We would be exploring Harajuku district today. Our first stop was the Meiji Shrine which was a place dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his Empress Shoken. The shrine was built in the middle of a forest with graveled pathways leading to it from the entrance to the forest. Along the pathway, we came across barrels of sake piled neatly in rows and columns. These were offered by breweries to show respect for Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.
Shortly after that, we passed through a Torii or shrine archway which was similar to another one at the entrance. A couple more steps brought us into the compound of Meiji Shrine. The Shrine was very popular and crowded with both tourists and worshipers. We also witnessed a few wedding ceremonies taking place within Meiji Shrine.
Visitors who would like to express their wishes could do so at a booth located by the side of the main shrine building. The wishes could be written either on wooden tablets to be hang at the stand or letters to be deposited into the box.
After visiting Meiji Shrine, we moved on to Takeshita Dori to soak in the street culture. Takeshita Dori was a very busy street filled with boutiques, cafes and restaurants. The area was popular with young people attracted to the trendy and fashionable shops located here.
We had lunch at the Ichiran Harajuku restaurant. The restaurant was very popular as seen by the queue snaking along the stairs and spilling onto the street.
When it was our turn, we placed our order at a electronic booth located at the entrance of the restaurant. After order and payment, we were ushered to our partitioned cubicles where we would be having our meals. One unique feature of this restaurant was that customers could customise the ramen to suit individual tastes. We could select the type of noodles, broth and amount of chilli to be added. When our order was ready, it would be dispatched via a window in front of the cubicle.
Our order came exactly according to what we specified. Besides ramen, we also ordered the matcha almond tofu which tasted as good as it looked. Thumbs up for the experience and food at Ichiran!
After a hearty lunch, we continued our stroll along Omotesando. This area was dominated by high end shops showcasing top designer brands and boutiques. The crowd here was no less than what we experienced earlier. Apparently, many people like to flock to Harajuku during the weekends.
We turned into Aoyama Dori after reaching the end of Omotesando. Along the way, we came across the Manneken cafe where we stopped by to have a bite of its popular Belgian waffles.
After a short respite, we moved on to our next stop which was Meiji Jingu Gaien Icho Namiki. This was also known as Ginkgo Avenue where both sides of the road were lined with Ginkgo trees. The foliage had started to turn into its autumn colors and it would look even nicer in a couple more days.
We went back to Tokyo Station First Avenue to have our dinner. We settled at New Tokyo Beer Hall where we had beef stew and seafood spaghetti. It was nice to have a pleasant dinner to conclude an eventful day!
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