Sunday morning before church Rod took us to the nearby shrine to the emperor Meiji.
These are decorated sake kegs
The shrine was beautiful. We learned that the Shinto shrines are much more simple and earthy like this one, while the Buddhist temples are very ornate and showy. Most Japanese people participate in Shinto services for happy things like births, weddings, etc. but in Buddhist services for funerals.
We were lucky enough to be there during two wedding processions and the blessing of a child. Rod was surprised and just kept saying "you guys live a charmed life."
This is the "Five Ring Bridge" built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was a time of rebuilding for Japan and they really wanted to put on a good face for the world.
On the way home, we walked through Yoyogi Park. Thousand of cherry tress were starting to blossom and thousands of people were there to enjoy it (and get drunk).
Erika's superpower is that she gets asked to pray in almost every meeting she attends, especially relief society. So guess what, even as a visitor to the ward in Tokyo, she got asked to pray.
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