A short, fun stay in Japan

SIGHT-SEEING IN TOKYO
During our two-day Tokyo stay, we left every morning with our destinations carefully planned. Following are among the sites we came up with:

Imperial Palace
Visitors can only get into the emperor's residence a few times a year. But the gardens around the palace are well worth seeing. We shot from the prime photo spot on Nijubahi Bridge where a corner of the castle peeks from behind the moat and surrounding wall.

Asakusa Kannon Temple
This is the city's most beloved Buddhist shrine. Founded in the Seventh Century to enshrine a gold statue of the goddess of mercy, brought up from the sea in a net by fishermen. As it turned out, we couldn't get close enough to see it. The day of our visit marked the beginning of the annual spring Sandja Matsuri Festival. Hordes of worshipers descended on the shrine. Men, women and children, all dressed in traditional garb, carried gold-lacquered shrines from the temple through the streets. We wouldn't have missed it, though, inching through side streets, passing by traditional family shops and stalls selling a plethora of food and goods.

Ginza district
This is the Times Square of Japan, the place where East meets West. Exclusive shops and high-tech showrooms, restaurants and theaters abound in this section of wide avenues, elegant stores and gourmet restaurants.

Ueno Park
Tokyo's largest park, in early April, it is one of the best places to see pink cherry blossoms. It's also a center for art and culture with many and varied museums, including the Tokyo National Museum. In a corner of the park was fetching ancient statue of a Samurai and his dog, dedicated to the fact that his shogun had banned killing animals.

Edo-Tokyo Museum
Edo was the former name of Tokyo. Featuring large-scale models, this is the place to go to really appreciate Japanese history and lifestyles.

Taking in Kabuki theater Kabuki-za
We're theater-lovers and had to see Kabuki, Japan's traditional stylized form of theater, dating from the 17th Century. With all-male casts, it features vivid makeup, spectacular sets and costumes with musicians playing percussive drums and stringed instruments at the side. Playgoers get so involved with the action that they yell to actors on stage. This is Shakespeare to the Japanese.

We rented headphones and were able to follow the story in English. It was a unique experience we wouldn't have missed. Matinees and evening performances usually feature several plays and can last some five hours. However, it is possible to buy reduced price tickets to see only a portion of the program.

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