sunshine in Tokyo

Monday night the 29th May in Tokyo/Ruth has just taken photos of us blogging away here on Marcos laptop which has all of the legends in German which our combined minds have been unable to change.Yet another challenge Mr gates.
so to update since we last talked on Friday in Hong kong, spent the day at jade marketand the fruit and fish market ;the horny toads a delicacy! not! and walking the streets again and tothe tailor yet again then off to the Philharmonic for a very pleasant Mozart and Haydn concert where we were struck by the fact that about half the audience were children ! Bit of a problem with the cheese for Ruth and Marco in the chilly bin necessitating trips to shops looking for ice but had to settle for frozen congee.
Early start on Saturday on the A21 to airport by 7.15 am, flight left on time at 10.30 am and uneventful trip to Tokyo arriving at Narita about 4pm local time -superb instructions from ruth meant we were on a bus and at their apartment within an hour.What a wonderful greeting we got and a beautiful dinner cooked.We`are surely with the most gracious and generous hosts in all of Tokyo.
Sunday was a slow start but then we made up for it by heading off in the train to the Yoyogi park to see the most amazing sights. Young Japanese dress in the most weird and wonderful creations, rock bands play,teddy boys dance, men practice Taekwondo, dogs run, rabbits are taken for walks on a lead, frizzbees are thrown and a good time was had by all including ourselves as we quiely strolled to the Meiji Shrine.photo above is L with Ruth and Marco.
This is the most significant shrines in Tokyo and we were priviledged to see a Shinto wedding.Stunning in its tradition and beauty and also slightly quirky. Like the amazing performance to get every fold in the kimonos exactly right for the photos and car the bride and groom returned to had a hinged roof so that the brides headgear could be accommodated. the Temple itself is truly serene and is surrounded by a beautiful park with trees that "sing" in the breeze.
marco and Ruth then took us to a shopping centre with a pet shop that defies belief. You can buy designer clothes for and pushchairs for your dog and should you wish to part with 5000 NZ dollars you could buy a monkey.We settled for a gift for Lazlo and a new collar for Uschi.
We are going to reurn to this centre when back in Tokyo as it was incredible in its variety.
The evening finished with a beautifulJapanese meal at a restaurant overlooking the bay and city lights.and 4 tired people wending their way home to bed vis the train system that is so efficient.