The highlight of my time in Japan was the few days I spent doing service in the Tokyo Japan Temple. I am so happy that these sacred buildings dot the earth. I may not live conveniently close to one for regular attendance, but being able to visit one during my travels brings me joy. My original hope was to hit up all three temples in Japan during this trip. While I was planning, I realized how overly ambitious that plan was, so I whittled it down to just Tokyo. Though I have served in temples hundreds of times performing multiple ordinances in a day, this was the first time I have spent an entire day in a temple. And, what a glorious day!
The Tokyo temple sits across from a lovely park and is in a very international district of the city where many foreign embassies operate. This also means there is a wide variety of places to eat nearby. I tried a few places including a French bakery, a Mexican cantina, a grill with Philly Cheesesteaks, and dessert from Max Brenner’s.
My next temple experience will be in Kiev, Ukraine on my long layover to Istanbul in January. Unfortunately, the day I am there, the temple will be closed for its annual deep cleaning, so I will be relegated to the outside. However, I hope to make it back to Japan sometime in the spring to Hokaido to visit the new temple in Sapporo. Until then, many happy adventures to you and yours!
