July 3: Tokyo

The kids woke up to bacon and eggs, which we thankfully found at the grocery store last night.  At 9:00 we were met by Izumi, our guide for a couple of the days here in Tokyo.  Izumi took us to a Shinto shrine, which was erected in 1920 in honor of the emperor who died in 1912.  It is mostly a peaceful green park, with several large "gates" leading to the shrine itself.  Before you enter, you stop at a special washing station.  It is basically a trough filled with water.  There are long handled dippers.  The purification process is very precise.  First, you pour water from the dipper over your left hand, then your right.  Then pour some water into your left hand and touch it to your mouth.  Finally, you rinse off the handle of the dipper.

The Shinto way of praying is also precise.  You drop a coin in the box, bow twice, clap your hands twice, pray, then bow again before leaving.  Bowing is very important in Japan.  These days it is more an inclination of the head, but everyone does it.  One of the interesting things at the shrine was a large quantity of Sake barrels.  (Sake is rice wine.)  Every year, the breweries make an offering of their best Sake.

"99 bottles of Sake on the wall. . . . "

After the shrine, Izumi let us experience a very popular shopping street. Lily was in heaven, and could have stayed all day. We enjoyed a Japanese lunch.  After that, we visited "electric town".  After WWII, this area was known for hundreds of tiny shops selling black market radio parts.  From there it grew to electronics, TV's, etc.  Now, however, the area is known as the birth place of the Anime pop culture.  We visited a 7 story building dedicated to the sale of all things Anime.  There were music stores, games, everything related to the pop culture.

We also visited a crazy street with multi-story video arcades, pachinko parlors, etc.

As I have mentioned, the Japanese are very clean.  Their subway stations are spotless, and often have great art on the walls.

Subway station art.

Another mark of the Japanese cleanliness is their obsession with toilets.  The one in our apartment has a heated seat, and so many settings I can't even begin to guess what they are for.

Chris and Baxter created a baked potato bar for dinner.  Another great day!