We chose to try to compress several things into one day:
Visiting the largest public park in Tokyo - the Shinjuku Gyeon park, then going through the Shibuya shopping areas, and getting a video of the famous Shibuya mass crossing.
We started our day with the delicious breakfast buffet which is one of the best I've eaten. Lots of goodies!
We headed out by walking to the Hiroo metro station, about 3/4 of a mile.
We couldn't read any of the Japanese, of course, so we got Guardian Angels to show up, really! A Sargent Hernandez, a U. S. Air Force young man stationed at Yakota AFB showed up at the right time. He and his family... twin daughters, aged 4, and his Mom came by at the right time to help us buy the tickets and navigate around the station. Always amazed at how God always, always comes to our rescue at just the right time! God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!
Here is my Sweetheart in front of the New Sanno entrance.
My Darling in front of a traditional house... which has to be very, very expensive in this area!
Map of the area around the New Sanno
We noted it before, but here is proof again that the Japanese culture is focused on perfection and order, harmony and peace... here is a sidewalk with a divider down the middle... you walk on the left... keeps conflicts to a minimum...
Some of the many, many stores around every corner, with vending machines, nearly any needed product...
This is the middle of the Shinjuku area, with a very tall skyscraper anchoring the area...
A side street adjacent to the Garden, note the nice buildings...
The south entrance to the Shinjuku Gyeon gardens, which has a large Traditional Japanese Garden, a French-style garden, and a cultured English garden...
The map of the park and the most beautiful flower of them all!
A beautiful path along the perimeter of the garden...
One of the many, many beautiful trees...
One of the large ponds in the park...
My Sweetheart by a stone lantern that would have provided light around the path surrounding the pond...
Water, a sky filled with fluffy clouds, very few people, quiet with an occasional bird calling... what's not to love?
A classic Japanese bridge over the pond...
My Darling sitting in a traditional tea house...
The hostess delivering the tea and sweets... the tea is the classic foamed green tea along with a just a bite of sweet cake...
Afterward, more walking around the park...
Some of the beautiful kindergarteners who were playing in the park...
The Sweetest One in a tunnel of sycamore trees...
After the garden visit, we took a taxi to the Shibuya shopping area, the home of "Haichi" memorial and many, many shops. We had lunch in one of the many restaurants and then we walked around one of the big shopping centers...
The crossing is famous for the numbers of people who cross this intersection... during rush hour it could be more than 3,000! at a time... amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od6EeCWytZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2YvIQNbrn0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evj7OLJ8rcc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjnOaSMnbbY
Take time to view some of these videos...
Japan is an amazing country in many ways. Geologically, Japan sits along the "ring of fire" which explains the many earthquakes. Climatically she has subtropical in Okinawa to frigid semi artic in northern Hokkaido. But, it's the culture and the people that Japan such a unique and wonderful place. Japan is NOT perfect nor a nirvana or even a near utopia. The massing of most of the population into tightly crowded urban centers has forced the people to agree to certain social constructs... live in peace, be willing to give up your right to be right, courtesy first, others first, yield if needed to preserve the peace, focus on personal responsibility over personal rights, emphasis on social harmony, and cooperation over competition if that promotes both... so many huge cultural differences that are foreign concepts to most Americans.
Americans focus on "all men are equal" "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"... rights over responsibility, self over the whole, "me before you", and so on. Yet, each country is successful in its own way. But, I think Americans could learn a lot from the Japanese culture besides just eating sushi!
Well, tomorrow is another day... a trip to Kamakura and the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Should be wonderful.
Check in tomorrow for our sitrep!
God bless you always!
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