December 31, 2019. Beautiful blue skies and a high of 21C. The ideal day to go on a little adventure.
Futtsu Misaki is a needle of land reaching into Tokyo Bay. It’s captivated Tod since we lived in Tokyo; he even figured out to to travel here without a car but we never made that trip. After Typhoon 19, it was the landing point for much of Tokyo’s flotsam and much reported on the news for signboards and trash that had floated all the way from western Tokyo and beyond.
At the end of the cape is a park and this gorgeous observation platform tower. We not only climbed it, we brought a picnic lunch to celebrate the last day of 2019. Gluttonously (no wonder we never lose any weight) after lunch, we were tempted by the “gyoza dog” at the little shack nearby.
It was very windy at the top of the observation structure. So windy small children were hanging onto the railing fearful of being blown off. We braved a selfie, though you will note I am keeping my scarf in check. My hair is flying right up out of the frame!
What can you see from Futtsu Misaki? Look closely and you will see Mt. Fuji on the horizon. (It’s just to the left of the little island in the center of the photo)
After leaving the cape, we drove to another intriguing place – the Tokyo Wan Kannon. She is huge – 56 meters tall – and visible to every ship entering Tokyo Bay.
She was built in 1962 and renovated in 2018. Inside there is a spiral staircase and ladders that take you all the way up to her head. Along the way are niches with sculptures made by a Kamogawa artist, Koh Hasegawa, who designed the Kannon. We saw all of the seven lucky gods and some important monks and prophets.
The spiral staircase is lined with small windows and also leads to various external observation points. It felt even windier here than at the cape; I was grateful for the cages and railings. Here, Tod is standing next to the fingers of her right hand.
We climbed all the way up to the top – 20 stories. I did not leave a petition in the book because I felt so calm and peaceful in the Kannon I didn’t really need anything extra from her.
At the bottom of the statue is a sort of gallery cum gift shop. We took our time looking at photographs of Mt Fuji and more sculptures by Koh Hasegawa before we left to drive home.
This was an excellent way to spend a warm and sunny December day.
