Journeys›Photograph

Summer Days Around Tokyo Tower in Minato

·Minato, Japan·#japan#summer#tokyo#tokyo-tower#travel-photography#minato
Purple and pink hydrangeas bloom in the foreground with green trees, a building, and Tokyo Tower under a clear blue sky.

Summer days in Minato meant orbiting Tokyo Tower without ever going up it. Started through the Daimon gate and walked toward Zōjō-ji, which has been the Tokugawa family temple since 1393 — the Sangedatsumon gate out front dates to 1622 and is one of the oldest wooden structures left in Tokyo. Everything behind it is either glass office tower or the red-and-white lattice of the broadcast tower, which leans into nearly every view from the temple grounds.

Hydrangeas were still going in Shiba Park, pink and purple mopheads under the trees, the tower's tip sticking out above them. Along one wall of the temple, the rows of Shien Jizō — small stone figures in red knit caps and bibs, pinwheels planted beside each one. They're for children who died before or soon after birth, and families keep them dressed.

After dark, from a window high over the park, the tower lit up orange with the whole skyline blinking behind it. A pinwheel by one of the Jizō was still turning when we passed back through.

A traditional temple-like building with a modern skyscraper behind it, surrounded by green trees and grass under a blue sky.The Tokyo Tower stands tall against a clear sky, surrounded by a green park and distant city buildings, with a person in the park.A red and white tower rises above green trees under a clear blue sky.The iconic red and white Tokyo Tower stands tall against a clear blue sky, with traditional temple roofs and green trees in the foreground.Night view of an illuminated Tokyo Tower and a sprawling city skyline under a cloudy sky.A red and white temple gate stands over a street with cars and pedestrians, flanked by buildings and traffic signs.The illuminated Tokyo Tower stands tall at night, with streetlights and other buildings visible in the foreground and background.Rows of small stone statues with red hats, bibs, pinwheels, and flowers line a concrete wall outdoors.

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