Just after the week I spent in Hong Kong I took a flight to Tokyo as it was a long time goal for me to get there. Overall it was more pleasant than Hong Kong, being more calmer and relaxed. This time I managed to get some lodgings before arriving and I stayed at the Andon Ryokan, an inn opened by a designer, very stylish and confortable despite the very small rooms. It was the “hotel” where I sleept the best of all hotels I stayed this year. Once I had a place to sleep in, it was the usual freestyle wandering the get to know the city better; the metro system is efficient if a tad confusing for a foreigner like me.

On my first day, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a taiko drums demonstration in Shinjuku.

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I also enjoyed a lot visiting the temples there, and apparently it was weddings season as almost anytime I went in a temple there was one or multiple weddings happening. The temples are gorgeous even as in Hong Kong they are not that old and most have been rebuilt after the war.

Senso-Ji A big temple, extremely beautiful at night.

Jinga The Torii ( tunnel of gates) is particulary nice.

Of course it wasn’t all temple diving, as I wanted to experience some of the quirckiness Tokyo is know for, and I did get that and then some at Harajuku during Sunday.

Cosplay at Harajuku It was an isane display of cosplay, strange characters and also a lot of fun.

You can see some others gallery at the main Tokyo Photo Index.

I also met a friend there at Shibuya who is teaching english in an high school in Tokyo. Of course, I did some shopping too, I brought back as much stuff I was able to cram in my luggage.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this week I spent there as I’m looking forward of going back there for a much longer stay.