A Good Fortune From Buddha

After arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday evening and settling into our awesome hostel, Betsy and I immediately began to explore this fascinating city. It really has an amazing feel to it. All throughout the day and night there are people bustling to and from work, temples, gardens, restaurants and arcades, yet there is a complete sense of peace and calmness that is felt by all. As a visitor, the city welcomes you with open arms and its people are remarkably friendly and helpful. For our first day out we went to see the Tokyo National Museum which traces the history of the Japanese from its inception and showcases incredible artifacts (which if they weren't behind glass I would have taken home with me).

I really must take a moment before continuing on to speak about the best metro system I have ever encountered. Tokyo's subway system is what every New Yorker and Washingtonians wishes their metro system could be. It goes everywhere, runs freakishly on time and is completely user friendly. There are lots of things I want to take away with me from Tokyo (including their ridiculously friendly people) but if I could only take one thing - it would be their subway system.

As the only city in Japan that we've seen so far, Tokyo has really impressed me. It has managed to fuse thousands of years of history and modernity into a peacefulness and serenity. Take for example the ancient Sensoji Temple which hosts immense statues of the Buddha and is the gateway to the open market where today people are still selling their wares to tourists and Japanese natives alike. As part of the experience of Sensoji Temple worshippers come to have their fortune told by depositing 100 Yen (a little less then $1) and shaking a tin can with sticks which are engraved with Japanese characters. Once a stick falls out of the can you then find the corresponding piece of paper which will explain what the symbol means and your fortune. Mine read as follows - No. 95 Good Fortune - Encourage yourself and you will be fortunate. You haven:t seen a sign of good luck yet, but you will get in the future. Hearing a morning call of cock, you will have to wait for a chance to come. Your time has come, you will be happier like a ship sails before the wind. I:d like to think that this is really a very good sign in an of itself!
Betsy too pulled her fortune from the tin can, but did not fare as well. Its good to know that the Buddhists have a way out of fortunes by tying it to a metal rack.

The rest of our time spent in Tokyo included an early morning at the open air fish market and then eating at a small little hole in the way sushi bar right near the market. We also walked around the Imperial Palace Gardens which are staggering in size especially because it is in the middle of downtown Tokyo. We also went to a showing at a Kabuki theater (a traditional Japanese play where the actors to not talk but act out a narration which includes musical instruments). The costumes and dancelike movement are a sight to see!

All in all Tokyo has been fantastic and really a super friendly place to tourists (each day about three people help us get where we need to go). Ill be sad to leave, but am very much looking forward to our next few days in Kyoto - one of Japan:s ancient capitals.

I:ve probably left out many of the things we:ve done so I hope to write another blog soon and with pictures. so sorry for the bad grammar and punctuation.

love,
jillian