I took a second trip to Kudanshita, Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms during the day (night illumination pictures in earlier post) on a Tuesday afternoon, which was still crowded since it's spring vacation for many people. Taking exit 2 again from Tokyo Metro Kudanshita station, I followed the stream of blossom viewers along the beautiful moat.
Many people crowded around the sides of moat to see the spectacular view.
View from the overpass
The Daiichi Torii, or Great Gate, looks just as impressive during the day as it did at night under the illumination. The yattai, or food stands, lined the pathway to the shrine as it did at night, though there were fewer people eating (it was around 2pm).
I followed a stream of people moving west towards the shrine. After crossing the street, I passed the Daini Torii and finally the Chumon Torii, the last torii before reaching the shrine.
Visitors clean their hands and mouth with water from the water-filled basins upon entering the main shrine as part of the Shinto ceremonial purification rite called chozuya or temizuya.
Cherry blossom trees and visitors filled the grounds of the shrine.
Most of the blossoms were in full bloom already at the shrine. Hopefully they'll stick around for the rest of the week and brave through the rainy weather.
Next blog: Omotesando Koffee and sakura at Meguro River>>