Rise of the Siblings - Part XIV: Tokyo Private Tour - Meiji Jingu Shrine & Shibuya

After we left the Sensō-ji Temple and Asakusa Shrine, Roy asked us what we wanted for lunch. We all said ramen! He took us to a tiny restaurant where you order using a machine at the front of the shop. 

The ramen was the best I have ever had!

After lunch we went to Akihabara. This area is a major shopping district for video games, anime, manga, electronics, and computer related goods. Roy called it the "geek place."

We were then taken to the Meiji Shrine. This beautiful shrine was originally built in 1915 and was dedicated to the recently deceased Emperor Meiji and his wife. The shrine is located in a man made forest that covers 170 acres and consists of 120,000 trees!

[Torii]

[Barrels of Burgundy wine from France]

[Barrels of sake]

[Washing station]

[Main temple courtyard]

[More fortunes]

As we were leaving the main shrine, Roy pointed out this smaller shrine where you can go and get your new car blessed.

We then walked over to Takeshita Street. 

This is a pedestrian street that is full of shops with the latest trends, food vendors, and some very unique cafes! We saw a micropig cafe, hedgehog cafe, cat cafe, owl cafe, puppy cafe, and even an otter cafe!

I made mental notes of all the good food we needed to come back and try!

We were then driven to the famous Shibuya Crossing! Before we crossed the road, we went to see a statue of the most loyal dog in the world, Hachiko. The story: "Hachiko's owner, Professor Ueno, would take the train to work, and Hachiko would meet him at the station upon his return. After Ueno's unexpected death, Hachiko continued to wait for him at the station for over nine years until his own death." The statue is a symbol of loyalty which is very important in Japanese culture.

We then crossed the Shibuya Crossing with 3000 other people. It is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world!

We made our final stop at the Tokyo Tower and then Roy and our driver dropped us off at the Tokyo train station so we could get some dinner and desserts. 

[Another delicious meal]

[Matcha cream]

[Butter bread!]

It was a really long day, but we had a blast visiting all of the amazing sites around Tokyo!