JAPAN 2018 - PART 3

Day 4 - Sunday 1st April, 2018

We met with Aya (Mr. O'hira's daughter) at our hotel and she took us to Ginza (for those who don't know, Ginza is a famous expensive area in Tokyo).

           The next four photos are buildings on the four corners of Ginza's famous cross section.

This building is a very expensive department store in Ginza.  We walked around the 3 levels, they sell Jewellery, clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories.

Aya had arranged for us to wear a Kimono around Ginza and also experience a tea ceremony in Ginza.

Aya had the camera took photos of us as we walked from the Kimono hire shop to the tea ceremony. We felt like celebrities walking around Ginza, the locals were taking our photo, telling us we looked beautiful and give us the thumbs up etc........ LOL

                                                      Outside a Kabuki House in Ginza

Cleansing hands before the tea ceremony

The lady in the Blue conducted the tea ceremony, it's very technical.  This is something I've always wanted to experience.

                                       

The tea ceremony is conducted in a tiny room and we were in there for an hour, can you see my red face..... the doors are closed and no windows.  The Kimonos are heavy to wear and quite hot as well, there was 10 of us in the tiny room which included 1 male.  It is about 3mtres squares and not very high, I could stand up in there but not much more room.  Also you have to climb in through a tiny door, the floor is Tatami mats so you were socks in there.  Aya didn't wear a Kimono as the experience was for us, she owns a lot of Kimonos and wears them around her home.  She has also taken lessons in the tea ceremony and was explaining to us everything in detail during the ceremony.

                               I was so happy to have finally been able to come out of the room

Ahhhhhh the relief of being able to come out of the tea ceremony room, we had to crawl out, it was most difficult.  The whole time in the room we were kneeling and sitting back on our legs, NOT enjoyable at all.

Some of the famous buildings in Ginza

After changing into our Western clothes we headed to Meiji Shrine, AKA Meiji Jingu (very famous) near Harajuku Station. Before entering and going through the Torii gate you stop, put your hands together and bow to the Gods.

                                             
                                                      LOTS of barrels of Sake

                                                                  LOTS Barrels of wine

Cleansing hands before going up to the Shrine

Making our wish to the Gods at the Shrine

                   We were extremely lucky to see a married couple in traditional dress at the Shrine

I can imagine they were very hot in these outfits, it was quite a hot day and we were hot in our Kimono's and they are wearing many more layers. They looked really young too.

    The young married couple were getting into this car to take them to the after party celebrations.

After walking through the Shrine area we walked through Harajuku area and then caught a train to Shinjuku and went to the Belgium café for dinner.  We enjoyed a nice cold beer before dinner.

Most eating places in Japan you don't order "a meal" for yourself, we had a bowl of salad, chicken pieces and a pizza to share between the 3 of us for dinner.

It was after 8pm by the time we arrived back at our Hotel, we were quite exhausted after our big day full of a lot of new experiences.

                                                                          Cheers
                                                                          Kaylee