We purposefully had about half a plan that Sunday in Tokyo. We’d arrived on Friday night, late, spent Saturday on a guided tour, and Sunday, had only to ensure we kept the gang fed and were on time for a ninja experience. It’s my favorite way to travel. A passport in hand, and no stringent plan? Yes, please.

We decided to take a 20 minute walk to the popular Meiji Shrine in Shibuya – the section of the city with the best name for yelling. The spacious garden and forest acres were instantly calming, and the grandiose arches and buildings well inside the grounds, welcoming.

The gang learned the etiquette of this ritual quickly and used it when appropriate to clean their hands before entering a shrine throughout our trip.

The kids prepared to go inside (see above), and some decided to offer prayers (none of which are pictured here – these belong to strangers) to kami, the Shinto gods. I counted nine different languages before I stopped reading. They’re out there for all to read, but I actually felt it was like looking directly inside a person’s heart, if you want to know the truth. Sometimes I even turned them around so others couldn’t read them either.

Gosh, I hope that didn’t get me into trouble with the other side. I really should learn to leave things alone!

These are just from this one morning. They are collected for a year before burning.

Of equal importance, these.

Millions of people every year leave prayers written in black ink along the four walls of a structure outside the largest shrine on the property. These are procured in hundreds of shrines all over the city. On January 1st each year, these wooden offerings are burned and all the prayers released to the gods together, as one. I truly wish I could be there for that. Maybe someday.

We finished our writing and turned to go just as a wedding was promenading through the square. Everyone there turned and raised their cameras. Turns out, these were members of the royal family!

I. KNOW. What luck!

That, my friends, is the kind of thing that happens when you wander rather than plan down to the most minute detail. It was stunning. Patrick whispered to me, “these people are very important! Oooh, she is loving all eyes on her!”

That pop of red! It’s like a National Geographic photograph just waiting to be taken. But not by me. Because I have zero eye for detail.

And she did. This couple was clearly the center of the universe on this day. Which reminds me, interesting fact: those clog/flipflop things the ladies wear. They are always too short for the woman’s foot. For the love of all that is holy, why? Is it to slow her down so she can’t change her mind and run (not that this bride gave any indication)? It does make one wonder. I asked four different Japanese people this question and none of them knew the answer. Curious.

Next, the gang went for a ninja experience. I have no pictures because I was back at Tokyo Station getting a refund on a set of JR Rail Tickets we didn’t need. I have no pictures of that because I have blocked it completely from memory.

Then, though, came dinner. And it was ramen noodles. And they were nothing like the .29 noodles we buy at Hannaford. Enjoy these absolutely not National Geographic worthy pics. Feel free to drool a little.

I can’t remember what this is, but I know it was delicious.

Patrick’s was also divine.

We didn’t plan to have Ramen for dinner. There were lots of things we didn’t plan for that day. But every one of those things we discovered or serendipitously stumbled on were worth the freedom of a day lacking an itinerary. I loved it. And I’d do it again tomorrow. 

I felt refreshed, that first day in Tokyo, after four hours of sleep. Fine, I only wish I’d felt refreshed. Yes, I can hear you laughing, friends, but my infatuation with sleep was nowhere to be found.

Maybe not refreshed. But geared up and psyched out of my mind to BE IN JAPAN!? You better believe it. Sleep schmeep. With a coffee and a custard bun in my belly, we were off and running.

First stop on our guided tour: Tokyo Tower. It’s beacon red, while everything else in the city is gray. See? It’s red and very towery. 

In just 30 minutes, we rode up a crowded elevator, took in a 360 degree of the city, rode back down and boarded the tour bus again, all that was needed to get a feel for Tokyo Tower. That, and paying triple for key rings, stickers and the like. As you do. Oh, the kids stood on a glass-bottomed piece of floor and looked down. That was pretty wonky.

Do you want to know the craziest part of this photograph? See those sandals on the bottom right? They belong to one of my students, waiting her turn to get on the glass. Since downloading these photographs onto this computer, advertisements for those EXACT sandals appear randomly beside my newsfeed. Terrifying? Coincidence? Your guess is as good as mine.

P.S. They are lovely, but I do not want the sandals, so stop reminding me they exist, internet.

Second stop: a garden, deep in the heart of Tokyo. The moment we stepped in, it was zen. It’s in the middle of one of the largest, most sprawling cities on earth, but you’d never know it. It felt like an oasis. Several weddings were being photographed while we explored the koi pond, Shinto shrine, and tea ceremony building. It was gorgeous.

The tea ceremony we witnessed was likewise peaceful and serene. The presenter was delicate in her manner; graceful and poised. We learned that serving tea correctly takes a lot of time to learn, and hours of practice, to perfect. She made it look simple. The matcha tea was strong, and gave a good kick for the next leg of our day: lunch.

We were welcomed to a Japanese barbeque, cooked for us on our very own hibachis in the center of tables – a delightful treat. Beef and pork, onions, green peppers, garlic, and mushrooms were cooked to perfection and served to us, miraculously, every time we’d barely cleared our plates. A very satisfying meal, and, I must say, I felt much better about the kids having plenty of real, delicious food in their bellies. We all felt fantastic. Save for the tiredness, which threatened to pull us under every time we sat still for more than two minutes.

After lunch, we continued our guided tour of the city. Though it was cold and a little rainy, we boarded a shuttle boat and got to see bits of Tokyo from the water.

A view from my seat toward the center of the boat.

And my view looking the other direction! They’re SO happy. What joy.

After the boat? Shopping. These pictures give you a feel for the crowds, the blue sky, the towering shrine above the street, and the beauty of our surroundings. Kids bought lots of gifts and memorabilia here.

Back to the bus we went. We had one more stop on this guided tour. We went to the financial district of Tokyo, from which we could see part of the Imperial Palace. And a mote. But if I understood our guide correctly, it was not actually the palace, and not a moat used as a moat, anymore. Derg. So, no pictures from you, weird stop on our guided tour!

Ah. Then the tour was over. Our bus pulled back into the bus terminal and we departed. I was still organizing my backpack when a young red-headed man named Patrick Carland joined us, reached out and took a thousand pounds of weight off our shoulders. Before Patrick, I was a stranger in a strange land and leading the blind while blind. After Patrick, I was a participant on one of the best trips of my life. (Patrick made the trek down from Aomori, the town to which we would be traveling in another day or two. He speaks fluent Japanese and was an invaluable addition to our journey.)

Patrick arrived and changed the already stunning world we were exploring, when, in a booming voice he bellowed “Welcome! Welcome, my delicious little pieces of sushi wrapped in seaweed! Let’s go get some dinner!” And we did. 

Not all heroes wear capes.