When we strolled through the Imperial Palace East Garden, the site of the old Edo Castle, we saw some of the same stone walls still standing since 1457. Several moats used to surround the palace grounds before reclamation of Tokyo Bay began and now there’s a plethora of high rise buildings instead.
Before we climbed the steps to the Asakusa Kannon Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, we saw little girls celebrating their 5th birthday dressed up in kimonos and little boys in Shogun outfits celebrating their 7th. Shoguns were military rulers appointed by the Emperor.
Our day ended with a Sukiyaki dinner followed by a performance of an all male cast in brightly colored make-up, wigs and gorgeous costumes portraying a classic Japanese tale accompanied by traditional musical instruments in the Kabuki Theater.
