Description
This tour will show a different side of Tokyo. We will go to Ueno and Yanaka where the original flavour of Tokyo has been preserved throughout the big kanto earth quake and the bombardments of WWII. We will start the day close to Ueno station. First you will get to see Ameyoko. This area of town started out as a black market right after WWII where Japanese sold the rations they received by the American soldiers. Although no longer used as a black market, you will still feel that “market vibe” that is unique to this area.
From Ameyoko we will go to Ueno park and pass, among other sights, the statue of ‘the last samurai, and we will see various temples that were not destroyed during the major earth quakes that ravaged this special country. Eventually we will pass Ueno zoo where you can take a sneak peek of Japans most treasured animals; panda’s! Although originally Chinese, these creatures are much treasured in Tokyo and throughout Japan. In fact, if you look carefully you will see panda’s everywhere around Ueno.
Along the way we will stop for some Japanese cuisine at a traditional restaurant and tea house with a gorgeous view of the garden. From Ueno we will walk to Yanaka. This is another area that has stand the test of time and is little changed from before WWII. As Japanese believe that according to feng shui evil comes from the North East, there are a significant bigger number of temples around this area. Of course we will not visit them all, but only cherry pick some of the most impressive ones. We will also visit the oldest cementary of Japan where the family of the last Shogun (the Tokugawa shogun) is buried and we will see the biggest buddha in Tokyo.
If you like those tiny out of the way little shops and restaurants, then this is definitely a tour for you. We will go through Yanaka Ginza with lots of locals buying and selling the most amazing food and trinkets.
The day will end at Nezu shrine. The oldest still existing shrine in Tokyo with a beautiful Japanese garden and lots of vermillion red torii (gates).
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