Day 17 - Shimbashi, Zojo-ji and Shinjuku
Still waking up early. It's still a hot sunny day today.
Something about 27 or higher, but I still decide to go for a short walk to the nearest temple
Shimabshi station and the temple is hidden away in the corners of the buildings. It has a brutalist design to it.
Very modern concrete pylons that make the gate and modern stairs that take you up to the main temple prayer area. I respectfully bow and even throw a few coins into the temple box. Think for a moment, do two claps and go down to the reception where stamps are issued .
They have three and I think they have one with yellow ink so I asked for that one. It's special for the current era. But as I learn, unfortunately it's paper only. So I still decide to go for, it doesn't matter. I will glue it in. it actually looks better as it's printed in golden reflective style.
As the walk was pretty short and I was having fun taking a few shots here and there and I saw Tokyo tower from the corner. I decide to just go towards it and visit tiny temple in front of Tokyo tower.
photo opportunities on the way. Although my feet are tired from all the walking yesterday. I decide to stop at a park and have a little coffee from the supermarket. Meanwhile, watching other photographers taking shots of couples in front of a road that leads to Tokyo tower.
I take my own shots again and remember the location for later.
Looking at the map I see that I am actually next to the biggest temple of Tokyo and I almost missed it as I was going for the only tiny shrine in front of Tokyo tower so I backtrack and enter the Zojo-ji , dedicated to Buddha, also a private cemetery of the Tokugawa clan.
I've been here 4 years ago but I actually never saw it in detail as I was during the night, and never noticed in detail as it's full of Jizous statues.
All of them bundled up in red clothing and hats and some with a little rotating fan that kids usually have. I remember the story again of what's the purpose of them and why they're all cuddle up in layers of clothing and take a few good pictures and videos as well.
Notice everyone else heading to the main temple. I do so as well. The queue isn't big and I get in the line to get the deity of the temple written in my goshuin book ..
As I waited for the book to be properly signed, I noticed a lady started copying one of the prayers from another paper and I noticed that this is the process of copying prayers that was described to me in one of the first temples.
Of course it is a lot of kanji and it looks pretty hard with all the strokes, but maybe I'll get the eventually with an easier prayer.
I get my book back and I decide to just walk home as slowly as I can because it's 29° and I haven't actually eaten much today. I noticed there's a good burger restaurant as I wanted something meaty but unfortunately as I approach it, it's closed even though Google Maps says it's open.
I continued towards the main shimbashi station and I noticed that there was a simple curry place called GoGo Curry, with a Harambe styled ape for a logo.
I'm happy to take one of the potentially biggest ones for one person. It costs roughly £7 and I enjoyed it as chicken is life, curry is love.
From then on the journey become simpler as I arrived to my hotel but also stopping at the glitch cafe place for another ice coffee.
I lay down for an hour or two and then my friend message me and says let's go eat it dinner and then metal bar.
Even though I thought we planned for the day tomorrow, the word for Japanese tomorrow and the word for day after tomorrow are very interesting words in the Japanese language that I think people kind of lose sense of when translating.
So I agree to go because I have no other plans. My only other plan was going to a meetup but that got cancelled
We decide to meet in Shinjuku around 6:30 p.m. unfortunately, Shinjuku is the biggest station on earth and when you say let's meet in Shinjuku you need to specify if it's East, West North or anything else in between. And if you say North there isn't actually a North. So therefore you get lost and have to cross miles between concourses, climb 0.4 Fuji's worth of stairs and mostly tackle people to get towards the right exit.dinner
Dried sardine ramen for dinner. The first one we go to is quite busy but fortunately they have two restaurants so the second one does have a place for us. We order our meals and I have fun chatting away about all the interesting host industry that happen around Shinjuku.
As the meal runs dry we head to the metal bar called Godz. It is a quiet and serene atmosphere for those who like metal. A lot of bands signatures fill the walls.
Some songs are the most classic stuff you can hear about and some are a bit more edgy.
Write your own requests as much as you want.
I do and put the first song dedicated to my friend who's a massive jojo fan.
The song is called roundabout but this is a cover from Allegeon. I think he enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. Some people in the bar enjoyed it so that was fun.
We continue drinking and talking and some other people come and go and chat with us.
At one point I decide there's a big gong hanging up the ceiling and I decide to ring it.
Basically paying everyone a shot. It's not expensive. It's about £3 a shots. It was maybe like 20 people or so. It's really not expensive so why not for the fun of it?
And also to get more points with the bar people because as my friend used to kind of help around there I think it's important to just to know show that you're a good, fun friend
The night goes on until almost the last train. I tell him we're not going to go to the last train. We need to go at least two before because Shinjuku is big and we will lose our way home
I send my friend on his way and I go to my own way to get to my last train which I still kind of make it to the last last one .
The problem, my last train doesn't even go all the way. I ride one station and I Uber back
As they say in the metal community, live and learn