Yogogi Koen, the central park of Shinjuku
I had heard of Takeshita-dōri, the main street in Shibuya, a shopping street with manga cosplays and gothic and manga clothing stores.
Arrived on the spot, we realized of the madness which is this street. A very dense tourist population, a lot of noise and stores of souvenirs. We look for something to eat but, except pancakes or ice creams, we do not find anything else. Finally, we found a 7eleven and, do not laugh, but we found what to sustenance us, onigiri, fresh of the day. It is better than nothing!
Let’s face it, for fans of cosplays, glam-goth or even rock, this street offers a lot of things, from clothes to hoodies.
We walked around for over an hour and on the way back to the station, I noticed that there was a park on the other side. We headed towards this park. It was time to go back to something quieter.
Yoyogi koen, a huge green area between Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku. It also houses the famous Meiji-Jingù temple. It was built a few years after the death of the Meiji emperor. This shrine was dedicated to the divine souls of the emperor and his wife. The land belonged to the imperial house which the emperor had drawn the plans of the garden and the whole Japan offered trees to compose it during its construction.
Shinjuku Prefecture dates back to the end of the 17th century. In the south, the Yoyogi land consisted only of hills and small rivers that crossed it. In its uplands there were lordly estates. There was, at that time, a Shinto shrine on a hill, dedicated to the martial god (founded in 1212).
The Shibuya River, whose tributaries have somewhat disappeared (only names remain, such as Udagawa in the names of stations). The river used to run along an elevated area, encompassing what is now the park. The name of Yoyogi came from an ancient fir tree which is said to have grown where the Meiji Shrine is located. It was a symbol of longevity.
We walked for more than 2 hours, crossing this park from south to north before taking the metro back.
Our day ends on a very nice note, the restaurant Sushi Kaz in Ikabukuro, a Japan style pub where we taste sushi, sashimi, etc… made by the “barman” or rather sushi barMan in front of us! So very good!
Ninve
Ninve
Je suis toujours en quête de nouvelles aventures... Ce blog vous permet de me suivre pas à pas dans la découverte d'un pays... En 2010, je visite les Philippines pour la seconde fois de mon existence. 7 ans plus tard, je décide de parcourir la Thaïlande, en mode backpacker pendant un petit mois. Finalement, ce blog devient un support, mon carnet de voyageur. Voyager est ma raison d'être! C'est une nécessité vitale.
