Tokyo Day 11: Parks, Shrines & A Haunted Hill

I planned to see a garden and a shrine today, which involved a lot of walking and travelling. So I told Caz to relax and do what she wanted, as I didn’t want to drag her coldy self around outside all morning. We planned to meet up later on.

My first stop was to the Koishikawa Korakuen garden. I’d researched a lot of gardens before the trip, and this one was one I definitely wanted to visit. It was easy to get to from the hotel; I took the Ōedo Line from Shin-Okachimachi to Iidabashi station (around 20 minutes), and then walked for a few minutes. It was a cloudy morning, but not cold or anything so it was a pleasant journey and I was glad it didn’t rain.

I arrived at the park not long after it had opened for the day, so it was really quiet. There’s a 300¥ charge to get in, which I didn’t mind paying because all of the money goes towards maintaining the garden and the historical ruins and artefacts within it (it’s also the equivalent of £2.16 which is ridiculously cheap).

I hadn’t done a whole lot of research on the gardens – I fully admit I was roped in by the beautiful photos I’d seen of it. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that there was so much history and things to look at, complete with little wooden signs with extra information on the history and purpose of things. I spent a lovely hour in there scrambling up the stone paths, through the trees and around the lake. The first blooms of blossom are beginning to appear on the cherry and plum trees, and I feel so lucky to have seen the first glimpse of spring.

The garden was so peaceful and interesting for me. I took every side-track and read every sign that I could find. I learned that the garden has both Japanese and Chinese styles, and that some of it was destroyed during the bombings of World War 2. Any ruins have been preserved, and the gardens have been restored and kept so nicely. I would love to visit in different seasons – apparently the maple trees are a sight to behold in the autumn. I felt really happy and tranquil while I was there.

The traces of Hakke-do. This was a shrine that housed a statue of a patron saint of literature. It burned down after an earthquake in 1923 (luckily the statue survived).

These stone paths are named 'Nobedan', and are made using both hewn stones and natural pebbles, creating a really pretty effect.

I had a couple of favourite parts of the garden, but I’ll just talk about a couple of them or we’ll be here forever. There was a beautiful full moon bridge (engetsu-kyo), named so because – when the arch is reflected in the water below – a round moon shape is created. The bridge is from the Edo period, so it’s super old and very pretty, but it’s cordoned off as it’s not considered stable enough for people to walk on.

I also loved the small island in the main lake. There is a tiny red shrine standing on there, a little pop of vermillion among all the greenery. The island itself is named Horai-jima, and is apparently in the shape of a turtle! What’s not to love?

The day had started off cloudy and overcast. I left the garden travelled to Harajuku station as it cleared right up and was suddenly sunny and bright. We’ve had so much luck with the weather during our trip. It hasn’t rained once and it’s only really been terribly cold on a couple of days. I’m impressed as it’s February, so we were totally expecting to be cold and wet for most of our time in Tokyo.

I crossed the nearby Shrine Bridge, on my way to the main Torii gate of Meiji Jingu. Dedicated in 1920, it’s one of the largest and most well-known Shinto shrines in Tokyo. It still operates as a religious site, but is also a big tourist attraction. The spiritual draw of the place, the stunning structures and peace appeal to people from all over the world.

I was amazed by the main gate. It stands at 12 metres tall and 17.1 metres wide, making is the largest of its kind. The struts literally looked like huge trees – I imagine the work that went into creating it must have been tremendous. A Torii gate is said to symbolise the border between the human world and the land of the Gods. On walking through one, you are halfway between worlds and closer to the deities enshrined.

The main shrine building was a really long walk up a wide road in the middle of a small wood. There were stone lanterns and a loudspeaker reminding everyone that we couldn’t eat and drink in the shrine proper, and also reminding us to keep a respectful volume when we get there. Because the sun had come out, the walk up there was really pleasant but I was really surprised by how large the temple grounds are (here’s a map to give you some idea). After passing through a smaller but no less impressive gate, I could see the main building in front of me. Off to the side was a water font, with several ladles balancing on top. This is where you perform Temizu.

Temizu is a ceremonial purifying rite that one must do before being allowed to enter the main shrine for prayer. You take the ladle in your right hand and wash the left, then wash the right hand with your left. Then you pour a little water into your left hand and rinse your mouth with it. Finally, you fill the ladle and hold it vertically to wash the handle before placing it back on the font. Wanting to get the full shrine experience, I performed the ritual with gusto. Quite aside from any cleansing going on, the process of Temizu is actually quite methodical and relaxing.

Meiji Jingu is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, and their spirits are said to be enshrined there. The area around the main building was quiet despite being quite busy. I luckily got to the altar when there was no queue, so I was able to go straight up. There was a sign that explained what you’re supposed to do when praying at the shrine, so I read that carefully before I started.

First, you throw a coin into the offering box – the denomination of the coin apparently doesn’t matter, as it’s just a token of respect. Then you bow twice, deeply. You want to make a 90-degree angle at the waist. The next step is to clap twice, loudly, and then you say your prayers in silence. I’m not a praying person, so instead I just reflected and thought deeply for a while. When you’re finished, you bow deeply once more and back away from the altar area. It was a really pleasing ritual, and I felt serene on coming away from there.

There was a small chest of drawers nearby, where you could put in a 100¥ coin and receive a poem. I picked a random drawer, inserted the money and got a waka poem by Emperor Meiji that reads:

We are prone to fail

In our perseverance

Just when we need it

So let us always be aware

Of this flaw in human hearts

The main shrine building. It's dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and the Empress Shōken. The original version of this was destroyed by air raids during the Second World War, so this building is actually a reconstructed version completed in 1958.

I’d picked up a leaflet about the shrine to show Caz later, and there was a space for you to add a red stamp of the shrine’s seal (Goshuin). It serves as a sort of record or ‘proof’ of your attendance to the shrine. I found the stamp next to the amulet office (Nagadono Juyosho) and added it to my leaflet – it makes a really lovely souvenir.

I was distracted by a rattling sound, and turned to see a person shaking a wooden object. A small stick popped out of it and they then went to collect a piece of paper from a drawer. Upon investigating, I learned that the container was a way for people to select an Omikuji, or a fortune slip like the ones Caz and I had gotten at Gōtokuji temple. You shake the container until one of the sticks comes out of the small hole. Each stick has a number on it, and the numbers correspond with those on the drawers. I suppose it’s a way to receive a truly random fortune. I got a number and took my Omikuji – it was another waka poem, this time written by Empress Shōken. This one really resonated with me:

No matter how heavy
A burden we have to bear
We must be aware
That these human hearts of ours
Should be full of ample strength

I wanted to look at the amulets on offer, so joined the small queue. Near me was a sign showing the talismans and what each one was for. My sacred calm was a bit disturbed at this point as there was this one tourist woman who kept stepping right in front of me, blocking my view of the sign and pushing into the queue. Being British, where cutting a queue is still punishable by hanging (I may be being slightly hyberbolic), I was scandalised. It was even more annoying when her child was running around, yelling and eating. You know, the two things we were told not to do in the shrine grounds. It was so disrespectful and really tested my zen mood.

I bought two amulets for ‘recovery from illness’ – one for me and one for Caz. We both have chronic illnesses, and I thought it was a nice thing for us to have. Whether it works or not isn’t important, it’s a positive decoration and will hopefully promote strength in us. They’re purple with gold embroidery and so pretty.

I took a back road around to the entrance path because the Rude Tourist had annoyed me. I was happy for the peace and quiet – it was just me and the singing birds until I got back to the main path. When I emerged from the trees again, I decided to wander around Takeshita Street again. First though, I went to look at the cute little gingerbread house that is Harajuku station’s main building. I mean, look at it:

Just beyond the gate at the beginning of the street, I spied a little right turn that led to several clothing and souvenir shops. It was here that I saw a t-shirt that said ‘HARAJUKU FUCKIN CITY’ on it, and I bitterly regret that there wasn’t a big enough size for me to buy. In this area, I found more souvenir bits – a bag of those chocolate balls I’d gotten at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building except these ones were pandas! I also found some cute biscuits with pandas on them for my little nephew Leo. He’s only one so he can’t have too much sugar or anything too hard, so these were perfect. Browsing the PICNIC store, I found a little Amuse plush hamster charm that looks like this. I had to get it for my growing collection of hamster-themed items. I found some Splatoon-themed chopsticks and sent a photo to Caz to see if she wanted me to grab her some. Of course she did!

Further down Takeshita Street was a shop called Daiso. It’s a chain of 100-yen shops, where you can buy loads of different things for cheap. I want to visit one of the really huge ones someday, but today the Harajuku one was enough for me. I spent a good long while browsing the shelves and marvelling at how many actual quality products you can get for 100¥ which, after 10% sales tax, is about 77p in GBP! I found a beautiful pair of blue tabi socks with a sakura pattern, some sakura-patterned washi tape, some cute Rilakkuma sweets, a dinosaur excavation chocolate bar that I simply had to get for Susie, and a 3-pack of Hanami dango which I really wanted to try.

There was so many amazing things in Daiso, and I’m going to budget for buying a tonne of things in a huge one when I return to Japan.

I stopped by CANDY A GO GO! again to find those Lego-shaped sweets. My nephew Ethan is obsessed with Lego so I wanted to get some for him. What I found was even better though – the Lego sweets, but gummy versions! I was glad that these had appeared because the ones I’d had were really hard on my teeth and might’ve been a struggle for his little chompers. I promptly put some of those in a bag with colourful konpeito and went to pay for them. There’s some sort of shopping event run by Visa going on in Tokyo, where you can potentially win vouchers when you spend over a certain amount of money in shops. Today I won a 500¥ voucher, so that was exciting! I planned to spend it later on in the day.

Meanwhile, Caz and I had arranged to meet at one of the Omote-Sando station exits, so I wandered over there and perched on a bench. I decided to try one of the dango I’d bought in Daiso while I waited. It was just as tasty as I’d hoped – if you like mochi-style snacks, you’ll enjoy dango! I gave one of them to Caz when she arrived and she liked it, despite still being weirded out by mochi texture.

You may recognise her from the emoji.

One of the things we really wanted to try in Japan was their super fluffy soufflé-style pancakes. I’d read about a place nearby called A Happy Pancake, and the name was so cute we decided that that would be the place for us. It was a few minutes’ walk from the Omote-Sando exit, into the quiet little side streets, and is in the basement of the building it occupies.

We went down the stairs and found a booking sheet, but no staff were around and we had no idea what to do (as the sheet looked full). We left again so I could get signal and see what I could find out. ‘Nothing’, as it turns out. I was getting frustrated when Caz said we should just sit down at the seats in the initial entrance and then ask any staff who come by. Much more sensible and less bad-tempered than my idea of just giving up.

Eventually we got sorted and were led to a little table. Despite being in the basement level, there is a window in the café that looks out at a small section of plants which makes it feel a lot less claustrophobic. There’s also a screen projecting outdoor images. It was really busy, so clearly A Happy Pancake is quite popular, and the atmosphere was lively and happy.

We decided to just go for the original pancakes, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a tiny jug of syrup to pour over them. It was a bit of a wait, as it was super busy, but it was so worth it when they arrived. Holy fluff! The pancakes were bouncy and light, and tasted delicious. No wonder the place is called A Happy Pancake, we couldn’t stop smiling as we ate them. It was also interesting to see the different flavours that were being brought out to the tables near us. 10/10 would definitely go back for more beautiful pancakes.

We went back to Kiddy-Land so I could spend the voucher I’d won. I knew exactly what I wanted – a Sukeroku plush. I also found a little plush of Boo from Super Mario, and it was the only one left so I felt it was fate. They’re both so cute and cuddly, and I could have bought all of the Sukeroku merchandise if I didn’t reign myself in. I was distracted, however, by having to frogmarch Caz out of the store after she bought another bloody otamatone. This one is pastel blue and is very cute indeed, but I had to put the kibosh on things before she ended up buying them all!

We caught a bus from a stop across the avenue to get to Toyama Park. It was dark by this time and it was totally packed on there. I suppose it was people coming home from work and shopping, as there were zero tourists on there, except for us. We were on there for what felt like ages, but eventually made it to a slightly more residential area of Shinjuku. After walking through a couple of streets, we could have fooled ourselves that we were in the suburbs rather than still being in the middle of the city.

Toyama is quite a standard inner-city green space, similar to lots of others in Tokyo. However, it’s allegedly a site where bodies from the horrific and infamous WWII Unit 731 were analysed and then dumped into mass graves beneath the park. Consequently, the park is said to be haunted, with most activity occurring after dark.

Most of this paranormal activity is said to concentrate around Hakone Yama, a hill in the centre of Toyama Park (not to be confused with the volcano Mt. Hakone!). Apart from people living near the park seeing Hitodama frequently, many have reported hearing a man sobbing in the area.

Of course I had to go there. There was a set of stairs up into the park, as the whole thing is hilly. It didn’t take me long to find Hakone Yama. There were four sets of narrow, rickety-looking steps up to the apex, and they looked scary enough. I crept up one of them slowly, getting the familiar fantastic dread in my stomach. As I came to the top of the stairs, I saw someone lying on the large round bench in the centre, playing on her phone. At first though, all I saw was a silhouette of a prone person with their arms up like they were frozen in rigor mortis, so it gave me a hell of a scare. It was just a teenage girl which was a relief, although I hope she didn’t hear me quietly telling the ghosts that I meant no harm and that it was ok.

The girl left while I was still up there, and it was really quiet despite the city sounds around me. There was a good view from the top which I imagine is even nicer to look at during the day. I didn’t see or hear anything while I was up there, but I still felt edgy and chilly. I feel like I actively seek out the adrenaline of being spooked.

Back in the heart of Shinjuku, we had a booking at the Hunter’s Bar. It’s based on the Monster Hunter games, which Caz is a huge fan of. I’ll be totally honest and say – apart from watching her play a couple of times – I know nothing about the games. But I had an AMAZING time.

The bar itself was in an unassuming building, as most of these places are. At the doorway sits a statue of a Palico which I must admit is very cute. We hovered by the statue and looked at the menu that had been put there, as our booking wasn’t for another half an hour. Caz was eyeing all the merch in the glass cabinets, and also got some things out of a couple of special Monster Hunter Gachapon machines.

A staff member approached and asked if he could help us. I explained that we had a booking, but that we were early for it. He left to check the bookings and when he got back, said that he’d spoken to his boss and we could come in earlier. Amazing!

The inside of the bar was all decorated to fit the Monster Hunter theme. There were regular tables near the bar, but our table was up in a little nook with three others. It was a tall bar table, and there were tall chairs to sit on. On the wall near us were several huge decorations  and screens showing some MH gameplay. It was a really cool place and the atmosphere was buzzing.

We were shown the tablet for ordering food and drink and left to it. Oh my goodness, the drinks menu is vast. They serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails that are all based on a character from the games! It was a really fun idea, and I was excited despite not knowing anything about the characters. The menus were also in ‘Zenny’, which is the in-game currency, and I thought that was a really nice touch. We were not prepared for how good these drinks were. 

I had the ‘Symbol of the King’ (based on Teostra), the ‘Felyne Chai’ (based on the cat character I mentioned earlier), and the ‘RoyalLudroth Banana Float'. All three were flavourful, delicious and refreshing. I was really glad we’d come to the Hunter’s Bar just for the drinks! Caz had the ‘Malfestio Illusion Tea’ (grape syrup, mallow blue tea with strawberry liqueur), the same ‘Felyne Chai’ that I had, and the ‘GreatGirros Coke’ (Coke, mango source, and blue syrup). She also ordered a ‘Teostra Curry’. It was a huge portion, so she couldn’t even finish the whole lot – apparently it was delicious, but the spiciness builds up the more you eat.

‘Symbol of the King’: Cassis liqueur, red wine, soda, and mango-flavoured ice.

‘Felyne Chai’: Chai syrup and milk with a marshmallow and ice.

‘Royal Ludroth’ Banana Float: Green banana liqueur, milk, mango juice, vanilla ice cream, and custard whipped cream.

On perusing the food menu, we found something called ‘Russian Takoyaki’. I did a quick Google and found out that takoyaki are battered balls with minced octopus, tempura, spring onion and ginger inside. Now, I’m a bit wary of things like octopus because the suckers freak me out, so I thought this would be a good way to try it. We figured that the ‘Russian’ element would involve some spicy peppers in one of them. Oh boy.

They arrived and looked amazing, so we were really excited to try them out, and slightly apprehensive about the ‘bullet’. There were five takoyaki – we both took one and tried it. Luckily, they were both normal, and they were fantastic. The texture wasn’t as rubbery as I expected, and the combination of flavours complemented each other perfectly. It was yet another food I could add to the list of things I’ve enjoyed eating here.

We took a second takoyaki each and popped them into our mouths whole, as you’re supposed to. Mine was the bullet, but it wasn’t hot peppers. Oh no. It was literally a battered ball of wasabi. Now, if you’ve had wasabi before, you’ll know that you use it very sparingly as it’s ridiculously fiery and only gets worse the longer it’s in your mouth. Now imagine a ball of it, and you’ve just bitten right into it. I didn’t know what to do – my mouth had frozen and I couldn’t chew or just swallow the thing. My eyes started streaming, and I could feel the heat in my nostrils and down my throat. Caz laughed at me at first, but soon became concerned as I just sat there, sweating and gesturing.

Eventually, I had to spit it out into a tissue which I’m sure happens a lot. I bitterly wished I hadn’t basically finished my chai milk, as that would definitely have soothed the burn. It was the worst thing ever but the consolation prize was the last takoyaki ball, which took the taste away a little. God, it was awful. I mean, it’s hilarious now but at the time I was suffering.

Overall, I really recommend the Hunter’s Bar. Even if you’re not a Monster Hunter fan, it’s a really cool place to hang out. The atmosphere is good and the staff are really cool and friendly. It’s a small place, and was full when we were there, but it didn’t feel at all crowded or noisy. We spent ages sitting in there because we were so warm and feeling good. I absolutely loved it.

Feeling refreshed, we left the bar and found ourselves in a bustling, neon evening. Kabukicho, the area of Shinjuku that we were in, is famous for its nightlife (and for being the red-light district of Tokyo). We were surrounded by people on nights out, bars and pubs, and late-night eateries. It was a really cool atmosphere. I’d like to explore the area more.

We found a little hole-in-the-wall cigarette booth with so many different varieties. As I’ve said before, Caz doesn’t smoke often, but she always likes to sample cigs from different countries. She already had two brands in mind, and asked me if I could get them (she was too shy). I approached the cute old man sitting in the booth and asked for the first brand with no problem. 

When I asked for the second, he asked which flavour I wanted, in Japanese of course. I knew Caz wanted peach and quickly used my phone to find the Japanese word. I said, “Momo?” and he immediately grabbed the pack and set it down. I paid up, thanked the man and bowed before leaving. When I turned back to say something to Caz, I could see the man sitting in his booth with a fond smile on his face. It was so sweet and I hope my ineptitude made his evening!

Hello again, Omoide Yokocho!

We’ve seen some interesting characters on the tube, and keep making up nicknames for them which gets us into absolute fits. I’m glad Caz got out for a bit this afternoon. She has some decongestants but she’s sounding a bit poorly. Hopefully she’ll feel better soon!