Hanazono Shrine, Tokyo, Japan

My friends and I gathered together as it had been in Tokyo for a long time! I am so grateful to have friends who gather together and say, "Hey, since you haven't been here in a while, let's have a drink together!"

My friends who have lived in Tokyo longer than me took me sightseeing in Tokyo. Even though they are from Stockholm, Scotland, and Shanghai, and none of them are originally from Tokyo, but they have lived in Tokyo for a long time! They are more locals than most of Japanese who live in Tokyo.　Since I have never lived in Tokyo, my friends taught me how to enjoy Tokyo the way "locals" do. The best way to enjoy Tokyo! 😉👍

I was surprised to see how much my friends, who were still speaking English when I met them a few years ago, were able to communicate mostly in Japanese when I met them this time. All of them even realized that I speak with very strong Kansai dialect. Well, good job you all! You all have improved so much even you can distinguish my dialect. 　I was surprised at how much they had improved. I felt once again that I should try my best to study Swedish as well.　😃👏

The first place my friends took me to was a shrine in the middle of Tokyo called Hanazono Jinja (Hanazono Shrine).　This shrine is very close to Shinjuku station, and I was very surprised at the world of silence that suddenly appeared amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.

With 3 million daily passengers, Shinjuku Station is one of the largest stations in the world.　Since Stockholm's population is about 1 million, the station's size is surprising when you consider that more people than the entire population of Stockholm live in the city gather at this station. (Shinjuku station - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Station )

This Hanazono Shrine, just a few minutes' walk from such a bustling Shinjuku station, was a very quiet place that made me forget the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo city.

The best way to enjoy a night out in Tokyo is to "Grab a drink from a convenience store and enjoy walking around the city at night with friends!" So I took my friend to a convenience store.

Convenience stores in Japan have become really convenient, and there are probably few countries in the world where you can buy alcohol 24 hours a day, anywhere, anytime.

I bought several bottles of Suntory beer at a convenience store and went to Hanazono Shrine with them.　Time flew by as I talked with my friends in the shrine grounds about old times, life in Tokyo, work, and many other things.　It's great to spend time with friends, isn't it?