Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

Our first full day in Japan. We had an unexpectedly full day. We had thought we would have a quiet day settling into a new country but it turned out that, in Narita, we were right next to a highly significant Japanese religious site. We headed to the Naritsan Shinshoji Temple along with many thousands of Japanese Buddhists. Along the way, we saw a huge range of interesting stalls. At the temple, we wandered through the vast grounds, watched the ceremony in the main hall and learned about the history of the site dating back 1000 years. Despite the enormous crowds, it was easy to negotiate our way around. The calm and orderliness of Japanese crowds is astonishing. It is something we could really learn from.