as Alice from Alice and Wonderland and another one that looked like little boo peep. After seeing average teenagers and their style of dress in Harajuku I shall never think of Gwen Stefani's fashion as eccentric. We decided to lunch in Harajuku which is where, I'm proud to say, I had my very first sushi meal in Tokyo. The sushi meals in Tokyo was nothing like I had back in Boston. I guess it's more common in California and Canada according to a couple of my friends, but I never saw sushi be made and go around a conveyer belt before. You are supposed to just grab the sushi off the conveyer built which are placed on different colored plates. Each of the different colors denotes the sushi's price. At the end they just add up the plates and charge you for that amount. Since it was lunch time we decided to all get bento boxed sushi lunches. Not only were they tsugoi (cool looking) but rather ookina (large).

My Pseudo-Bento Boxed Sushi Lunch

In Harajuku, there are two main streets that are lined with shops that are surprisingly within my budget. (and when I mean in my budget I mean clothing that is about 20 yen/$20) The street that we explored was Takeshita Street. This street was so busy and colorful it looked like a softer version of mardi gras in NO except without the naked people of course. It's so packed that it can be difficult to maneuver at times. The shops are not just on street level but are also on the second and third floors as well as basement levels. Had we had more time I would've loved to explore more.

Entrance to Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Before leaving for Japan, I was warned by previous Northeastern students who had studied abroad here for one year to watch out for dark-skinned men (no I'm not trying to be racist it's just who they happen to be) who would approach foreigners. These men would try to get you to either buy something or to have you follow them to a back alley. If you are a man I was told that it would either result in you losing all the cash you have or getting lead to a yakuza (japanese mob) bar that would also result in you losing all your cash. I must warn everyone who go to touristy places like shibuya and harajuku that this can happen. I was approached several times by these men who spoke english very well so I assumed they could be american who wanted to sell me something. I just ignored them and kept walking (like I do most of the time when people beg me for money on the side of the street). One of my guy friends, however, was stopped phyiscially by one of the men who tried to sell him something. Not only was he trying to rip off my friend but he wouldn't let him leave. Luckily, he was with two other guys who were able to pull him away.

Shibuya When I first thought of Tokyo I thought of big buildings, lots of colorful lights, tons of signs, and millions of people crossing the street at the same time. It's kind of the sterotypical images that you get from those travel shows. I had experienced all of those except the tons of people but that all changed when we decided to make a pit stop in Shibuya. Shibuya is freakin' huge. You could spend several days there and not get bored. There are a ton of shops including the popular Shibuya 109 building where more teenagers into crazy fashion trends shop. There are also tons of arcades and pachinko bars, restaurants and the such. I was totally blown away just looking out into the main intersection in shibuya which is right outside of the train station. The main intersection is a five way traffic light stop that leads into the main shopping area of Shibuya. Like anywhere else there is a lot of traffic, but when the pedestrian lights go on there are literally hundreds of people crossing the intersection every which way at once. It was mind blowing to see so many people concentrated in one area.

Shibuya's Busiest 5-Way Intersection

Since we were pressed for time we didn't get to spend much time there, but I was able to pick up a few omiyagi (soveniers) for a couple of my friends. The highlight of my shopping experience there was the discovery of Tokyo's Zara; a clothing store that just opened up on Newbury Street in Boston. However, compared to the Zara on Newbury Street this store in Shibuya was 5x bigger. The prices for shopping ranged from average to extremely expensive depending on the store you go into. Basically, if it looks boutique-y it's probably really expensive. In the future I want to explore shibuya and harajuku more thoroughly.