Stacey asked me yesterday what time rush hour was in Tokyo, because to date we hadn't really had any crowd issues on the Metro system. Um, well, we found rush hour today. It also happened to be the day that we had our single longest Metro ride too. We were absolutely jammed onto the train, there was no way you could twist or turn your body. At one point Fintan was squished right into the corner, nothing to panic about, but I was happy when the crowd started thinning at the next station.
For whatever reason, today was our day for hoards and hoards for people. Our first stop this morning was at the Senso-ji Temple in Northern Tokyo. Senso-ji is Tokyo's most sacred temple. Leading up to the temple is long row of market stalls called Nakamise-dori. The vendors sell everything from tourist junk to traditional crafts and Japanese treats. This is where we found our second wave of people. This market was absolutely packed.
Kaminarimon Gate - this gate leads to the Nakamise-dori market and eventually to the Main Hall of the temple.
The street was packed with people from the Kaminarimon Gate to the Main Hall of the Senso-ji temple.
Japanese gourmet rice cracker stall at the market
Flavoured pastries
Hozo-mon Gate and the five story Pagoda 
This is a replica of the original Pagoda, most of the temple buildings were destroyed during World War II
Just outside the temple there is a large cauldron of burning incense. The Buddhist's believe that the smoke from the incense brings good health. You will see people pulling the smoke towards their bodies and then rub the smoke all over themselves.
This man was making a traditional sweet that is very similar to sponge toffee. I love the fact that he had a smoke going the whole time he was working.Located a few Metro stops away from Senso-ji is a huge park by the name of Ueno Park. I had read that this was a popular spot for enjoying the Sakura (the cherry blossoms), well this place was absolutely insane. The amount of people crammed into this park was mind boggling. There wasn't much grass for people to picnic on, so what they do to accommodate all of the picnicker's is lay down loads of tarps for people to picnic on. I noticed that everyone takes their shoes off before getting on a tarp.
A steady stream of Sakura lovers hit the pathway
Blue tarps cover the landscape during the short 7 - 10 days that the cherry blossoms are out.
We were hungry and thought we had the unique idea to get something to eat...The following are some pics of food that was available for sale.
Gives new meaning to fish sticks. I watched one girl sit down & start mowing down, tail first....
After lunch the kids had a cherry blossom ice cream. The two kids that prepared the ice cream were classic.
Very focused working on the ice cream
almost there.....
As he said: "The Tokyo Tower!"On our way out of the park we stumbled on a group of performers similar to Cirque de soleil. They were incredibly athletic and fantastic performers.
Whip man puts on his blindfold to snap off the flower....
Success!!
Check out the spoon flying in the air. She caught it....
She caught them....
When we got back to the hotel I took a few pics of the Shibuya area.
We are off to Osaka in the morning. Tokyo has been absolutely amazing, there is just so much to see and do. The people have been super friendly and very helpful. I wasn't sure what to expect but I have to say that I love it. What I find incredible for a city this size is that it is quite possibly the cleanest city I have ever been to.
