Near the Ueno Zoo is this shrine. We went here after leaving the zoo on the 24th. It's the first shrine that we've visited together as a family. Ian visited several other shrines during his 4-week stay in 2003. The Ueno Toshogu Shrine was built in 1651. I'm afraid that my pictures do not do justice to this amazing piece of architecture. The detail and colors on the outside where incredible. Inside there was no photography allowed (not that it mattered since my battery died). Since Addison was still napping Ian stayed outside while I went in. I was the only person inside the shrine. I stepped gently on the black lacquered steps thinking about how many people would have passed over those same steps in the last 350 years. Simply amazing.
The entrance leading to the shrine.
The gate into the shrine.
A long pathway leads from the gate to the shrine. The large stone structures on the right are all very similar, but they are also unique and different. They could hold a torch or lantern near the top.
The Shrine itself. 
The Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hope you can read the information about the flame. If you click on the photo, that should enlarge it for easy reading.)
1 comment:
Oh yeah, enlarging that photo really helped me to read that japanese writing. ;)
miss you!
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