I have about 6 hours to spend in Tokyo waiting for my flight home, so decide to investigate Yoyogi Park to see if there are any surviving Sakura (cherry blossom). Yoyogi Park is the fourth largest park in Tokyo. Suprisingly, it is less ‘park’ than ‘old-growth forest’. Full of winding trails, it is a popular haunt of bird watchers on a quiet Monday morning.
Yoyogi Park is also home to the Meiji Shrine – a very, very popular tourist attraction. At the moment, most of it is under scaffolding. The photos below are of part of the shrine that look like it has already been restored. The optical illusion is created by some clever paintwork.
I have to give a special mention to the public toilets near the shrine – I think this is the first time I’ve photographed a toilet block. Semi-circular in design, each cubicle is a work of art. As usual, they are spotless, clean and safe.
Also located within the (free admission) Yoyogi Park, is Meiji Jingu. This garden enclave costs about 500 yen to enter, but is well-worth the price. A lovely scenically located tea house, iris garden, and many little walking trails make for a pleasant ramble. There aren’t many people about on a Monday morning, but it must get busy on weekends with locals and tourists alike.
Yoyogi Park is easily accessible by train, with Harajuku Station right on the edge of the park. The famous Harajuku precinct is just across the road from the station. I made a point of photographing this station as it was the only one that defeated me – the station map outside the turnstiles has no English language signage that I could find, so I ended up going across the road to a Tokyo Metro underground station to find my way back to Takeshiba Station.
Yoyogi Park looks like it might be spectacular in autumn, so I’ll be paying it another visit in November. Loved Tokyo – could spend weeks if not months in Japan, but what a great 4 day weekend!
