perjantai 27. tammikuuta 2017

Tokyo - Visiting Owl Cafe

FRIDAY JANUARY 24TH, TOKYO



The night before Henkka's birthday. Tokyo, Japan

It was Henkka's birthday morning and our couchsurfing host made all his guests sing happy bday song to Henkka. Our awesome host also gave him 1000¥ as a birthday gift. We had breakfast, packed our backpacks and headed to Tokyo city center to meet our friend Natsuka. We went to a kaiten-zushi place and ate a little before the birthday surprise the girls had planned.


Our couchsurfing host Tomo, Emmi and Henkka at Tomo's place in Tokyo.

Natsuka had made a reservation for us to visit owl cafe 'Owl No Mori' which is a place where you can see, pet and even hold living owls on your arm. There are certain times when guests are allowed to hold the owls so we were lucky to get there right on that time. The admission fee was 860¥  per person which is less than 8 euros and it includes one free soft drink, coffee or tea. There were about 30 different type of owls to admire. You can't take video but you can take as many pictures as you want without flash.


Owl Cafe's sign.




Our friend Natsuka holding Owl Cafe's rules.




Henkka petting the first owl that we saw.




Emmi holding one of the smaller owls.




Emmi petting a barn owl.




Henkka holding one of the biggest owls at the cafe.




A tawny frogmouth didn't really look like an owl.




The owls were tame and calm even though they flew away occasionally.




You could put a small hat on their head if you wanted to.




Both of us liked the the owls very much.

Countlessmilesandsmiles recommends Owl No Mori because the price is good compared to what you get out of the experience especially if you go there when they let people hold the owls. We advise visitors to call and ask when they let people to hold the owls because they only do it certain times and only for an hour at a time.


Hey there!




Henkka wanted to take this little fella with us.




The staff let us hold as many owls as we wanted.

Our experience at Owl No Mori was unique and unforgettable. The place was clean and staff was friendly and hospitable and they could speak little English which is rare in Japan. Visiting Owl No Mori was awesome and it's hard to break into the top 5 experiences of our trip. We rate Owl Cafe Owl No Mori 5/5 and it goes to the top 5 among the other best experiences so far. 


They got a little sleepy after all the petting and holding.




ZZZZzzzzzz....

Thanks for reading and see you soon!
Memi & Henkka

sunnuntai 22. tammikuuta 2017

Tokyo - Zojoji Temple

SUNDAY JANUARY 22ND, TOKYO

We woke up early and headed to Zojoji temple which is in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato, Tokyo. The history of this temple is fascinating and you'll hear about it in this blog.




Zojoji Temple, Minato, Tokyo


Zojoji Temple was founded in 1393 as a special meditation school for Jodo Buddhism in the Kanto region. Zojoji was relocated to the present site in 1598. When it became the family temple of the Tokugawa family the grand cathedral was also built. Zojoji was also a center of religious studies and activities of Jodo Buddhism. In those days its precincts overall coverage was 826000 square meters. It contained 48 smaller temples and about 150 grammar schools.





Back entrance to Zojoji.




We found a pot of good luck so Henkka is taking some luck with him.




We found ourselves in the middle of a wedding seremony.




The monks threw these on top of the soon to be married for good luck.


Sangedatsumon which is the main gate of Zojoji is 21 meters high, almost 29 meters wide and almost 18 meters deep. It was built in 1622 and today it is the only architectural reminder of the early days of the Edo Period when the original Zojoji was constructed. Its name Sangedatsumon means a gate (mon) getting delivered (gedatsu) from three (san) states of mind: greed, anger and stupidity.

Daibonsho was built in 1673. This giant bells diameter is 1,76 meters, it is 3,33 meters high and it weighs 15 tons. The bell is tolled twice a day to purify people from 108 eartly passions.




Daibonsho bell at Zojoji.




This in the entrance to Mausoleum of Tokugawa Shoguns. Inside are the tombs of six Tokugawa Shoguns, Imperial Princess Kazunomiya and wives and children of the Shoguns.


Next to the Mausoleum are rows of stone statues of children that represent unborn children including miscarried, aborted, and stillborn children. Parents can choose a statue in the garden and decorate it with small clothing and toys. Usually the statues are accompanied by a small gift for Jizō, the guardian of unborn children, to ensure that they are brought to the afterlife.




Rows of stone children at Zojoji Temple.


2500 years old Buddhism is the teachings of India's Buddha. It came to Japan from India around A.D. 538. In this process teachings of Jodo (pure land) Buddhism emerged and evolved in Japan. Jodo Buddhism was founded by Honen Shonin in 1175. The purpose was to widen Buddhism to bring equal salvation to all people.




The view from the main stairs of Zojoji Temple.


Countlessmilesandsmsiles recommends to visit Zojoji temple if you are interested in history and buddhism. It's a nice way to spend an hour or two at the temple area because there are lot of thing to see. We rate this place 4/5. 


Thanks for reading and see you soon!

Memi & Henkka