Shinto Shrine, Hot spring, and more food

Today we went to the Meiji Temple which is a major Shinto shrine in Tokyo. It was absolutely packed with people. This was followed by more amazing food- during the New Year (which is basically a week long) they set up all these food stalls in the temple and on the street nearby. The food was amazing- it's hard to describe the dish I had but it was sort of like a dough ball stuffed with octopus and it had a fancy sauce on it and some mayonnaise- I realize that doesn't sound all that good- but really it was incredible. We then walked around a shopping area that is sort of like 5th avenue in NYC. I bought some gifts for people. One of the cool things here is the customer service everywhere you go is incredible- even in a 7-11 the cashier gives you good service with a smile. Pretty much anywhere it seems they will gift wrap whatever you buy- it's really great since I basically hate wrapping and can't do it.

After this we met up with Kuniko's dad and went to a hot spring. All over Japan they have hot springs as it is very geothermically active. According to her dad the water at this hot spring is the best in Tokyo in terms of mineral content which supposedly has all kinds of health benefits. This had to be one of the most relaxing things I have ever done. There were like 5-6 different hot baths inside and outside. The water is dark in color because it contains minerals and other stuff- it is basically very old seawater that has been heated up by molten lava (or something like that). They also had what her dad called a cold sauna (isn't that an oxymoron?). Basically what it is is a walk in refrigerator. After going in various hot and cold pools we then had a massage- shiatsu. It's hard to capture the whole experience with words- it was all around one of the best things we have done so far.

We got home and had more unbelievable food cooked by Kuniko's mom (who has taken classes in Japanese cooking and only uses the best ingredients and organic vegetables). I am praying that my pants still fit me after all the food we are being fed. Her mom made a duck hot pot (which is sort of like a soup with lots of veggies, duck and easily the best tofu I have ever had. We also had a raw egg (which apparently all eggs in Japan are safe to eat raw) in a bowl and you put the veggies and duck in the raw egg and then eat it- it's actually not bad (the raw egg part, that is). We also had sashimi and more mochi. Pretty much everything her mom makes is incredible. Also, Kuniko's dad bought some very expensive and tasty sake to go with the great food. Tomorrow we take the bullet train to Kyoto.



Shinto priest
Fish on a stick- I have never seen such a thing.
Kuniko's mom seems to always be cooking: