Showing posts with label Tokyo Tower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tokyo Tower. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Zojo-ji Temple, Tokyo


-->Zojo-ji is a Buddhist temple located in Shiba near Tokyo Tower.
We happened to see this temple as we were walking to Roppongi Hills.
When we were still in Pokemon center's building we saw the Tokyo Tower and thought it would be a short walk to Roppongi Hills (we planned to go back there to check their sky deck) but it ended up a 40-minute walk (or more), whoaahh so tiring!! But it paid off when we passed the main gate of this temple, so magnificent and humongous gate and as we entered that place we found the spot, the Tokyo Tower behind the Zojo-ji Temple, what a nice view and so I grabbed my camera. I just took some photos and headed right away towards Tokyo Tower. We did not spend a lot of time in there....we were so hungry and tired, my husband and my son were craving for "Pepper Lunch Steak" which is in Roppongi. My daughter was complaining...her feet hurt :-) and wanted to take the subway train but my husband insisted that we were almost there....."yah right" :-)


Main Gate of Zojo-ji Temple known as Sangedatsumon
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This is the gate before you enter the Zojo-ji Temple, it is in front of the busy street. I took this photo across the street just to take the whole view. If you have clear sight you may see my husband and my son sitting on the step waiting for me :-)

The gate has been designated by the State as important cultural property. Its name - Sangedatsumon - means a gate (mon) for getting delivered (gedatsu) from three (san) earthly states of mand - greed, anger and stupidity.


Small Jizo statues along side of Zojo-ji temple cemetery

It's a bit creepy when I saw these stone statues, they're wearing a red cap and a bib and some have a small windmill or a pin wheel. I didn't take close-up photos coz I was a bit scared :-)...I got goosebumps hahaha

According to wikipedia:

"Jizō statues are sometimes accompanied by a little pile of stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it would shorten the time children have to suffer in the underworld (the act is derived from the tradition of building stupas as an act of merit-making). The statues can sometimes be seen wearing tiny children's clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them. Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their children from a serious illness. Jizō's features are also commonly made more babylike in order to resemble the children he protects."


Stone tombs(?), along side of the Zojo-ji Temple

We passed these stone tombs right after the jizo statues



Finally we saw the base of Tokyo Tower....we're so tired, we reached Roppongi after 20 minute walk from here.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tokyo Tower




Tokyo Tower

It is an observation tower, 333m (1,091 ft), it is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world and the tallest artificial structure in Japan. Its structure is an Eifell Tower-inspired.

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Our trip to Tokyo was just a quick plan. Last week we tried to reserve a hotel room to New Sanno Hotel and fortunately we got the spot from Feb. 16 to 20. By the way, New Sanno Hotel is located in the heart of Tokyo and this is regulated and controlled by SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement). This hotel is exclusively for active duty and retired US military personnel, DoD (Department of Defense) civilian and employees and contractors station in Japan, US embassy Tokyo personnel and individuals attached to US Embassy Tokyo.

Anyways, we decided to leave early even in the weekend so we can have plenty of time in Tokyo and it's a three day weekend for Americans (President's Day). We still lucky to find available room in other military hotels. Last Saturday we stayed in Yokota Billeting, this is an Air Force lodge ( approximately 2 hour drive to Tokyo) while Sunday we stayed in Hardy Barrackes (run by US Army) one block away from New Sanno.

It's a little bit tiring adventure since we have to move 3 places in 3 days, that's how we use our privilige as US military and to squeeze in our budget hahaha.

Here's the brief info of my travelog from Sat, Feb. 14 to Feb. 16:

Feb.14- We left around 11am in Misawa and arrived Yokota 8:40pm with 3 stops. We spent 1 hour in Morioka and ate lunch. It was jam packed around 7pm in Fussa area that's after we exit Tohoku Expressway. We ate dinner in Burger King on Yokota Air Base, ohh we even forgot it's Valentine's Day hmmm that's ok we don't celebrate that anyway hehehe. Everyday is Valentine's Day for us hahaha

Feb. 15-

Our first day in Tokyo, Feb 15- From Hardy Barrakcs we walked around Roppongi area and by 6pm we were in Tokyo Tower. As we walked back in our hotel we were curious in Roppongi Hills we went inside and decided to eat dinner in a Thai Restaurant.

Feb. 16

We went to Akihabara, electrical town. A lot of "high tech" electronics wooo my favorite!!!

Feb. 17

We went to Disney Sea. I saw Ariel hehehe.

Feb. 18-

No itinerary yet, my husband is still sleeping while I'm writing this blog, 8:50am to be exact). We're so tired yesterday.

The above pictures are the tokyo tower shots, sorry I didn't have time to fix those photos. I will soon post more pictures of our trip.

Come back and see you soon.