Just went to Meiji Jingu, some sort of real old temple in Yoyogi, near Harajuku, which is near Shibuya, where "Lost in Translation" was filmed.
On New Years Day, people love going to temples. So Joy and I did, with J. and R., a fabulous couple who lives in the same guest house as we do.
Over two million people frequent the shrine on New Years. People line up for a long time in droves to see it. But the Japanese are very calm when it comes to queues.
With so many people going, there's a lot of business a doing. Eateries! Carnies! It's all there! We bough hot sake and played with guns!
The temple itself is very natural. Lots of wood and trees. Lanterns and stones. Meiji Jingu is purported to be the luckiest temple in Japan, and I got to make a wish, donate some yen, and pick up a fortune at the end of it all. It took us about three hours to fully go through the line and everything.
I'm not doing this temple any justice here. It's old, beautiful, and I received a good fortune.
After we went for beer and pizza.
Tomorrow we'll go to the Imperial Palace for a brief glimpse of the Japanese Royal Family.