Marco, Roger and another friend just returned from a boy’s trip in Tokyo. (I say boy’s trip purely because they went to 5 pro wrestling shows along with the usual touristy things. About 22 hours of wrestling, Marco said!)

They arrived on New Year’s Eve, so they were able to celebrate the holiday in Japanese style. Which is nothing like the fireworks warzone that the Netherlands turns into on December 31, I might add. Here is a list of some of the New Year’s traditions in Japan, from Japan Today. For instance, they took part in hatsumonde, visiting a temple or shrine within the first few days of the year to pray. They joined the crowds at a shrine that evening to celebrate the new year at midnight. Here’s a YouTube video in English of the crowds at a different, larger shrine.

Here’s a photo of a shine (taken later in the trip).

Here’s a building I liked a lot. Great architecture, framed by lovely blue skies. It is the Fuji Broadcasting Center.

Here is a look at the Rainbow bridge:

Here is a look at some menacing clouds:

Marco also took a good photo of one of the train stations in Tokyo, with modern architecture on one side and more classic architecture on the other side. On the far side you have a bullet train (you can just see the blue nose sticking out on the right side), and closer to the bottom of the photo there’s a local train, with a green and white design.

And did you know there is a Statue of Liberty replica in Tokyo? The statue itself stands 11 meters (36 feet tall) and celebrates Japan’s friendship with France. It was erected in 1998. It was supposed to be a temporary installation but in the end it was kept permanently due to its popularity. Read more at Go Tokyo.

In the background is the Fuji Broadcasting Center, from the other side. The blue clouds are unfortunately gone… but Marco is back home! ❤