My journey has begun and now that I am in Japan I’m even more excited to be here than I had even imagined.

Night-time landing at Tokyo Haneda International Airport.
The flight was uneventful, except for meeting a lovely woman, seated next to me, who commutes between Los Angeles/San Diego and Tokyo frequently. While we didn’t chat much during the flight, we did in the last hour, and we ended up sharing a taxi into Tokyo, since our final destinations were just five minutes apart. If you are reading this, Eriko, thank you for your graciousness, and I hope to see you again in November!

Passageway from the gate to customs.
My AirBnB hostess, Takane, warmly welcomed me into her lovely flat in the Nishi-azabu area of Minato-ku, Tokyo. After learning where things were and how they worked, I was definitely ready for some sleep … my success in staying awake for 10 of the 11 hour journey was paying off!
Morning arrived quickly, and I was excited to get the day started. Although I had no specific plans for the day, I was ready for new experiences.

Art is everywhere, even on the bedroom ceiling!
The weather was beautiful and I was able to join Takane on her way to work, as I set out on my day out. We walked up the road and at the top was where I chose to make my first stop. The Nezu Museum houses a private collection of pre-modern East Asian and Japanese art, has a spectacular garden, as well as a café. The current exhibition is Introduction to Chinese Ceramics. The beauty and craftsmanship of the pieces was wonderful to see. Unfortunately for all of us, I adhered to the rules of no photography. Sigh.

No photography. ; (
However, there was also a small collection of Buddha, and I was able to get some shots of these lovely sculptural representations.

Great day for taking photos!

Buddha sculptures at the Nezu Museum.

Buddha at the Nezu Museum.
The museum gardens were absolutely beautiful. So quiet and serene, one would not imagine they were in the midst of a noisy and bustling city. Walking along the stone paths revealed lovely sculptures, waiting to delight the passerby.

Nezu Garden.

Sculpture in the Nezu Garden.

Sculptural Pagoda.

Towering Elephant.
Of course, the highlight of any museum is the gift shop, and this one did not disappoint. Although their selection was not large, it was wonderfully curated. After making my purchases I was off to explore the area … for more sights and even more interesting shopping … but more on that tomorrow! xoxo
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