Sorin-ji Buddhist Temple in Yanaka

Across the street from Chomyo-ji Buddhist Temple is Sorin-ji Buddhist Temple. 

 It is said that it was originally built in what is now Shizuoka City in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was moved to Edo between 1579 and 1592 and then to the current location in Yanaka in 1701. This gate, I think, was made not that long ago.

 And as it was at Chomyoji, Sorin-ji also has a beautiful sakura tree.

Along with a old bell which I did take a look at.

 Cast in 1754 by Fujiwara no Sadahisa who had a foundry in Edo for a short time. He made five bells but only two still exist. This one is bronze.

As for the temple, it is part of the Nichiren Buddhist Sect. 

 I noticed a number of carved wooden pieces. I would guess they are from older versions of the temple.

Along with a few roof tiles. Unfortunately I do not know the story behind these. 

And one last look up to that sakura tree. But it's not the last of Yanaka for this blog.

Return to Yanaka and a Visit to Chomyoji Temple

It was almost two years ago when I first visited the Yanaka Cemetery. In March this year I came back to it. 

It's a really popular place for sakura viewing. However I wanted to see a bit of Yanaka this time. 

So I ducked out and onto one of the main roads down to Yanaka. I wasn't missing out on sakura viewing with even more gorgeous trees along the way. 

Yanaka is well known for having many shrines and temples. I turned down a street and came upon this impressive gate. 

And something even more impressive when I looked through the gate. 

In fact, all thoughts of looking around the Chomyoji Buddhist Temple, 長明寺, flew out of my mind. It seems others were just as distracted. 

 Sure there was a vintage bell and a number of buildings and more there. But this tree took my breath away.

 Add to it's beauty with glimpses of a daytime crescent moon.

 And looking up was definitely a zen moment.

More from Yanaka in my next post.

Dining and Shrines in Yurakucho

With so many places to chose from in Yurakucho, I had a hard time deciding where to eat. I wanted Japanese food, preferably seafood so I ended up at this rather gaudy izakaya, Isomaru Suisan.

They feature grilled fish along with many other seafood related dishes. I don't know if this guy was up for dining.

Lots of live shellfish available including nice looking scallops.

I was seated at a counter where I had the difficult task of deciding what I wanted to eat. Banners on the windows offered specials.

Wooden plaques overhead also listed items to order.

The counter below had numerous tools for handling whatever you ordered, including your own personal grill.

I looked through the many paged menu and was ready to order from it but the wait staff handed me a tablet. Which meant I ended up spending a lot more time trying to hunt down what I wanted to eat.

Finally success! I guess it saves the restaurant from having to deal with non-Japanese speaking customers and also reduces the number of wait staff needed. But then why have menus?

My iced green tea arrived.

And my overflowing seafood bowl. This was pretty good but I think I would pass on eating here again since besides the weirdness with ordering, it is not a non-smoking restaurant. It would be nice if Japan, or at least Tokyo, could come up with some signage, in a couple languages or just an image, to be put outside of businesses indicating if they were smoking or non-smoking. It would be very helpful.

Walking towards the Yurakucho Station I spied a Shinto Inari Shrine. Yuraku Inari Shrine to be exact.

The shrine's roof had an interesting shape. This shrine dates back to late Edo era and was on of the few that survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and Fire. Of course parts have been rebuilt.

Also unusual are the kitsune foxes with their stylized head shapes.

The Yuraku Inari Shrine is just steps away from Yurakucho Station. Opened back on June 25, 1910, it still has those brick arches under it.

And a look out at the more modern part of Yurakucho as I waited for my train. I wasn't done exploring new places in Tokyo. Which I will write about and have photos in my next post.

Checking out Yurakucho

My walk down Naka-dori led me to a much busier Hibiya. 

And to what is now known as Hibiya Godzilla Square. 

Previously there was a Godzilla statue here since 1995. Based on the original movie, the statue's size was rather small despite what some photos might show. But now, Godzilla has grown to 3 meters high, including the platform.

I will say the detailing for the new Godzilla was impressive. The statue was based on the 2016 "Shin Godzilla" movie.

There is also new signage which states in both Japanese and English "Man must live with Godzilla". It's a line from "Shin Godzilla".

Moving on from visiting with Godzilla, I walked to an area that I had wanted to visit for a few years, Yurakucho.

Actually the part of Yurakucho that dates back to 1910, when the Yurakucho Station was built and the Yamanote line elevated tracks created multiple spaces below.

Built of brick it's remarkable these tracks are still standing. Although many of the spaces have been sealed off from public, there are still a number of restaurants and bars. The area is known as "gaado-shita" (below the girders) and the mainstay of the area are the yaki grill restaurants.

Although not all the old places are under the tracks.

Opposite the tracks are a number of various restaurants from European style cuisine to more traditional Japanese fare. There are a number of bars also.

Open walkways exist so a glimpse of what the tunnels look like is available. I also have to say I notice more graffiti each trip I take to Tokyo.

One of those European style restaurants, with a German flair.

Along with a place offering Italian dishes.

While parts of the area are lively, there are still stretches that are a bit more utility and sealed up.

So how could I go here and not eat? That's what is in my next post.