Back from Kyoto, I continued my adventures with the chance to experience Tokyo in Golden Week. A stroll from Sendagi to Ueno, inspired by the splendid book Little Adventures in Tokyo by Rick Kennedy, was the perfect way to ease back into the big metropolis after all that Kyoto gorgeousness.
The wandering began here in a small park which featured a shrine on a little island:
The route took in quite a few shrines, including this one with a perfectly well-maintained garden:
And past the tomb of Kano Hogai, a Meiji-era painter:
You often see these peace poles around shrines, with the message ‘May Peace Prevail On Earth’ printed in different languages:
As well as shrines, the neighbourhood was full of beautiful traditional houses and gardens:
I loved the blue tiles on this one!
The last house has hung koinobori, the koi carp banners, for Children’s Day which is celebrated on 5 May (the day of the walk). There were lots of banners around, most dwarfed by these huge ones hanging outside the International Library of Children’s Literature in Ueno:
And having reached Ueno, this Tokyo Golden Week stroll ended – as all good wanderings should – with tea and cake before catching the train home.
Header picture by Zhipeng Ya on Unsplash
