Suitengu

Well, I said I'd take some photos, and I went slightly overboard just now! These shots are of my surrounding area in the daylight, and my local shrine - Suitengu Shrine, which is only a five minute walk up the road.

This is the Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) which is just around the corner from my guesthouse. It seems to be Tokyo's answer to Birmingham's Spaghetti Junction.

It is a major transport hub. And here is one of the Friendly Airport Limousine Buses I took from Narita to Shinjuku on my first day.
This is my local Koban (police box).
A traditional Japanese house, complete with sliding front doors.
My road. One of the buildings on the right is my guesthouse.

The main event. Suitengu Shrine behind the torii gate, the sign of a Shinto shrine.
The shrine complex was filled with little stalls and other mini-shrines.
Ahh, the sacred tourist stand...

People queuing to pray at the shrine.

People pull on the bell rope, throw money into the box, clap three times to summon the resident kami (deity) and then pray silently.
The torii with the city behind it.

The following two boards were outside the shrine, at street-level, just to the left of the steps leading into the shrine complex.

Those boards were covered in people's names, written in kanji.
A post with 'Suitengu' written on it next to the road.
This little trough (I suppose you'd call it) was filled with water. People would wash their hands in it and then drink from it using the wooden ladles provided.

Back to the road now. Here are some of Japan's famous vending machines. I haven't seen any selling hot noodles or anything, but lots selling hot coffee, cold cans of drinks and chocolate.

Another traditional Japanese house opposite my guesthouse. This one complete with van in the garage.

This is a much smaller, but quieter shrine about 30 seconds up the road from me. I stumbled upon it when I was searching for the supermarket. I love how one minute you can be queuing to buy a KitKat in a 7-11, then crossing a busy, dirty road, then inside a peaceful den all to yourself. Only in Japan!