the viewing deck: Tokyo City Tour 2nd part; Shinjuku Gyoen and Meiji Shrine

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Tokyo City Tour 2nd part; Shinjuku Gyoen and Meiji Shrine

6-days Revisiting Summer Japan for Mt. Fuji (3,776masl) Solo Trek
August 07-13, 2014

Tokyo City tour 1st Part; inside the Roppongi Hills

How to go to Shinjuku Gyoen;
From Tokyo, ride a train bound to Shinjuku Station at 200JPY fare fee. Shinjuku Gyoen is around 1km away from the Shinjuku train station. Admission is 200JPY. Photography and video taking with monopod and tripod is permitted inside.

Shinjuku Gyoen, the representative modern western-style gardens in Meiji Era, was completed in 1906 as an Imperial Garden. The entire garden was designed by Henri Martinet, the French landscape gardener, based on a concept formulated by Hayato Fukuba, a Meiji and Taisho era agricultural scientist. This extensive garden is composed of three distinctive-styleed gardens such as English Landscape, French Formal and Japanese Traditional Gardens, each of which harmonizes with the others. Shijuku Gyoen's historical background can be traced back to the beginning of Edo era. The area used to be the residence of Naito Kiyonari who was assigned to be a guardian of West Tokyo as a hereditary vassal of Shogun Tokugawa Lekasu when the Shogun got a stronghold on Edo Castle.

Tokyo City tour 2nd Part; Shinjuku Gyoen

How to go to Meiji Shrine;
From Tokyo, ride a train bound to Harajuku Station at 200JPY fare fee. Meiji Shrine is just 100m away from the Harajuku train station. Admission is 200JPY. Photography and video taking with monopod is permitted inside, tripod is prohibited.

Meiji Shrine is a Shinto Shrine. Shinto is called Japan's ancient original religion, and it is deeply rooted in the way of Japanese life. Shinto has no founder, no holy book, and not even the concept of religion conversion, but Shinto values for example harmony with nature and virtues such a "Magokoro (sincere heart)". The shrine is dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken (their tombs are in Kyoto).