Tokyo National Museum 2016

Tuesday morning we went to the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館 Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan) which is in Ueno Park. I was so happy we had already explored the park the day before when it wasn't raining! There's so much to see in the park!

Selfie in the rain in front of Tokyo National Museum

Japanese art that's thousands of years old

Andrew and Kevin appreciating the art in the museum

Scroll- read up and down from the top right to the left.

Gusoku Type Armor, Edo period, 16th-17th century- my size!

Kevin in front of a Chinese-style Quatrain in Seven-
character Phrases by Nukina Suo (1778-1863)

General Guan Yu and Landscape by Kano Isen'in (1775-1828)

Kimonos

Sixty-nine Stations of Kiso Kaido Highway: Distant View of Mount Fuji
from Omiya Stations by Keisai Eisen (1791-1848)

Young Women of the Pleasure District in New Year's
Fashion: Shiratama of Tamaya by Iseda Koryusai (1735- ?)

Auspicious Desires on Land and Sea by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861)

Two Beauties by Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864)

Sculptures

"Sending off the Bear's Spirit" Ceremony By Hirasawa Byozan (1822-76) 

Horse by Goto Sadayuki (1850-1903) Wood

After, we had lunch at Kayoiji Ueno Ten, and I tried the Oyakodon that Andrew had been telling me about- mother/child dish because it's chicken and eggs. I've since made it at home!

Kayoiji Ueno Ten

Me and Andrew eating

Kevin at Kayoiji Ueno Ten

Close-up of my oyakodon: chicken and eggs

With random giant panda at train station

Ueno Park,Tokyo 2016

So, I'm still on Monday morning. We walked over to Ueno Park in the Taito Special Ward of Tokyo. There are a lot of things to do in Ueno Park. There are several museums, a zoo, many temples and shrines, and the park itself is beautiful. We planned on going to the National Museum there on Tuesday (because it's not open on Monday) but it worked out that we explored the park Monday because it ended up raining on Tuesday.

Andrew leading us to Ueno Park

Fountains at Ueno Park

There are was a great Buddhas in this area created by a feudal lord but in 1647 an earthquake destroyed the statue. A second great Buddha was built but in 1923, another earthquake destroyed the statue. Only the face of the second Buddha remains at the Kan-eiji Temple.

Ueno Daibutsu (Great Buddha and Pagoda)

Ueno Daibutsu (Great Buddha and Pagoda)

Inari is a deity with shrines and Buddhist temples throughout most of Japan. The entrance to an Inari shrine is usually marked by one or more red torii and some statues of foxes (kitsune), which are often adorned with red bibs (yodarekake) by worshippers out of respect. The main shrine is the Fushimi Inari-taisha in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto (we went there later in the trip).

Hanazono Inari Shrine

Torii tunnel leading to Hanazono Inari Jinja (Hanazono Inari Shrine)

Hanazono Inari Shrine

Kevin and Andrew posing with a fox at the Hanazono Inari Shrine worship hall

The Hanazono Inari Shrine worship hall

The Ana Inari Shrine (Hole Inari) built for a displaced fox

Kevin is a bit tall for this shrine

We wandered around for a while more, seeing more things we couldn't identify at the time, but I googled when we got home.

View down to Shinobazu Pond at Ueno Park

Kiyomizu Kannondo

We went for lunch at the nearby Tsukiji Sushi-gen Honten. Andrew doesn't really like sushi so he made our green tea and then we went to a different neighborhood for one of his favorite meals (next post).

Andrew making our green tea at Tsukiji Sushi-gen Honten

Quick lunch at Tsukiji Sushi-gen Honten

I ate this: salmon, Ikura (salmon eggs) and a mystery fish on rice.