June 24th 2014 To Boldly Go! (to different train stations)

When I was in 2nd grade some of the neighborhood kids and I liked to play Star Trek. (Yes, the original series, I'm THAT old!) There were some funny little bushes that were the perfect height for small children to crawl inside of and that was our Enterprise and from there we explored different planets and battled Romulons and Klingons! So, when I was home one of my siblings asked me what my favorite thing to do in Tokyo was and I told him it was hopping on the train and getting off at a station I don't know and exploring! It may not be the same as different planets but it satisfies my curiosity.  That's what I did today. First stop was Hino Station. Hino turned out to be a bit more rural Tokyo than some areas I've visited and it was hilly! It also had lots of trees and vegetation though which I like! Here's some pics from my wanderings around.
                                                                   
         I first ended up at a little temple area/graveyard. I found the little knit cap on the statue amusing. Was his head cold? What is the custom behind that I wonder?

                                                                    Graves

Then I went on my way and climbed some hills....

                                                                             Up!

                                                                                Up!

                                                                              Up!

And then SIT!  There was a little park at the top of the hill with some benches to sit on, Yay! 

         And then back down the hill while stopping to admire Hino's street covers! Every area has their own                                              design I always enjoy seeing the different styles!

By then I needed an ice cream so I stopped at a vending machine! I wanted the watermelon flavor but it was sold out so I got grape instead!

Then I continued my exploring, I saw a bus headed to Hachijoji train station so I hopped on! You can see areas of the city by bus that you don't get to see by the train route. It was a pleasant ride and Hachijoji had more things going on than Hino.  I only took a little walk there and decided to save further exploring for a time when Gary could come too! Good news though was that I found a Burger King! We have only run into one so far here in Tokyo and it was far away so this is closer and will be fun to check out the area too.

View from the station.

                               Another view from the station. (Aren't you glad I'm explaining this? lol)

                                                                You get the idea...

                                                                         
                                                             It's starting to rain a little.

                                                                               
                                                                        Burger King!!!!

                                 
                                    Fugu fish staring at me...we are both thinking of killing each other!

                                                                             
                                                                Cool building!

                                                                           Street view

Sherlock Holmes Pub... which is here instead of England.

Then I headed back to the train station and went towards Tachikawa.

By the time I got there and had just left the station looking for the second hand store I like, THIS happened! Even with my little umbrella my feet and legs got quite wet!

       After wandering around a bit and buying a treat for Gary, I decided to head back home, I re-boarded the train and headed to Kichijoji and hopped on the Mu bus and after a stop at the grocers I dragged my soggy self in the door!  Now you have an idea of what a day of my exploring looks like!  Mostly it involves alot of wandering around!

                                                                Hasta Luego!