Wednesday was going to be my last full day in Tokyo and I planned on cleaning up a few things I hadn't seen.  First it was the Imperial Palace Grounds.  These were also the grounds of the historical Imperial Palace, plus the one I toured yesterday.

 

 

An old Samurai watch house.

 

I was fascinated by the moats and the walls that protected the palace

 

The gardens were gorgeous and I loved all the colorful carp.  Amazingly, they said that Emperor Akihito still plants and harvests a patch of rice on the grounds every year at 82.  The sense of tradition and pride is so evident and on display in Tokyo.  I know I didn't take as many pictures of certain things that I probably should have, but I think it is because I really tried to soak up the culture a bunch also.  It was really fun sitting in a noodle shop and watching the daily busy life.

 

I wandered these gardens for a couple hours.  Like the Meiji Shrine, I loved that these spots exist to sit and relax in one of the busiest cities and societies that I have seen. 

 

The old entry gates.

 

I loved stopping and looking at the animals any chance I could.  Most people had some sort of smaller poodle in Tokyo.  This little fella really wanted to walk around with me for a bit, but alas he didn't understand English and 'Suwarimasu' doesn't have the same ring do it as 'Sit'.  Since I can never find time to work on my languages, maybe I need to make Nola bilingual.....  There were also so many Shibu Inus and Akitas around Japan.  Love both of those breeds.

 

My afternoon was spent in the Roppongi area.  I did stop in for a burger and the music at the Hard Rock Café.  I guess I contradicted my last post, but I was thinking fast food.  Funny, that I have done this on my last 2 foreign trips.  Is it the burger or the music?  Hmm.  I did hear some good old rock that I hadn't heard in awhile.

 

Tadao Ando is one of my favorite architects and I did decide to see one of his projects while I was in Japan.  Nice and simple.  A security guard did try to shoo my away like a pigeon by just following me instead of actually saying anything.  It was a low speed chase at its finest.  If I could have only understood what he was saying in his radio.....

 

Another example of a quiet oasis in the middle of office towers.

 

My late afternoon and evening was spent wondering the Ginza district.  There are a lot of higher end shopping areas here and the buildings reflect that.  Plus, I dodged a few more rain drops. 

 

I do realize that I spent a lot of time walking, observing, snacking, and soaking in Tokyo while I was here.  I think the rain sort of slowed me down, but it never prevented me from seeing everything that I was trying to see.