Day 1: Tokyo; Gotokuji Temple, good food, and sore feet

 I woke up early and walked down the street to the convenience store. I got a delicious honey oat milk iced latte, a chestnut cream puff, and chicken tempura onigiri. I brought it back to the hostel and ate while I worked for a few hours waiting for the sun to come up. 

Around 8 I started wandering around the town I’m staying in. It’s very cute and quiet, but there are tons of restaurants, none of which open until 10 at the earliest. By 9 I made my way to the train station and jumped on a packed train to Shinjuku. Shinjuku is not an easy station to navigate. It’s like a whole city under the ground. I found the line I wanted quickly, but it wasn’t covered by my pass, so it took me a while to find the right info booth. I finally got there, and got a ticket to Gotokuji. Where I am going to visit the Gotokuji temple. 

 

Gotokuji is famous for the many waving lucky cats. It’s said to be the birthplace of these cute critters. It brings luck and happiness to those who worship and their families. So it seemed like a good place to start. Legends say that during the Edo period a cat led a feudal lord to safety during a storm by beckoning with a wave, hence the lucky cat. It is also a really beautiful cemetery and has a wonderful canopy of cedars and maples that were full of birds. 

Nearby is the Itsukushima Shrine as well as several other shines. The location is of a place where a samurai took shelter from a storm in 1091 and built a shine in honor of the protection. When visiting a shrine there are fountains and ladles where you are supposed to cleanse yourself before going in. You wash your left hand, then your right hand, then your mouth with your left hand, and then your left hand again. There were a bunch of Japanese families there taking photos in kimonos with their small children and teaching them the rituals. 

Next I took the metro back to Setagaya City, with the intention of getting a Totoro shaped cream puff, but they are closed on Tuesdays so I wandered around and ended up at this amazing little restaurant. I’m not entirely sure what I ordered, but it was a marinated sushi rice with pork and pickled beans (picture the texture of a boiled peanut) with some greens and pickled daikon and carrot. It was incredible. So flavorful and delicious. I could eat there every day and be happy, I won’t, but I could. 

Next I took the metro to Yoyogi park and walked through the large metropolitan park. It was busy with tourists and locals a like and full of beautiful maples and many other trees. People lounged, played with katanas, had photo shoots (I saw a middle aged guy wielding a kitchen knife at a camera), played, biked, practiced music, just about everything. It had an arboretum and bird sanctuary. I saw some large-billed crows and maybe a Japanese Tit? Anyway, it was lovely.

Then I made my way back to the hostel for a short rest and a shower. Stopping on my way for a very cute donut. 

Now I rest my poor sore feet, who walked me 9 miles already before I head back out for dinner.