I woke up still stuffed from last night’s meal! John, on the other hand, was rip roaring ready to take on the food tour! We Ubered it to where we met up with our Culinary Backstreet tour guide for the day, Mairi.
She explained that YANESEN was the area of Tokyo where we would walk today (and eat and walk and eat some more)! The homes were narrow (due to the taxation based on property frontage) and very deep. Most of the (typically three storied) houses had been in families for generations. Because of this, many of the current family members had no mortgages to pay, so they were free to work their passion without the worry or need of making a lot of money. The result was an eclectic area of whimsical shops and tiny, funky cafes. (And extremely happy owners!)
Mairi further described YANESEN as an area that was comprised of three, quite different sisters. The first area, SANDAGI, was the quiet sister. We walked to nearby cafe and were served a common breakfast, an onigiri (packed rice, salmon, and dried seaweed). We were amazed at how delicious they were! The onigiris were served with three different pickled items (that were equally good), hot tea, and Miso soup. A very different breakfast for us Americans, but wonderful!
We walked to another shop that specialized in juices! Today’s flavors were mandarin and strawberry and were wonderful.
The next area we walked to was NEZU, referred to as the hardworking sister, where more working class people lived. We stopped at a shop that just made rice crackers! Mairi chose their azalea rice crackers for us to try and they were surprisingly delish!
We walked into a Buddhist Temple that was filled with groomed azalea bushes everywhere that would bloom in the next couple of weeks. Mairi told us it was more spectacular to see than the cherry blossoms!
We ran across this group of adorable kiddos (the children over here are sooo darn cute) in bright green sun hats. We’ve see children in groups, wearing the same hats but in different colors, throughout our stops in Japan. Mairi explained that the different colors depicted different age groups and when the kids are taken to parks to play the hats help the teachers keep track of them. (Great idea!)
The Japanese swastika (shown here inside the shrine) was called a manji, and was an ancient Buddhist symbol representing harmony and well being. (Thank goodness!)
We dropped a coin inside a box and pulled out our fortunes. John was the only one who got an “extra good fortune” (he is set for life)!
Poor Michelle was the only one that got “not so good fortune.” So she, as was the custom, tied her bad fortune around the fence and left her back luck behind!
Mairi explained it was just another way the shrines and temples made money! But we sure had fun getting our fortunes (especially John)!
Inside the Buddhist temple was a Shinto shrine that had a lot of brightly colored, low hanging Torii gates to walk through! (Watch out for your head!) We learned that in Japan, it was common to have Buddhist statues etc. in Shinto shrines and Shinto symbols in Buddhist temples.
There was a stream running through the shrine that housed a bunch of turtles who were out enjoying the sun, that kept coming in and out. (It was a layer on, layer off kind of day!)
Our next stop was to an old bath house that had been converted into a quirky cafe. Mairi explained that years ago in this area it was common to have to share bathrooms with your neighbors. It was customary, at the end of the day, for you to join your neighbors in one big bath, scrubbing each other’s backs! (Thank goodness we were only there for a cup of tea!)
Across the street, two of the sweetest kitties were on leashes, basking in the sunshine!
Finally, it was lunch time! The daily specialty was eel. It was OMG delicious and even Michelle mustered up enough courage to try it (and she totally agreed—delish)!
After lunch we continued meandering through the neighborhood (I sure wish I could remember an iota of what Mairi told us), until it was time for a coffee and something sweet. Again, it was an adorable cafe, where people came to totally relax and enjoy the quiet while drinking a cup of the owner’s delicious coffee.
I can’t remember what exactly the “something sweet” was, but it was SO SO GOOD!
We continued walking the neighborhood and Mairi pointed out these statutes, half raccoons half dogs, called Tanukis. They were chubby, smiling iconic good luck charms, typically found outside of bars. Once pointed out, we saw a lot of them! She told us they were known to be quite mischievous little characters!
We also saw plastic bottles filled with water all along the side of a building. Apparently they were placed there to help keep cats from urinating there. “It totally doesn’t work,” we were told, “however, the owners keep trying!”
The next stop was to an (OMGoodness you won’t believe how good they were) cream puff shop.
Yes, another Tanuki was out front smiling at us!
We each got a glass of wine and the BEST CREAM PUFF KNOWN TO MAN! They were warm (right out of the oven) and magnificent!
Next door to the cream puff shop was a memorial nook for cats that were 14 years or older when they passed. It was so quirky and yet so sweet.
Finally we arrived in YANAKA, the third sister, who was known as the fancy sister! We stopped at a public restroom for what Mairi called “a shampoo and blow dry” (remember all the bathroom “options” I’ve talked about? 🤣🤣🤣) The area was known for its’ quiet, old-town atmosphere and featured over 70 small, scenic Buddhist temples. (We made it to at least 68 of them!) The neighborhood was referred to as “Temple Town.”
There were graveyards in each temple and relatives were required to purchase sticks for their deceased relatives every (3-5-10-?…) years. The sticks were placed by the graves and after sixty years of stick purchasing the relatives could finally purchase a tombstone. Relatives were required to clean the graves at least two times a year. Buckets were purchased for the cleanings and when completed, the relatives would spread out blankets and enjoy a picnic with their ancestors.
Each temple had a “theme,” or something that it was known for. We went into one temple that specialized in legs. Good luck charms were purchased and hung with special wishes and prayers. (I thought of you, Michael!)
Each temple was beautiful and special in its own way.
There was a public cemetery in the neighborhood for those that did not go to a particular temple to worship before they died. It was massive and the sticks were everywhere!
Our last stop of the day was to the YANAKA Ginza Shopping Street. Michelle and I fell in love with the area for all of its’ cool shops! (We needed more time!)
John and Dave fell in love with the area for the beers and different meats Mairi purchased for us to enjoy at an outside “table”!
I fell in love with this cute little Pomeranian that walked by!
On our way out to a main street, where we could catch an Uber, Mairi showed us her favorite shop that sold various items. The shopkeeper was known for allowing his customers to decorate a Ginza nut when a new shipment arrived! It was a FUN ending to an AWESOME DAY!
And that was that, our final tour of the trip! Once back at the hotel, we enjoyed cocktails with Dave and Michelle, while reminiscing about everything we had seen and done! It has been an over-the-top trip of a lifetime! (Where shall we go next?)
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