My capsule hotel was located in the Taitō Ward of Tokyo. I landed in Japan very early in the morning; far too early to check in. I dropped my bags at the front desk, then set out to explore the nearby Ueno Kōen (Ueno Park). It was around 8:00 in the morning when I entered the park. There were a few joggers and families out for a walk, but it was mostly quiet and peaceful. It was a chilly and damp morning, and there was a light mist.
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| Tomb of the Shogi-Tai Soldiers; a special unit of the Shogun's army |
Ueno Park is huge! It was established during the Meiji Period as Japan's first western-style park. It is home to a number of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and the Tokyo National Museum. It's also very popular in the spring for
hanami (cherry blossom parties).
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| a fountain at Kiyomizu Kannon-do |
I felt almost like I had the park to myself - very different from the cherry blossom party crowds.
First, I walked around Kiyomizu Kannon-do, a smaller version of
Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and one of the oldest Buddhist temples in all of Tokyo. It was very quiet in the early morning, but a few people were there praying.
I also walked through the Gojo-tenjin Shrine, a Shinto shrine that with its dozen or so red torii gates looks a lot like a mini
Fushimi Inari.
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| a shinto shrine at Ueno Park |
That's not all, though. There are more than one Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine at the park. I don't know the names of all of them, but I spent a few hours exploring the quiet park.
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| a Buddhist temple at Ueno Park |
Besides the sacred sites, the park is also home to many different statues and monuments, from famous samurai, to imperial princes, to... U.S. presidents!
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| Prince Komatsunomiya Akihito Shinno Statue |
In 1877, former American president Ulysses S. Grant took a two-year world tour. Exhausted after his presidency, he left the country and its politics behind to travel the world on a mission of goodwill with his family as a sort of unofficial diplomat. When he arrived in Japan in 1879, Grant described Japan as "unprecedentedly beautiful".
The Grant family was treated to a party in Ueno Park by the emperor of Japan himself. While there, Grant planted several trees in the park, which stand to this day. I came across the memorial to Grant's visit in Ueno Park.
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| President US Grant Memorial |
Around 9:00 in the morning, the Toshogu Shrine opened its gates. The shrine is one of the principal examples of Edo-era Shinto architecture.
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| Toshogu Shrine at Ueno Park |
The Edo Era was the period when Japan was ruled by the Shogunate from 1603 until the Meiji Imperial Restoration in 1868.
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| Toshogu Shrine |
The shrine was very important as a symbol of the Shogunate, and the 8th and 15th (and final) Shogun are enshrined at the temple.
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| prayer cards |
The Toshogu Shrine was built in 1627, and is an enduring symbol of Tokyo. In its centuries-long history, it has survived and stood through fires, earthquakes, and several wars.
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| bronze lanterns at Toshogu Shrine |
It's free to visit the shrine, but it costs an extra 500 yen to enter the gates to the inner courtyard. I decided to go for it.
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| the Ueno Toshogu Shrine main prayer hall |
The path to the inner courtyard went past a 600 year-old tree, to a tiny side shrine. Curious, I approached it to see what it was. The sign told me that this shrine was dedicated to the mythical "raccoon dog", a creature from Japanese legend. Once, the raccoon dog was a symbol of ill fortune, but over time the meaning of the animal changed to be a symbol of good luck.
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| shrine to the raccoon dog |
Upon leaving the shrine, I passed a beautiful garden in the park. The hydrangeas were in full bloom!
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| hydrangeas blooming in Ueno Park |
The park has a small lake, and in that lake is an even smaller island. The only thing on the tiny island is the Bentendo Temple.
Japanese Buddhism is different from Thai Buddhism. First, Japan practices the Zen School of Buddhism, which is an offshoot of the Mahayana sect (Thailand follows the older Theravada sect of Buddhism).
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| temple shrine |
Japanese Buddhism also created a unique social structure that tended to be a bit more Western-influenced. For one thing, instead of monks, Japanese Buddhism has priests. These Buddhist clergy can drink alcohol and get married, like a Christian minister. Japanese Buddhism also has offices that translate to bishop (sozu) and archbishop (sojo).
This temple was built by Archbishop Tokai to pray for the people of Japan and the peace, prosperity, and welfare of the state.
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| a popular Buddhist temple in Ueno Park |
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