Nezu-jinja Shrine...

Melisa and I spent that Tuesday together. Upon a suggestion from a friend who used to live in Tokyo, we headed to the Nezu area where we quickly came upon the torii gate to a beautiful Shinto shrine.

For once, Melisa and I stopped to photograph each other.

As in other Shinto shrines, there were statues wearing red bibs called yokarekake. Supposedly, the color red in Japanese folklore is the color for "expelling demons and illness." However, I couldn't confirm the symbolic significance of the bibs themselves. One blog author suggested they are a Samurai throat protector like chain mail.

I had to duck while walking through this series of torii. Ironically, we ran through here in the dark on the hash Friday night.

Nezu Shrine, completed in 1706, is one of Japan's oldest existing shrines and the entire complex is designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.