More temples and Shrines!

Historic neighbourhood

Just around the corner from Yanaka Ginza we found yet more history!
Old timber houses /shops,retained as a reminder of earlier times.
Then there was the Tsukijibei Fence:A traditional stone fence that followers of Ninja movies will recognise.

Tokyo streetscapes

YANAKA GINZA is a small street market that retains the warm atmosphere of

Shitamachi,the traditional section in Tokyo with origins from the Edo period.

Yanaka is also known for its cats,and I was intrigued by the various figurines of cats in the Yanaka Ginza.

The two above are known as Maneki Neko ,or "prosperity" or even "Beckoning cats"
Many were seen like the two above at the entrance to a business.
It is reckoned that if the left paw is raised,it is beckoning customers into the business premises;If the right paw is raised it's meant top be attracting money or good fortune!
Along this lane there were cats on the awnings and roofs in all sorts of poses......
and just around the corner in a small temple was a live cat sunning on the shrine steps,until a monk came out and fed it!

Quirky Tokyo

Tokyo can yield some interesting sights..................
Strolling down the Ginza our fist day revealed some "interesting shoe fashions for the coming winter!

Home again!

After four weeks travel in Japan,I'm once again home in Oz!
I had many reasons for visiting Japan ............and one was to see the Autumn foliage;

When we arrived in Shinagawa October 13,Nature had not yet decided that it was actually the Autumn season,and flashes of colour were few and far between, which I found a tad disappointing,but as the days rolled by,so the foliage colours changed:

At first,there were hints of gold and then red,orange......a veritable explosion of colour.