material moments: Japan tour

So, I must admit that I've been putting off writing this because there is SO much to share, and I know it will be long. Will try to edit, but I found 74 photos from this first day that I want to show you.
We started at the Imperial Palace East Gardens. This is our tour guide, Toshi, who is very knowledgeable, thorough and entertaining.

She had her hands full with 35 of us, and I wasn't always able to keep up with her or what she was telling us. I occasionally wandered, following my camera. Small groups of schoolchildren were also out wandering the grounds of the Palace gardens. I was surprised that these young teens were touring unchaperoned. You can see the immensity of the stone walls built to protect the residents of the Imperial Palace.

In the gardens, we were pleasantly surprised by a group of horse drawn carriages - practicing for a visit by a foreign dignitary. There were guards in charge of road cleanup and keeping the tourists out of the way of the carriages.

Continuing through the gardens, we came upon a pond. That's when I had my AHA!! moment.

Seeing these gnarled branches, and the rocks and water and the stone monument, and the 'cloud' trees, I was thinking, "Wow, this reminds me of prints and Japanese ink paintings I've seen!" And then it dawned on me that, OMG, I am actually HERE in Japan, seeing this inspiring landscape in person. Hit me like a ton of bricks.

All this beauty is just steps away from the modern buildings of Tokyo.

I'm beginning to realize that I'm not in hometown, Inverness, Fl anymore.

Next, we traveled by bus to the Amuse museum and saw an exhibit of Boro textiles. Clothing and quilts that have been patched numerous times. Boro artists employ the theory of Mottanai - respect the essence of your resources, and don't waste.

This museum had a wonderful "hands on" policy and encouraged touching the pieces on display. Just outside of the Amuse museum, we continued our adventure at the Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's oldest and most visited Buddhist temple. Nearby also is a five story Shinto pagoda shrine, and a very busy shopping street called Nakamise-dori.

This temple is dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Visitors burn incense and pray here (30,000 visitors annually!)

I promise I did NOT see the sign restricting photos until I got home. I beg for mercy. These shrines are over the top elaborately ornate and loaded with symbolism.

We proceeded through the busy marketplace, trying to keep up with Toshi's duck. It is here that we lost our first group member (not me). She was located about an hour later, given a quick lunch, and reunited with the group.

Toshi told us that these are tourists who rent kimonos for a day.

Here are some shots from the other end of the market street.

It was an exhilarating day with so many wonderful sights. We also squeezed in a bit of shopping - I visited a secondhand kimono shop and found a few bargains there. I am especially interested in the yukata - or summer - kimonos. They are cotton and not lined, which works well with the climate in Florida!

Finally, here are a few more random shots from today: