The Inaugural Meeting of the Planning in Pants Committee

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We'd been putting it off too long, so all sightseeing ground to a halt this afternoon and evening as we finally itinerized Japan, and promptly decided we needed at least another week. This is prompted partly by Bro's continuing hinting that he's joining us Down Under 12 days after we're due to arrive, and partly by an attempt to catch the biggest Festival of the year in Kyoto. Whether every flight is packed for that reason, as seems likely, remains to be seen.

The a.m. was absorbed by a pleasent walk through Ueno Park and down into Yanaka, punctuated by a visit to the Tokyo National Museum, from which Stace abstained to people watch and read the accursed Lonely Planet.

Some splendidly fierce samurai sculptures, ancient swords, intricate calligraphy, kabuki theatre drag costume kimonos - all the boxes ticked. The star of the show was the new Horiyuji Homotsakan Building, a fabulously airy piece of modern architecture which contrasts magnificently with the C7th artefacts contained therein. One darkened hall featured perfectly spaced glass cases containing wonderous religious sculptures - the juxtaposition of fabulously contemporary space with the centuries old, dimly lit figures was breathtaking.

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Photos

Greenwich Olympics...
...circa C7th. Pictured here,　the piggy back race

No photography was allowed in this museum
as you can see from this photo of a C13th samurai sword

Interior, Horyuji Homotsakan Bldg
Wow!