I woke up early and decided to grab a cab. It was time to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. As much as I loved the Hana Hotel in Kyoto it was time to head to the Park Prince Hotel in Tokyo.

Kyoto Station

I learned my lesson and booked a reserved seat on the Shinkansen heading back to Tokyo. It was much more relaxing knowing that I had a seat and was able to get my luggage tucked away nicely. While on board I met a really nice older woman. We chatted for a long time and the trip went by very quickly.  I arranged to sit by the Window but sadly could not get a great view of Mount Fuji due to clouds.

I arrived at Tokyo station and grabbed a taxi to go to my Hotel. It was still too early to check in but I wanted to drop off my suitcase. It was a short 10 minute drive from the station to my Hotel. I was promptly greeted and escorted in where they checked my luggage for me. I was more than ready to explore.

O-jizo-sama at Zojo-ji Temple

The Hotel is located next to Tokyo Tower ad Zojo-ji. I had visited both of these places before but could not wait to go back to both again. The day was still young so I started with Zojo-ji. Zojo-ji is a famous Buddhist temple founded in 1393 but has roots dating back even further to to about the 8th century. There is a large cemetery with rows of stone statues of children which represent unborn children. The statues are called Jizo. Relatives can choose a statue and decorate it with small clothing some also place small toys. The statues are often accompanied by a small gift for Jizo, who is the guardian of unborn children. It is a sad sight to see so many jizo statues.

Zōjō-ji (三縁山増上寺)

Tokyo Tower is an impressive backdrop to the temple. I walked around for about 20 minutes before walking to the subway station and taking the Oedo line to Hama-Rikyo Garden (Hama-Tiryu Teien) in the Chuo ward. It was just a few station away and I read some great things about it.