Japan, again.
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| Senso-ji Gate in Asakusa, 2009 |
July 10, Arrived in Tokyo
Theresa and I had a long day. We flew to Los Angeles, waited 2 hours then took an 11 hour flight on Korean Air to Tokyo. Korean Air service is quite good and I would certainly consider taking them again. We arrived in Tokyo around 3pm. Weather is warm--around 78 degrees. We took a Kesei Express train from Narita Airport direct to Asakusa where our hotel was located. The trip was about 1 hour and cost was 1240 yen. The hotel is very close to the Asakusa station and we found it with relative ease. The room is extremely small--though I knew this beforehand. However, the location is great and the view is terrific. Notice the Tokyo Skytree which just opened in May, 2012. We plan to go there tomorrow. It's the "the tallest free-standing broadcasting tower in the world" according to the official Skytree website.
View from our hotel room. Skytree is on the left.
Far right is the Asahi building with the golden foam
We took a walk to the Senso-ji Temple. It was crowded due to a festival called Hozuki Ichi
According to the Tokyofashion.com:
"
For over 200 years, on the 9th and 10th of July the shrine hosts a festival called Hozuki-ichi, or Shiman Rokusen Nichi (Chinese Lantern Plant Fair). Hundreds of stalls are setup outside of the temple and vendors sell 'ground cherry', a type of Chinese Lantern plant that’s supposed to bring good luck. It is said that if you pray at the shrine on July 9th or 10th, it will bring you as much luck as if you visited the shrine 46,000 times on other days. "
We ate dinner at this ramen restaurant.
Nakamise Dori that leads to the Asakusa temple.
One of the many food vendors along the way.
Selling Okonomiyaki--a pan fried batter, usually cabbage filled
with some kind of meat, for 500 Yen.
Quite crowded!
The faithful heading to the temple to say their prayers.
Senso-ji temple
Theresa and the Chinese lantern plants.
July 11: Kappabashi (Kitchen Town), Sogetsu, Shibuya, and more Ramen
We started off with our complimentary Japanese-style breakfast at the hotel. It was more than we expected and quite filling. It included salmon, chicken, seaweed soup with clams, egg, noodles, and fish:
Washoku or Japanese style food at the hotel.
The new Asakusa Tourist Center.
Tokyo's Kappabashi or Kitchen town caters primarily to stores and restaurants needing fixtures, plates, utensils, stoves, plastic food, etc., but it's fun to browse and only a 20 minute walk from our hotel.
On the way to Kappabashi we made a stop at Sensoji. The custom here is to burn incense and have the smoke go over the parts of your body that need curing--knees, stomach, whatever!
Colorful lanterns and banners were strung along the street in honor of a festival that is similar to a Chinese custom apparently.
In Tokyo one never knows where a shrine may appear. This is an example. I read somewhere that the Kappa in kappabashi refers to a mythical Japanese creature or sprite and maybe that's what these two cuties are (not us, the 2 statues!)
An adult golden sprite.
Cute ceramic items for sale.
The Chef of Kappabashi.
It was then on to Sogetsu world headquaters. Sogetsu is a style of Ikebana or flower arranging that Theresa studied at City College.
Photographs are not allowed inside the building though there isn't a lot to see. We visited the bookstore and shop. After this we headed to Shibuya which is one of the busiest places in Tokyo. It has a high concentration of Department stores, and stores catering to the young and trendy. It also features one of the busiest intersections in the world--Shibuya Crossing.
The famous Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya station. It's in honor of the dog who was highy devoted to its master. Everyday he would wait at the station for his master to return home. He continued to do this for many years even after his master had died.
Shibuya Crossing
Me trying to blend in with the young and fashionable.
Enjoying the Shibuya scene.
This was the restaurant.
July 12--Ghibli Museum, Tokyo Skytree
This morning we took the JR Chuo train to Mitaka where the Ghibli Museum is located. It's dedicated to the work and life of Hayao Miyazaki who created such greated films as Totoro, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service. You have to buy your ticket in advance because it's such a popular destination. Photography is not permitted inside the museum.
The Ghibli Museum bus.
Ghibli Museum entrance
The Museum is basically one large building.
A chance encounter with a beautiful butterfly!
Later that evening we visited the Skytree and hoped to go to the top for a view of Tokyo at night. We decided to walk from our hotel.
At the base of Tokyo Skytree
Unfortunately, due to windy conditions it was CLOSED!
But, there was a great exhibition of 12 traditional Japanese artisits' "adopting the concept of TOKYO SKYTREE as their theme. Here are some samples:
Base of the Skytree
A huge shopping/restaurant complex as well as 2 major
train stations are attached to the Skytree.
Though we couldn't make it to the top.
We could still enjoy the view from our hotel room!
Tomorrow we plan to go to Kamakura.
July 13 Kamakura
Kamakura is a historically important city in Japan that has a giant Buddha and many, many temples. It's also a candidate to be designated a World Heritage site. We took the JR Yokosuka train from Shimbashi. Cost was about 740 yen. It's only an hour away from Tokyo. The road to one of the shrines--Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu-- is called Komachi Dori. It's an interesting street filled with shops, craft stores and eateries. We almost didn't make it to the temple as we stopped so often to browse! After Tsurugaoka we followed a free tour of the Giant Buddha. Kamakura is a lovely, picturesque city that is close enough to Tokyo for a one day trip though two days would allow one to visit more of the temples and also the coast.
Kamakura Station.
A shop selling rice crackers and desserts.
A shop specializing in Totoro items.
The entrance to a restaurant.
Lotus plants at the shrine.
At the front of temples/shrines water is available for the faithful to purify themselves before they enter. It's done by ladling water over your hands, and rinsing your mouth.
You get an idea of its size here.
Mei, Totoro and the Cat Bus purchased in Kamakura!
July 14-- Meeting Friends, Yanaka and a Bon Odori Festival.
Today we explored more of the area around our hotel, had a lunch date with two friends in Tokyo, visited a small neighborhood called Yanaka, and tried to go to a Bon Odori festival. It was a rather hot and humid day.
Staff at our hotel--just kidding we saw this photo at one of the Asakusa shops,
but have no idea who they are.
A Japanese raccoon dog also known as a Tanuki.
They also figure prominently in Japanese folklore and legends.
Asakusa Public Hall where they have Kabuki performances.
Lining the sidewalk in front of the Hall are these handprints
of the stars just like in Hollywood.
Our friends took us to this restaurant.
Nice change from Ramen!
Had a nice buffet.
"This area is popular among those who fancy a leisurely stroll through the folksy streets of Tokyo. The name "YA-NE-SEN" comes from the first letters of each neighborhood; Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. The area escaped damage from the bombing in World War II, so a sense of early 20th century culture still lingers there. The area is also characterized by many uniquely named hills and narrow alleyways."
The small but busy shopping area.
Two older fellows showing onlookers how to spin a small metallic top.
Later that evening we tried to make it to the Tsukuda Bon Odori folk dancing festival, but got there rather late and missed the dancing.
There was a lot of eating and women/young girls dressed in Kimonos.
We ate at this Italian restaurant.
July 15--Saint Mary's Church, Harajuku, Ameyoko and Asakusa at Night
We attended the 10:00 mass today at St. Mary's Church in the Edogawabashi district of Tokyo. After exiting the station we had to ask for directions to locate the church which is at the top of a hill. Japanese architect Tange Kenzo designed it in the 1960's and it is similar to San Francisco's Saint Mary's Cathedral. Mass was in Japanese.
We had lunch at this bakery that's been in operation since 1888!
Takeshita Street in Harajuku
Ameyoko, a busy shopping area, in Ueno
Another nice, but hot and humid day. Theresa's been able to keep up with all the walking and hoping on and off subways. Tomorrow we don't know exactly where we are going though the possibilities include Yokohama, Hakone or Mount Takao (both nature areas), or Odaiba for views of Tokyo at night.
July 16, Yokohama and Shibuya
Today is a national holiday in Japan--海の日, Umi no Hi or Ocean Day. According to a Michigan State University web page: This day is designated to honor the sea and the blessings it bestows on Japan. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876." Many families, young people were out and about enjoying themselves, many actually going to the seaside or beach. We did our part by going to Yokohama, a famous port and the second largest city in Japan. It's actually a quick and easy ride from Tokyo. At Shibuya station you transfer to the Tokyu Toyoko line which takes you directly to Yokohama in about 30 minutes. The last stop is Motomachi Chukagai or Chinatown.
Yokohama Chinatown. The official Yokohama visitor's guide says: "Among countless Chinatowns all over the world, Yokohama Chinatown is one of the largest and the best with as many as approximately 500 Chinese restaurants, Chinese grocery stores and plenty of other shops standing side by side on the streets. The year around bustling streets proves the fun-filled excitement of the town." It was busy and many restaurants had lines of people waiting to go in.
This is the Kanteibiyo temple which the visitor's guide says "was originally constructed in 1873 but has been rebuilt several times due to fire and disaster." Quite brightly colored!
Waiting for the train at Ikebukuro.
Kawagoe Station
The streets of Kawagoe.
The Edo period buildings.
The fire tower.
It was a hot day so we stopped for ice cream.
Yum!
Admiring some souvenirs.
July 16, Yokohama and Shibuya
Today is a national holiday in Japan--海の日, Umi no Hi or Ocean Day. According to a Michigan State University web page: This day is designated to honor the sea and the blessings it bestows on Japan. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876." Many families, young people were out and about enjoying themselves, many actually going to the seaside or beach. We did our part by going to Yokohama, a famous port and the second largest city in Japan. It's actually a quick and easy ride from Tokyo. At Shibuya station you transfer to the Tokyu Toyoko line which takes you directly to Yokohama in about 30 minutes. The last stop is Motomachi Chukagai or Chinatown.
Colorful streets.
We had lunch here. It was okay.
Detail of a dragon on the roof.
Yamashita Park.
Making use of the vending machines on a hot and humid day.
Celebrating Umi no hi at the Port.
After Yokohama we took a train back to Tokyo and visited a shopping center that opened a few months ago--Shibuya Hikarie:
The Hikarie building. A shopping complex with restaurants, theaters and auditoriums.
A protest against Nuclear Power.
A beautiful bench.
We had hamburgers for dinner at the Hikarie Center.
Square, round and Triangular watermelons!
July 17, Kawagoe
On our last full day we decided to go to Kawagoe which has preserved some old Edo period storehouses and buildings. It's only a 30 minute train ride from Tokyo. We took the Ginza line from our hotel, got off at Ueno Station and caught the JR Yamanote Line. At Ikebukuro we transferred to the Tobu Tojo Line for Kawagoe. That's been pretty much what we've been doing these past few days. It's a wonderful transportation system that takes some getting used to. But the marvelous Suica card was accepted everywhere we went, even in little towns, and on different company lines.
A shopping street is connected to the Kawagoe Edo buidlings (of course!).
We ate at McDonald's!
Theresa shows her skills at ringing the temple bell.
Well, tomorrow we have to go home. All good things must come to an end. We had a great time and I'm so glad Theresa could come too, and she had a great time. There were still a lot of other places I wanted to take her to see, but we just didn't have the time. The hotel staff and people in general are extremely courteous and their sense of service is admirable. I'm already starting to think about my next trip to Japan as there are so many other cities and areas I want to go to. Climbing Mount Fuji (while I still can!), exploring Kyoto, seeing the cherry blossoms in the spring, visiting Okinawa, Hokkaido, Kyushu, etc.
