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travelers in their own flag-led groups with the modern Azabudai Hills development.
guides, families, couples, and solo photog- The museum of some 10,000 square feet
raphers everywhere. moves visitors through its creative world
We wandered around the East Garden of artworks without boundaries, a museum
of the Imperial Palace (Kokyo Higashi Gy- with several rooms without a map. The
oen), part of the inner palace area. It com- digital artworks flow across walls, floors,
bines historical architecture with and ceilings, moving visitors in and out of
meticulously maintained gardens. The rooms. Some works come alive and shine
palace grounds are the primary residence when you enter a room, sometimes be-
of Japan’s Imperial Family. coming part of the three-dimensional dis-
We attended the Goma Fire Buddhist play with lights and action all around. We
Ritual at the Fukagawa Fudodo Temple to were surrounded by digital crystal balls
continue connecting with traditional cul- and dangling threads of light on strings,
ture. This daily ritual is performed to de- amused by cartoon animals prancing
stroy negative energies, detrimental along the walls, and changing the flow on
thoughts, and desires. It is believed that the floor whenever we moved.
the fire can burn away all the problems
that get in the way of the path to enlight- Taiko Drum Lessons
enment.
After a quick lunch in a modern restau-
Traditional Shopping Street rant inside the central high-rise in this
compound, we zipped through a couple of
Once done enjoying the serenity, we side streets to a main thoroughfare lined
stepped outside and entered the modern, with shops, including the studio where we
bustling Japan, strolling along the would fire up our forearms in a private
Nakamise Shopping Street. Crowds course Taiko Drum lesson. Taiko is a Japanese
along the streets and alleys, engaging with drum with a long history. It was first used
merchants selling anything and every- as a means of communication and later in-
thing, from a quick snack for a few dollars corporated into performance arts such as
(in Yen) for regaining your sugar levels Kabuki and Noh, which are still popular to-
from too much walking to tacky souvenirs, day, including for celebrations and cere-
to clothing, to a set of autographed monies. In our one-hour session, we picked
kitchen knives for $5,000. Every stand had up a few basic rhythms and techniques
its brightly colored sign, some enhanced and kept our skilled instructor highly en-
with flashing lights and neon, like a mini- tertained with our syncopation.
Ginza. It is lined with stalls selling crafts, We ended our day in the Ginza District,
souvenirs, local delicacies, and artisanal arguably the most celebrated area in
crafts. Japan. Ginza is home to the flagship stores
We sought additional serenity at the of international luxury brands, elegant de-
wooded grounds of the Meiji Shrine. This partment stores, and art galleries. For a
Shinto shrine is in a beautiful, forested dash of culture, visit the renowned Kabuk-
area in Harajuku. Our guide said it is a iza Theatre for traditional Kabuki perfor-
perfect example of pure Shinto architec- mances.
ture with its massive torii gates at the en- Ginza Six is the district's newest and
trance. largest luxury mall, featuring 241 shops
Our next day’s adventures began at the across 13 floors. The basement floor (de-
teamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum in pachika) houses an exceptional food hall,
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