Japan part 3

July 31, 2026

The only Japanese flag I spotted while in the country. 

I love the hostel we stayed at. ONLY women's elevator. 

On the way to Hamarikyu Gardens. 

The garden provides a really peaceful, tranquil atmosphere so it's a pure pleasure to walk through.

This little hut is used for duck hunting. It has the perfect view of the lake right outside. 

Wing and I enjoyed a serene matcha tea experience in the style of tea ceremony at Nakajima-no-ochaya teahouse. This memory is a treasure because it's a place where beauty, simplicity, and harmony of Japan's tea culture come together. And of course, experiencing it with Wing was 100x better. 

This Black Pine tree is around 300 years old and one of the largest Japanese black pines in Tokyo area. 

After leaving Hamarikyu Gardens, we ate a super lunch which gave us the energy to walk far to the Imperial Palace.

On the way we passed through Hibiya Park and noticed the Liberty Bell, a reproduction (including exact dimensions and tone) of the one in Philadelphia. The plaque reads:

Dedicated to you, a free citizen in a free land. 

This reproduction of the famous Liberty Bell in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, was presented to the people of Japan by a group of American companies at the suggestion of General Douglas MacArthur. This presentation was arranged by the Honorable John W. Snyder, Secretary of the United States Treasury. 

The dimensions and tone are identical with those of the original Liberty Bell when it rang out the independence of America in 1776, becoming thereby a symbol of freedom to not only Americans but all mankind. 

In standing before this symbol, you have the opportunity to dedicate yourself, as did the founding fathers of the United States, to the principles of freedom which you share with free citizens everywhere. 

We arrived at the Imperial Palace and sat on a bench to take a break from walking, which ended up turning into at least an hour deep heart conversation. 

Nijubashi Bridge at Imperial Palace. We couldn't enter this day, but we didn't feel too sad about it. 

Japan is immaculately clean, as I mentioned before, and so pleasant to be in. I loved it.

During certain times, there's women-only sections on the subway.

These are AMAZING crunchy potato fries. They come in many flavors. 

Later on, we sat together and ate homemade gelato.

At 7 pm, near our hostel, we watched this mechanical clock tower in Ningyocho, which is the "town of dolls." It displays the Edo Story Tellers and talks about origins of Ningyocho and reveals daily scenes from the Edo period. It was completed in Nov. 2009.

I told Wing about this anti-inflammatory drink we could make and I'm glad she was willing to try it. All ingredients are from the 7-11 and I'd recommend drinking it every day for the best results. I miss this drink a lot. 

Ingredients: 

~ Kireto Lemon – Citric Acid 2700

~ Ukon, which is turmeric. 

~ And the green bottle - Kireto Lemon/citric-acid drink

And that's how Friday ended. :)