Tokyo Sights (Part 2)

Imperial Palace
Just Northwest of Ginza is the Imperial Palace and Gardens.
This is an immense open space area within Tokyo although I’m not sure how much of the Imperial Garden portion is open to the public. There’s a sizable plaza and park outside of the Gardens itself but from where I was taking pictures, it did not appear the public was allowed into the Imperial Garden section itself. Can you really blame the Japanese Royal Family? From the look of the people hanging around outside, including myself, I wouldn’t want them in the Palace either.
There is a fairly photographic spot included in the web album overlooking an entrance bridge with the palace in the background. Many people were having their photos at this spot and a blond girl asked me to take her photo here. I suspected she was Eastern European based upon her dialect, clothes and the fact that her mustache was thicker than Tom Selleck’s “Magnum, P.I.” character. She confirmed she was originally from Poland.

Imperial Palace & Gardens

Seisho-ji Temple
After I left the Imperial Palace and Gardens, I took about a 1.5 mile walk south towards the Tokyo Tower. One of the things I love about Tokyo is that throughout the city, you can be walking along a major thoroughfare and glance down a side street and find a Buddhist Temple and garden. What’s truly amazing is how well these Temples can block out the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. I find myself frequently stopping and walking through the gardens just to enjoy the solitude. I’ve included several photos of the Seisho-ji Temple I found on my walk to Tokyo Tower. Seisho-ji Temple also includes a tomb called Yakko-Jizo where apparently many people come to pray for a cure from venereal diseases. Those who have been cured show their gratitude by leaving an offering of a bamboo cylinder filled with sake. I hung around for about 30 minutes doing sake shots but eventually the monks escorted me off the premises explaining that it was inappropriate to call the female visitors “whores”.

Seisho-ji Temple

Tokyo Tower
Next stop was Tokyo Tower, a 333-meter high communications and observation steel tower located in Shiba Park. It was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and you can access observation decks at 150 and 250 meters. I was limited on time so I just visited the 150 meter observation deck which still gave some great views of Tokyo. I stitched together multiple photos so you can see North, South, East and West panoramic views of Tokyo.

Tokyo Tower