Leaving off from Kamakura the next stop was Asakusa. Given it was a public holiday during Golden Week the crowds were huge, hence the large crowds and slow movement through the streets.
One of the main attractions in my visit to Japan is a stop in Nikko. For those not familiar with Japanese history this is the locaction of Tokugawa Ieyasu's Mausoleum. Beyond that Nikko is just a beautiful place to visit.
And it's free too!
After travelling +11,000km and too many sleepless hours on a plane I arrived in Tokyo 7:30AM Sunday 1st May. The flight to Singapore was packed however the following flight into Narita was very empty. A plus for me trying to stretch out and sleep but not a good sign for Japanese tourism. Taking the N'EX from the airport was nice and easy, heaps of space for each seat and info to let you know where you are.
Since my check-in time was not until 3PM I dropped off my luggage and headed to Harajuku and the Meiji Jingu shrine.
Me in front of a Tori at the entrance to Meiji Jinju (yes this is me smilling)
Sake Casks
Traditional Shinto Wedding Procession
Day two was just getting my bearings and exploring Ikebukuro (where I am staying) and Ueno.
View from Sunshine60 building, a large shopping mall
Day three was spent at Kamakura which is only about 1hr away from Tokyo and is the location of a number of important Buddhist and Shinto shrines.
Great Buddha (yes I am smilling)
Zeniarai Benten Shrine
It is said your money will double if you wash it in the water found in this cave.
To get to this shrine from the Great Buddha I trekked through a trail to get there.
This is a photo after climbing this particular hill (one of many on the trail). It is steeper than it looks.
Here is a link of the path I followed. I got a bit lost at the beginning and the last bit is me leaving by train.
http://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?snapid=S1893159tcT
Epic Music Video
Favourite version yet
How these people can say these things is beyond me.
I wish I could pull this off (http://spirithoods.com/mens/)
