Day 11 - I can only attribute it to magic

I ran into Matt and Sonya again today. This is the Matt and Sonya I met at Kinkakuji in Kyoto, remember? Well, I met them this time at Ueno station in Tokyo. Almost 300 miles away.

Let me explain how impossible it was. They were just passing through the station on their way to Starbucks, and I was passing through in a different direction to get pastries from a bakery. Even without that, realize that there are about 12 million people in Tokyo, and I happen to bump into the only two I have ever met before. Not only that, but I met them because the rain delayed my bullet train for 20 minutes. There is no way to plan this. I can't even begin to explain it.

I went to Tokyo today to visit the National Museum in Ueno Park. I also hopped over to Harajuku to stop by the Meiji Jingu--the place where Emperor Meiji is deified.

The first thing I passed in Ueno park was a statue of Saigo Takamori. He is known as the last real samurai, and the movie The Last Samurai is based on his final rebellion and death.

also he has a dog

The National Museum was incredible. They have a massive collection of Japanese and other Asian Artwork and artifacts. In fact, they can only display a portion of it at any one time, so the exhibitions always are changing. I was lucky enough to visit when they had a sword forged by the sword maker Masamune, one of the most famous in Japanese history.

They also had areas of Japanese pottery from all ages, and ancient archaeological finds. There was an entire building with artifacts found in the archives of a Buddhist temple. Many of the items are what Japan designates as Important Cultural Properties, or even National Treasures. I even saw a real Ming Vase. It was a good chance to see not only what Japan's history has left behind, but also to see what Japan designates as its important history.

In Harajuku, I saw a crowded shopping street full of Japanese youth and their interesting fashions. Also, this area is known for its Gothic and Cosplay (costume play) fashions, and so there were a few of those outfits around, too. Across the road from the shopping street is a massive park, in which was contained the Shrine Meiji Jingu. This shrine is one of the most popular in Japan, possibly because of its fame and its central location (being in Tokyo).  When I arrived a wedding was just finishing up, so I got the chance to see what Japanese wear at their weddings.

Which brings me to another important even that I am sadly going to miss. In about 2 hours from when I write this, two of my best friends will be getting married back in America. I want to say Congratulations and extend my apologies that I couldn't be there for the wedding, but I promise to celebrate it here. I think I might buy a cake.

I was going to go back to Tokyo tomorrow, but these long trips are killer. I think I'll stay a little closer to Osaka for a couple of days and return to Tokyo later in the week. You can check out the gallery, too.

Cory