Today was a little bit different to yesterday, both in weather and locations visited. It was my first day without the JR Pass, which had served me so well these past few days. The first stop was Nippori Station to have a wander through the Yanaka District. It is an area that I have never walked through, and it was to present a slice of mid-Showa period. So much of the Edo and earlier periods were lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 so this is the period you are more likely to witness in Tokyo. My first stop was the Yanaka Cemetery for a quick wander around the grounds. I am always fascinated with way in which cemeteries are presented and differ around the world. You visit Paris and sites like Pere La Chais and Montparnasse incorporate so much of the art in the way of sculptures, that Paris is famous for. Yokohama yesterday, will elicit a different sense of loss due to the nature of Commonwealth War Grave Sites. You walk around here, and there is a solemn feel that embraces you. While they all differ, similarities exist that highlights the importance of life and remembrance.
The next stop was the Daikokuten Kyōō-ji Temple, a small Buddhist temple which dated back to the mid 17th Century. The main gate displayed a history unto itself, with bullet holes from 1868 Battle of Ueno fully evident. The site itself has a more localised significance but at this time of the year, places such as these and shrines play an important role in setting up the fortunes of the of the new year. Onto Yanaka Old Town, which is primarily a older precinct that dates back to the post war period. An interesting area of shops that wasn’t too crowded for a change. The latter part of the day was spent in the modernised areas of Tokyo in Ikebukuro & Akihabara. Technology and everything you associate with modern Japan is summed up in these two areas. One more day to go, and then home.