Tokyo Tower and Hamarikyu gardens

As you may have noticed, I enjoy climbing all kinds of towers and vantage points. So, after visiting the Tokyo Skytree a few months ago, it was time to ascend another iconic landmark of this type - Tokyo Tower! I hopped on the subway and headed toward the Minato district.

However, before entering the tower, I decided to explore what I thought was a nearby park. I went there especially because the cherry blossom season had arrived, something I'd long wanted to experience. While it might seem that the event itself is nothing extraordinary. After all, trees bloom every year in Poland too... In Japan, this period is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Families and friends flock to parks to have picnics under the canopy of pink and white blossoms. The sheer number of cherry trees, all blooming simultaneously, makes this season truly remarkable.

As I approached this "park," I realized it was more than just greenery. I hadn't checked the map details beforehand and just assumed that the patch of green color on the map must be another park. I got surprised, it was not just any park. It was a large Buddhist temple "Zojo-ji". This impressive structure is visible from afar, it looked quite magnificent. It is the main temple complex of the Jodo Buddhist sect, established in the 14th century AD. Interestingly, it was originally located elsewhere and was relocated to its current site in 1589 by order of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa. The temple complex includes, the main building, the tombs of the Tokugawa clan shoguns, a treasury/gallery, a large temple bell, and several other structures. And returning to the main topic. Tokyo Tower is just a few meters behind the temple!

It was only when I stood at its base that I realized how tall Tokyo Tower is. Previously, when looking at pictures on the interned, I always thought that it's much shorter. To be specific, it stands 333 meters tall, almost half the height of the Tokyo Skytree. Nevertheless, the view from the top is impressive. As with the Skytree, you can purchase a "regular" ticket for access to the main terrace or a more expensive ticket to visit the "special observatory." The ride to the higher observatory offers a mini-tour where the staff briefly explains the tower's history and even takes a photo of visitors against the city skyline (available for purchase later, nothis is free...).

The visit to the temple and the ascent of the tower didn't take me much time. So, I decided to see another attraction that day - the nearby Hamarikyu Gardens. Admission to the gardens requires a ticket, but they are worth it (and the price is quite reasonable). The entire site used to be the residence of the Tokugawa family. You can see reconstructions of two guest houses and a teahouse. The guest houses aren't particularly grand, but that’s understandable since they served only as temporary resting places during breaks in duck hunting (fun-fact: duck hun was done with the help of falcons). Interestingly, the pond in this garden is filled with seawater, as the area borders Tokyo Bay. There is also a pier that allowed the shoguns to access their estate directly by boat, without the need to move by land.

Of course, like many such places in Japan, the gardens feature cherry trees, making it one of the popular spots during their blooming season. There's also a flower field, though to be honest, I don’t know the species; the yellow color only brings canola to my mind :)

Both the aforementioned temple, Tokyo Tower, and the Hamarikyu Gardens are conveniently located near a subway station, making it easy to visit these places. That's all for today. In the next post, I'll write a bit about Kyoto!