Hachiko Statue in Shibuya Station and Tamatsukuriinari Shrine

 Yesterday, January 2, was the first day that we all felt like we were starting to get over the jet lag.  So, we decided to try our first real exploration of Tokyo.  We planned a small trip, walking about 2 miles to Shibuya Station. 
Tokyo is so massive!  Just buildings and people everywhere.  Everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful so far.  The buildings are a mixture of modern architecture.....

 ...and Japanese architecture.

 Saw this sign on a 7-11. 

 Kirstina was really good on the trip, just chillin' out in her stroller.

As we walked along, often we would hear couples we passed start exclaiming and counting children.  I couldn't understand what they were saying, but Raymond would tell me later that they were freaking out over how many kids we had.  Nothing new, we get the same in the states.  I think we are a bigger freak show here, though.  Most Japanese couples are choosing to not have any children at all right now because of the really high cost of living in Japan.

 Another New Year wreath, with an orange in it.  Everyone is probably getting tired of wreath pictures, but I can't help it.  I just really think they are pretty.

 After a pleasant walk, we made it to Shibuya Station.  This is a famous spot that people from all over the world will come to. 

 It is near what many websites say is the busiest intersection on the planet, where every three minutes hundreds of people cross the street.  There were throngs of people there, that's for sure!  We couldn't hardly move. 

This train station is famous because of an Akita dog named Hachiko.  His owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, was a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo.

Every morning when Professor Ueno went to work, Hachiko (also called Hachi) saw him off at the front door and waited for him in late afternoon on the same spot at the nearby Shibuya Station. This became their daily routine. Then one day the professor didn’t arrive by train as usual. At the university he had suffered a stroke. He died and never came back to the station where his friend was waiting for him.
After Ueno’s death, Hachiko was given away to new owners but he escaped every time, returning to his old home where he used to live with his master. When Hachiko eventually realized that the professor didn’t live there anymore, he went back to the station. After that day, every time exactly at 4 o’clock when the train arrived, Hachiko came to wait in hopes of seeing his master.
This continued day after day, month after month, for the next 10 years. Many people who passed through the station every day even brought food for Hachiko as he waited.
Teachers and parents around the country use Hachiko’s loyalty as an example for children to follow. Eventually, Hachiko became national symbol of loyalty. His bronze statue was erected in front of the station and Hachiko himself was present at the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, during World War II the statue was melted down for war efforts. In 1948, Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist, was commissioned to create the second statue.
Hachiko was found dead on March 8, 1935 on a street in Shibuya.

 Today, the dog's statue still stands in front of Shibuya Station, waiting and hoping that his master will come home.  We had watched the movie of this story a year or two ago and this was a must see when we came to Tokyo.  Here we are in front of the Hachiko statue.

 After we remarkably got out of Shibuya Station without losing anyone due to the massive amounts of people, I looked at my map again and realized that there was a shrine just a block away from our path back to our apartment.  We decided to take a short detour and check it out.  One the way, I noticed this pretty street lamp.  I love the Japanese attention to detail and how they strive to make everything beautiful.

 This was the side entrance.  We looked in and realized that we needed to go around to the front.

 Found the front entrance and decided to go in.  There was a huge line to visit the shrine, probably because it's the new year. 

 When we got home, I looked on the internet to learn a little more about this shrine located in the middle of the commercial areas of Shibuya, almost hidden between tall buildings and offices.  I learned that not many people actually know that it is there.  Founded in 1092, it is one of Tokyo’s older and more important shrines. Another piece of trivia I learned is that this is also the location of what was once one of the biggest castles in what is now Tokyo. Not many people know that Shibuya had a castle roughly between the 12th and the early 16th centuries, and although the now hidden Shibuya river is slightly more famous, even fewer are aware that it once served as a defensive moat to this hilltop castle. The only remaining piece of this castle is a small stone from one of the walls, tucked away in the shrine grounds. Because we didn't even know what we were looking at, we didn't know to look for the stone.

Once the line got up the stairs, we were able to see a washing area.  This let us know that this shrine was a Shinto shrine.  In preparation to worship, one must be clean.  You are supposed to go over and use the ladle to pour water on your pointy, middle, and ring fingers.  Then you are supposed to take a small sip and spit it out.  This is thought to cleanse the body so you are prepared to worship.  No one was washing, though.  Probably because it was a little chilly.  Because no one else was doing it, we didn't do it either.

 There were lanterns leading up to the main part of the shrine.  It was really a beautiful place.

 To the left were a couple of smaller buildings. 

 To the right was a fire where people were putting in papers and arrows.  We couldn't figure out why, but I'm sure it had something to do with the new year.

 As we inched closer, we were able to see the building on the left a little better.  So gorgeous.

 As people walked up the main building, we could hear drums and cymbals being played off and on.  There were three bells that the patrons rang as a part of their worship.

 The kids were a little concerned about participating in the shrine's ritual.  They didn't want to break the commandment of "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images."  We assured them that this was just for the experience and that we were not worshipping in our hearts.  God would look upon our hearts, and know that we love and worship Him only.  We don't even know what God this shrine was built for. 

 The patrons would only go up 3-4 at a time, so we split up as a family.  This is Caitlin, Logan, and Chris ringing the bell.  We watched everyone else and did what they did.  First, they threw a coin into the big box that the kids are standing in front of.  We just threw in 1 yen coins, but if you are wanting blessings, you would throw more in.  Then, you ring the bell with the rope.  The bell is rung to wake up the gods.   Bow twice, clap twice, then bow and stand there for a small period of time.  Finally, you walk off to the right and the next couple of patrons come up.

 While I was up there, I wanted to see what was happening inside.  There were several people praying, some were dressed in kimonos.  I didn't know if it was appropriate to take a picture inside, so I discreetly took at picture without really checking to see what I was aiming at.

Here are the gardens to the right of the main building.  I love the way they garden here!

Here is a picture of the shrine I found on the internet.  When we were there, there were a ton of people and we couldn't see this view at all.

Across the street, there was another, smaller shrine.  We didn't know what this one was either, but it was equally exquisite.

 After you went through the entrance, to the right were these stone things.  Look like headstones, but I don't know if that's what they were.

 To the left was another washing area. 

 It was amazing to walk through this row of ten torii, red shrine gates leading up to the altar.

 I later learned that this smaller Tamatsukuri Inari shrine is devoted to the God of rice and fertility.

 On the way home, we stopped at a 7-11 to use the bathroom.  We got some wheat tea to warm us up when we got home.  We also bought each of the kids one of those meat dumplings that Ray bought a few days ago.  They were hungry and cold from all the walking and the dumpling was warm and tasty.  The Picky One (Nathan) didn't like the meat, so I picked it out and ate it for him.

At least Audra will eat the food.  Hope Nathan survives long enough to get back to the states and the land of peanut butter.