Tokyo with Kids Day 4

Sorry for the break, I ran out of steam. Chugga chugga, woo woo. But I am determined to create a record of our whole trip. Posterity, you know.

Step Thirteen: Thou shalt not fear the food.

The weirder it looks, the more you should try it. People wouldn't eat it if it wasn't palatable, so give it a go. Mimi won the most adventurous prize, followed by me and then Jude and lastly Dx, the food wimp.

Octopus cupcakes, anyone?

What REAL fish sticks look like.
And so we bought one. The white flakes are salt. Mimi and I gave it a go, but found it, well, fishy.


Step Fourteen: Go in search of Fashion.

These girls are the real deal, Harajuku Girls in Harajuku, as made famous in the US by Gwen Stefani. On Sundays the Harajuku neighborhood is filled with young people participating in dress-up play. They put on full head to toe costumes and a persona and interact with each other playacting. The costumes are fabulously outrageous, and unfortunately, our camera gave up the ghost that afternoon. There were better specimen, but this is our best picture. They're dressed like outlandish lolitas.

Thank you, Harajuku girl, for the obligatory peace sign.

Step Fifteen: Go where you hear loud noise.

We were taking a lovely walk through the park on Sunday and heard this loud music in the distance, so we walked over to see what was going on. We happened upon this dance festival and it was one of the coolest things we saw in Tokyo. So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance crew have nothing on these dramatic performers.

They dance in a warrior style, mixed with hip hop. I've seen a lot of types of dance, but I'd never seen something so frenetic and committed, look at the expressions on their faces, they're sneering not smiling. I don't know what the style of dance is called, but it was an intense experience. Check out the video at the bottom of the page, it is like nothing you've seen before. Kind of like hiphop capoeira.

Note the traditional red eye makeup.

Step Sixteen: Visit Holy Places.

Shinto is the most ancient religion in Japan, based largely on animal spirit worship. It's been around there longer than Buddhism and its holy places offer a different atmosphere from busy Buddhist temples. Ever seen those big red angular arches? Those are Shinto gates.

This is the courtyard of a Shinto Shrine. Look off to the right, see the red kimono? That's a bride in traditional Japanese dress. We were really lucky to happen upon their ceremony.
These are the prayer ema, plaques where worshippers write their prayers or wishes. They cost money. I just observed.

After the peaceful Shinto shrine, we visited the Buddhist temple in Asakusa. It was a bustling market place and packed full of people. It was an interesting contrast, kind of like the Jesus before/after cleaning out the temple story, Buddhist being before, Shinto after. These pictures were taken after the camera died that day, and aren't so good.

Mimi inside the shrine. People were throwing money into the temple and kneeling saying prayers. Mimi knelt down and said a little prayer. She always prays for Ellie, I don't know why. Perhaps because she's her namesake.
This is the pagoda outside the Buddhist temple. Secretly, I have no idea what pagodas are all about, but they sure do look cool. Before I return to Tokyo, I would like to learn more about these holy places. I felt like a big tourist at these places, but we enjoyed the sights and the food.

This is a video of one of the dance troupes. Observe how aggressive the moves are.