As soon as you step onto the shrine property, it is like a breath of fresh air. Although the shrine is located within the city, within a couple of steps, you'd never know that. It is so peaceful and you can't hear any of the hustle or bustle or traffic. As we wandered around on the trails within the shrine, we passed a gentleman sweeping leaves from the walkway. He was performing a special dance of sorts, rhythmically gliding his broom far from his body and whisking the leaves away from the gravel below without disturbing any of the rocks. I could have watched him for some time as he did his work with such grace and flow.
The main shrine, as I said, was under construction. Every construction site in Japan is carefully sealed off with walls or screens. I don't know what the practical purposes are (my guess is that zit holds in the dust and/or noise), but it always keeps things contained. These particular screens had photos of the shrine printed on them. It was kind of odd, but made it so you weren't too disappointed about missing their beauty.
The grounds are quite vast and we took our time wandering around them until my son decided he couldn't walk any longer. At that point, it was time to head over to Harajuku to find some food.
The last (and only) time I was in Harajuku was with my mom. At the time, I was quite distracted by the people - not just those in costumes, but the crowds in general. I had never been in a place quite as crowded, yet still full of curtesy and no stepping on of toes! Maybe it was different because today was Thursday and not Saturday, but there weren't any costumes or cosplay attire being worn. The shops were all pretty kitschy and not really unique. The only store I even contemplated going in was a cotton candy store with amazing creations (based on what I saw people consuming right in front of the shop). But, I know better than to take a hungry 4 year old into a sugar mecca!
We did spot several cat cafes, but they do not allow those younger than 14 and cost ¥200 for 10 minutes. So we didn't get to enjoy the trendy café. My son was pretty disappointed because he figured out what the signs were for right away. And he was doubly saddened when he saw an owl/Bengal cat café sign!
After we finished walking down the famed street, we found a lovely Nepalese restaurant and enjoyed a yummy nan and curry lunch. There's something about a good saag that always leaves me happy.
Speaking of food, my son (always a great/adventurous eater) has really been enjoying sushi since our arrival. He's always loved sushi, knowing where our favorite sushi restaurants were located in Seattle and always begging to go there whenever we were in the vicinity. However, it has reached a new level of lust in the past two weeks. He enjoys the pressed mackerel sushi, raw tuna, and inari (sushi rice stuffed into a sweetened tofu pocket) the best. Tonight he enjoyed chirashi (several types of raw fish and other sushi items over a bed of sushi rice).
Following our adventures today, I felt a little disappointed. I think I was expecting the memory of the previous visit to be amplifies, but it wasn't. There's really nothing one can do when someplace is being renovated. You just go back when it's done (if you're able). I'm sure we'll be back in the future. Honestly, the only reason I went to Harajuku was because it is right next to Meiji Shrine. But it really lacked the quirkiness I was looking forward to. The "cool" area must have moved. I guess I have some research to do.
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