Day 19 Tokyo High and Low Wandering

Back to Tokyo for the final stint of this trip and it's so comfortable. We've settled in a residential neighborhood in Nakano-ku, not far from where we used to live before moving to Berkeley. While a lot has changed - mostly gotten updated and evolved to the 2020s - it still has the basic framework of everyday life of most folks living in Tokyo - tall apartments mixed with blocks of houses, folks heading to the train or subway stations, odds and ends of unexpected kitsch.

It's Sunday, so lots of people will be out and about, but not in the rushing work way. We decided to spend the day in a couple of different places that are kind-of on the opposite spectrums of Tokyo - Ginza, the high-end shopping district of the city, and Kameido, a section of Shitamachi. First we wander through our temporary neighborhood to get to the subway station.

Early in our walk, we come to a small Shito shrine at the corner of an intersection. Like many small shrines around Japan, it has images of foxes, the O-Inari, associate with rice, fertility, agriculture, industry and a bunch of other things. Small offerings are in the shrine for folks looking for luck.

A bit farther on we come to a wall behind which is something that dots the Tokyo landscape - Nakano Hosenji Temple and Buddhist cemetery. In the older parts of the city which have been built up over the years, building developments have resulted in these becoming islands in the midst of modernity.

Hosenji is a very old temple, having been established in the Muromachi era, the couple hundred years before the Tokugawa Shogunate, so 500 or so years ago. It was built up during the Edo period, burned down during WW II, and rebuilt after the war. It definitely serves the older families in the area. It is still in active use as we saw from a funeral happening when we visited.

A couple more minutes of walking from Hosenji we arrive at the subway station, which has it's own vibe...

Ginza Sunday Stroll

Next stop, Ginza - shopping area to the upper crust and those who want to look like they are. Being Sunday, the main street through Ginza, Chuo-dori, is closed to traffic so crowds can easily wander, something that was normal 40 years ago when I lived here.

Ginza is the home to the high end brands, both domestic and foreign - Tiffany (which has about 3 shops on Chuo-dori), Mikimoto Pearls, Channel all occupy expensive Ginza real estate - along side exquisite kimono shops and popular Japanese brands, like Sony.

Then there are the anchors, the big department stores, Mitsukoshi and Matsui, on one end of Chuo-dori, and my personal favorite, Takashimaya on the other end.

For me, the most amazing part of Takashimaya is the basement food section, which is home to branches of Fauchon from Paris, Pecks from Milan, and Wettamer from Brussels, as well as dozens of Japanese vendors. This is also where a cosplay chef scared a peach vendor to procure one of the best peaches of all time.

It is also a store of long traditions, one being live elevator operators which, I was pleasantly surprised, is now an open gender position (i.e., not just "elevator girl").

Shitamachi - Kameido Wisteria Festival

Our other wander goal for the day is physically not too far away but a far distance in societal standing. Shitamachi is the common term to the old, more traditional area of Eastern Tokyo. One of the most popular Tokyo tourist stops, Asakusa Temple, is a central part of the district. But there are lots of Shitamachi that most folks don't take the time to visit (always an issue when visiting big citys), even those who live in Tokyo. Kameido is a place we never visited, though we have explored Shitamachi in the past.

The biggest draw to the area is the Kameido Tenjin Shrine, a 350 year old Shinto shrine dedicated to learning and a lot of wisterias - we were surprised that we were visiting during the annual Fujii Matsuri (Wisteria Festival).

And the Wisteria were, indeed, in full bloom...

As was the festival...

Beyond the festival, the shrine itself is another one of those old, peaceful islands of tradition centered in developed neighborhoods...

Wandering back out to the neighborhood, we passed the Wood Shop which, unlike a lumber yard, specializes in wood for crafts people. Odd lots of different shapes, woods of different ages, and some just leftovers from others.

We finish up our day meeting Marie' and Nobue's sister, Yoshiko, at the conveyor delivery sushi shop that is a favorite of Marie'...

There are LOTS more photos in the Ginza/Kameido Wandering gallery, including a bunny "family" on a wall and crowned giraffe in Ginza.