At
the beginning of our trip,
Andy and Jackie were all
(exhausted) smiles as we made
our way to our hotel on
the Skyline shuttle from
Narita airport to Ueno. |
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Up
the street on the left,
the vertical green sign
marks our first hotel in
which we stayed for 5 nights.
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Shortly after, we walked the
streets looking for
fresh grilled chicken
on a stick. Yummy.
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What
trip to Japan would
be complete without picking
up the latest in trendy
sneaker-ware? Actually,
this is more like a sneaker
stand I saw in Tanzania.
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A
dog out riding
his owner.
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Narrow
walking streets
where cars are not
allowed are pretty
common throughout.
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Saigo
Takamori Statue
This statue of a samarai out
walking his dog sits near the
southern entrance of the park.
Saigo Takamori started out
supporting the Meiji Restoration,
but ended up ritually
disembowelling himself in
defeated opposition to it.
He turned against the Meiji
when the government
withdrew the powers of the
military class.
This
must be the inspiration
for the character "Katsumoto,"
the samarai leader
in The
Last Samarai
movie with Tom Cruise.
Keep reading ....
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Tomb
site of Shogi-Tai Soldiers
Defeated
by the Imperial army on
May 15, 1868, this army of the
Edo shogunate was to be no
more. These tombstones were
erected for the soldiers killed.
Further
Description
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A
close up of the picture below,
entitled Grave-yard of
Shogi-tai soldiers in the
Ueno War ...
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Repeating
much of what has
been cited above, this sign
has interesting information in
that it says "It is said because
this picture was drawn according
to the instruction of Okisato Ogawa,
who was one of the survivors
of the Ueno War, it is a faithful
picture to the historical fact
unlike other color prints."
What
interests me personally
is that this picture does not show
the firearms and machine guns
used by the Imperial Army in the
Hollywood movie depicting what
is likely this battle. It appears
everyone has swords here. Do
you think Hollywood distorted
the truth just a little in the movie?
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Like
any good park, homeless
populations set up shabby tents.
I understand that they are
tolerated in Ueno Park, and are
not prompted to move by
city authorities. You get a good
mix of homeless and foreign
visitors in Ueno Park. |
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Just
over the wall of the park, the
bustling Ueno district carries on
about its business.
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Here
is a Monument to
Shokusanjin. He was skilled in
humorous composition and the
writing of comic tanka poems and
had an extensive knowledge of
Chinese and Japanese literature.
He died in 1823.
Further
Description
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Another
shot nearby of
the Ueno district.
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A
sign in Japanese in
Ueno Park.
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Another
sign in Japanese
in Ueno Park. I have
forgotten their significance.
Note to self: when next in Japan,
figure out what these 2 signs
are saying....
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