We flew from Fukuoka to Tokyo this morning on the last leg of our Japan trip, to meet our friend Maki and a new friend, Mao, for an early evening walk round Iriya, one of the quiet old towns in Eastern Tokyo.
We visited three shrines: one dedicated to the rooster which has its festival in the ‘Month of the Cockerel’ (November) on the two ‘days of the Cockerel’, though nothing was operating tonight. Apparently, bamboo rakes are sold as part of the festival for good luck, and they’re believed to “rake in” happiness and prosperity. It is a tradition for people to purchase a larger rake each year, symbolizing growing prosperity. We liked the rather scary character at the front of the shrine:
The second was Yoshiwara, a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten:
This area was the only legal red-light district in the Edo period and was surrounded by a pond four metres deep. There was only one gate. During the great fire in 1923, the gate was locked to stop the working women from escaping. So instead they jumped in the pond and 490 of them died. The statue above was built in their memory.
The third shrine featured an image of a current TV series – the shrine has become popular as a result.
We were pleased to see foxes again as there weren’t any on show in Kyushu:
And then we went for a stupendous Buddhist (vegetarian) meal at a restaurant which specialises in Fucha cuisine – that is, a particular sect of Buddhism from China.
I can’t name everything we ate – we forgot to bring the menu home with us, stuffed with food as we were, so here are the courses in order and a picture of us to prove we were there:
And this is the obligatory photo of us all as we danced our way through this beautiful meal:
Looks delicious although I think I would also have liked some real eel!
Is there any significance in the bottle of sake next to the fox?
Suspect our stomach crises have made eel less appealing – I didn’t eat this dish even though it wasn’t eel at all! And the fox and sake? Well, who knows? You often see drinks – alcoholic and not – left at shrines. I like to think of foxes – clever, ears firmly pricked – enjoying the odd bottle of good quality, gently warmed, sake and then running about doing cunning, slightly devious foxy things..
I’m impressed by how many courses to eat there seem to be. They look amazing! 😻
Oh yes, so many courses! In this lovely meal, the courses were small, vegetable and so beautiful – there does, however, come a point where you think ‘ another soup? Really? ‘…
Tofu masquerading as an eel. Omoshiroi. Where else but Japan? So good, travelling with you. I’m replete, now.
Ah, never replete, always room for some other broadly incomprehensible delicacy – tiny tempura in the shape of a wheat sheaf anyone?
A meal I’d have loved to have shared with you!
And we would love to have shared this with you Elizabeth – pure, pure vegetarian!
What an amazing meal – and everything looks exquisite: both food and serving dishes. You must have been swilling with soup by the end!
There comes a moment, sadly, when only a sip of soup is possible before putting the exquisite lid back on …