Probably no other city on earth better captures the mix of old and new, traditional and modern than Tokyo. Historical temples, still sacred and revered, are juxtaposed with skyscrapers and towers bristling with the very latest in telecommunication technology.

Look in one direction at a piece of modern sculpture in the comic book style of Japanese anime……and in the other, children dressed up in outfits from an earlier, more traditional time. Or at the classic gardens and ponds of the Meiji Shrine… …and just a mile or so away, the teeming, neon lit narrow streets of the entertainment district of Shinjuku… …then to the Asakusa district where Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo, is embedded in the midst of narrow pedestrian streets where small stores and stalls sell the very latest in fashion and technology, setting the trends for the rest of the world. “A world of contrasts” is a travel writers cliche. Sometimes the cliche is almost all that needs to be said.

(Don and Katherine’s trip was organized and hosted by OKU JAPAN)