This day we decided to visit Mt. Takao, which is about an hour train ride west of Shinjuku station. It was a sunny day, but as this was November, and we were traveling to higher elevation, it was a bit chilly. We arrived at the base of the mountain, where there were many people around, perusing the shops and getting snacks.
Of course there was a beautiful Buddhist temple on site.
We ere prepared to take the trails up, but opted for the funicular. The view at the top, looking at Tokyo, was spectacular!
The highlight of the trip to Mt. Takao was the trip down. We were a bit leery of taking the ski lift down the 2,000 or so feet from Mt. Takao, but our excitement outweighed our worry, and as you can see, we were all smiles as we neared the bottom!
Then it was back to the train, and it was still daylight when we reached Tokyo, so, after a wrong train mixup, we found ourselves at Kita-no-maru Park. The Park is located north of the Imperial Palace, and has huge entry gates dating back to the Edo period, which lead into a serene and peaceful park with many paths, concert venue (they were setting up for an unknown, to us, show), and of course, a small shrine.
Outside the entrance was a lantern-tower built in 1871, which had been used as a lighthouse.
Across the stairs, sat the massive Yasukuni-jinja Shinto Shrine. We walked under humongous Torii (Shinto gates) onto the somber shrine grounds as the sun set.
Under more Torii (gates) we went, until we reached the main shrine area.
There were fewer people at the temple, and the quiet added to the somber atmosphere of the area.
After bowing at the Shrine and throwing our coins in, we had time to stop by the office and have them stamp our book. Dinner that night was sushi and other assorted fish at the nearby Sushi-no-darihan; it was so good!
The next day was Jessica’s birthday, with a lot of fun and more good eats ahead!
Phil's WayPastCool 
I love all the shrines, and every location looks so serene!
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