Travelogue around Asia Pacific Part II

Tokyo - We took a JR to Yoyoji station bound for Meiji Jingu .  This is one of Japan's revered Shinto Shrine dating 1920 where the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken are enshrined.  This is a very popular shrine and it was crowded.   The whole environment is awesome with trees and trees all around whilst you walk up the gravel pavement towards to the shrine. Meiji Shrine entrance Meiji Shrine in the foreground We were also fortunate to watch a wedding procession taking place at this Meiji Shrine. Actual wedding ceremony Blessing tablets Barrels of Sake wrapped in straw

Tokyo - i booked the coach which took us from Shinjuku to Yeti snow town and reached our destination @ 10am.   It was a 2 and a half hours journey up to the ski resort.  At our half rest area, I managed to catch a pic of Mt Fuji. Mt Fuji in the background Getting ready to Snowboard  We are getting ready to snowboard on Mt Fuji slopes with lots of falling down later. Quin managed to snowboard a view of Mt Fuji Snow boarders Outdoor fire place It was so cold outside that I did not even feel the heat from this big fire pit.   After the 2 1/2 hours ride back to Shinjuku we hunt around for dinner and found this special soba stall. Cod roe dry soba fermented beans dry Soba

Tokyo - Back at Ueno to visit this National Museum of Nature and Science which we missed out on our last visit.   For high school children it was free entry to this museum. Entrance Upon entry we went to the THEATER 360 , which is an amazing display with a 360 degree field of south and vision.   2 movies of 5 minutes each displaying The Last Dinosaurs and The Universe: A Journey of 13.7 Billion Years. This museum was huge and had a Global Gallery which exhibits the History of Life on Earth, the evolution of the Earth and its inhabitants, along with a history of the development of intelligent thought in humans. The Japanese Gallery displays exhibits on the environment on the Japanese islands, the evolution of the its organisms and the process by which the modern Japanese population was formed. We spent the whole morning here as there were many interesting exhibits of stuffed animals, insects and dinosaurs to be seen. Stuffed Panda and Anteater insect exhibi...

Tokyo - From the JR Ueno station it was a short walk to Ameyoko , one of the popular and crowded streets with stores selling clothes, shoes, dried foods, etc Ameyoko Street Fresh fruits stall Next, we walk to The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo .   The building is is one of UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tokyo.   You are able to view many Western Art including modern Rodin Sculpture and Monet paintings from France. Me and Pax One of Rodin's sculpture many interesting paintings It was surprising to find so many security guards at every corner of this Tokyo Western Art Museum. After spending many hours at this museum and our legs are aching, we stroll slowing to the nearby Ueno Park and was lucky to come across a farmers market. many fresh pickles and dried foods A short walk through the park we came across Toshogu Shrine .  This shrine was built in 1627 and one of the places to visit in Ueno. Toshogu Shrine Next to the Toshogu S...

Tokyo - Today we went to the district of Asakusa which is known for its old-town atmosphere and historic Buddhist temples.  A short distance from Asakusa station, we stop by the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center which was a good resource for the district of Asakusa.   The counter ladies speaks good English too.  The 8th floor has an observation deck which gives a good view of Tokyo SkyTree.   The outside temperature was very cold at 6 degrees. There were too many tourist gathered around this huge hanging latern at  Kaminarimon Gate which makes taking a pic around this gate almost impossible.   This gate is the symbol of Asakusa and is the main gate to the temple. A big slipper on the Kaminarimon Gate Passing through the gate on both sides are lined with stores dating back to the Edo area and is called Nakamise Shopping Street. At the end of the Nakamise Shopping Street is the famous Sensoji Temple which is the oldest Buddhist templ...

Tokyo - We went to Odaiba , which is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man made island in Tokyo Bay. It originated as a set of small man made fort islands (daiba literally means "fort"), which were built towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to protect Tokyo against possible attacks from the sea.  The small islands were joined into larger islands by massive landfills, and Tokyo began a spectacular development project aimed to turn the islands into a futuristic residential and business district. From Toyosu station (Y22), we took the monorail to Palette town and we enjoyed the Toyota Mega Web .  Mega Web is a giant Toyota showroom that shows off all of Toyota's latest models, car accessories and technologies. Attractions include a museum exhibiting cars from past decades and its many complimentary arcade racing. Pax on this racing car Trev on his A1 Toyota car Q on his A1 racing car all racing Toyota futuristic car A ...