Japan- Day 4- Kabuki, Imperial Gardens, Onsen

Today was a once again busy day! We started off at a Kabuki performance. We had to wait in line for a half hour to get a single act ticket, which was worth is for a seated ticket. The performance was about and hour and 15 minutes and was incredibly different from anything in the west. The movements and even the voices they use are very slow and melodramatic. Very interesting and a good show.

Next, we explored Ginza some more and checked out a famous toystore called Hakuhinkan park. It had some pretty cool toys and a whole floor of stuffed animals. 

After that, we tried to see the Imperial Palace. First we walked through the imperial gardens which were gorgeous. It has a lot of moats with high walls and cultivated trees. I expected the architecture to be a lot like the Forbidden City and the Palace in Seoul, which I found very similar. It was very different though, without the elaborate panting. We were disappointed to find that we weren't able to actually enter the palace (although not for trying). I wonder why that is.

(what I could wee of the palace)

selfie!

moats

The moats were filled with HUGE koi.

We finished our day with a trip to a hot spring, o-edo onsen monogatari. We chose an onsen that we knew would be more touristy, but it was still very interesting. It is supposed to look like old Edo. 

They painted the ceiling black to make it look like it is outdoors. It was very cool, although very touristy.

I love the old Edo Claw machine :)

... and the old edo crepes!

They had an animaton dog which barked- I appreciated that.

Relaxation room

The baths were a very unusual experience from a western point of view. It was kind of uncomfortable at first, but then you get used to it. Its a really large room filled with a zillion different kinds of baths of varying tempeatures. There were also outdoor baths and saunas. I think we managed to try everything. I don't think that I have ever felt so clean!

The onsen was a little outside of Tokyo, and the train we had to take to get there had spectacular views. Pictures couldn't really give the ride justice. The train went over a bridge across the bay, as the onsen was on an island.