Traditional hand washing at Meiji Shrine Tokyo

Tokyo day tripping with Gray Line

---

October 7th 2009
Raining again today.Off early.. 8am on our all day tour of Tokyo. First stop was Tokyo Tower which is Japans Eiffel tower - pretty impressive with grand views 360 degrees. Then onto Meiji Jingu shrine, its massive and was named after the Emperor Meiji who in about 1859 opened Japan to the west after handreds of years of isolation by former shogun emperors. It was also emperor Meji who handed power ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tokyo

---

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more