Srping Break 2010 Japan adventure March 20th and 21st

After a year of planning the time finally arrived for us to go to Japan. We had such an amazing time traveling with our Friends Brent and Natsumi Nielsen and their two boys Aki and Taishi. We loved the sites, the country, the culture, the food but most of all we loved the people of Japan and new friends we made. What a clean and organized society. So much history and traditions……Amazing!!!!!

Exploring Shiba Park


This park is one of the oldest parks in Japan, opened to the public in 1873 together with another 4 parks, Ueno, Asakusa, Fukagawa and Asukayama. The parkland used to be very wide including grounds of Zoujyoji Temple, but those grounds were separated and occupied by the Temple after the war, which made the shape of the remaining park to a ring-shape. In the park, they have an artificial gorge called Momijidani, where you can enjoy nice view of the water fall of 10M high together with various types of rocks and tall trees. You will feel as if you are staying somewhere in deep mountain areas.





























































Zojoji Temple was built in the year 1393, and was moved to its present location in 1598. It is the main temple of the Buddhist Jodo sect in the Kanto area. Tokyo Tower now stands just next to the temple.
After Tokugawa Ieyasu had moved to Edo (former name of Tokyo) in 1590, the Zojoji Temple became the Tokugawa family temple. A mausoleum of the Tokugawa family can be found on the temple grounds, and the crest of the Tokugawa family still decorates the temple buildings.
Zojoji's main gate is the Sangedatsumon. It was constructed in 1605 in a contemporary Chinese Tang Dynasty style.







































With 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. It was completed in the year 1958 as a symbol for Japan's rebirth as a major economic power, and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna and tourist attraction.
Visitors can ascend to the main observatory at 150 meters and the special observatory at 250 meters to get a bird's eye view of Tokyo. Under good weather conditions, Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance.

Sensoji (also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, the center of the shitamachi (lit. "low town").
The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple

Hum....... let's see...... cow tong, baby octopus, clams, squid or chicken???

When approaching the temple, visitors first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of the Sensoji and symbol of Asakusa. A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon. Besides typical Japanese souvenirs such as yukata and folding fans, various traditional local snacks from the Asakusa area are sold along the Nakamise. The shopping street has a history of several centuries.

The boys enjoyed a dessert of chocolate covered bananas, very tasty!!!