1 post tagged “asakusa”
Today I met up with Yuka and Aya, some friends from elementary school back in Singapore. I haven't seen (or really talked to) them in about 6 years so it was nice to see them again. We went to Asakusa, one of the most traditional and historical neighbourhoods in Tokyo.
At the entrance to Asakusa is Kaminari-mon, or Thunder and Lightning Gate. You can't
Asakusa seemed like a lot of winding streets and alleyways with store after store after store. There were a lot of different things for sale from yukata and traditional Japanese confections to gaudy tourist ware and cheap shoes. There were food stalls and restaurants every few feet, there was so much to see. I was on the hunt for a yukata since Andrew told me I would be able to find something nice here, being a more "traditional" part of Tokyo, but it was pretty pricey. I guess they can afford to jack up the prices since its such a tourist trap. I did manage to find some postcards finally. Aya told me the post office sells them too, but I actually haven't gone to my post office yet. I'll check it out tomorrow. That would be pretty convenient if they did.
There was a large urn in the centre of the grounds as well with burning incense (which I forgot to take a picture of). You're supposed to waft the smoke on to the part of your body you want to change the most, I think. Yuka said her dad used to take the smoke and rub her head saying, "Get smarter Yuka". So we got "incensed" and then went to purify our hands in the fountain. There were taps coming out from the statue in the centre and little scoops so you could catch some water and wash your hands before you go into the temple. There were some people drinking the water, but I think that was pretty gross. On the grounds of Senso-ji is a Five Story Pagoda, first built in 942 AD, which is supposed to house the ashes of Buddha at the top. Currently, it has administrative offices in it for the Asakusa Temple.
After wandering around the temple grounds, we went and explored more of Asakusa. We wandered around to the shopping centre there looking for a Unicqlo to see if they had yukatas there. We did find some, but they had the same blah colours I saw in the Ueno store. But so far, that is the best deal I've seen. Maybe I'll go back and get one before the end of August just because I'll kick myself if I don't. Although, I could always save up and get a really nice one next year. We wandered around and ended up back at Kaminari-mon. Across the street is the Asakusa Tourist Information Centre, so we went in there to see what they could tell us. Down the street from Kaminari-mon is a bright red bridge and I wanted to find out what it was and why it was red. We got some maps and information in English but the "Foreign Information Counter" closed just as we were going to ask. The front of the building has a big Seiko clock on that opens up and plays a song on the hour. It was so cool! There was a little mikoshi inside, a portable shrine, and it played a pretty song. Since the counter closed, we asked a rickshaw driver what the red bridge was about, but he didn't know. He did point out the building in the distance: the Asahi Brewery headquarters that is designed to look like a glass of beer!
Well, that was my adventure today! I got home around 8pm and Hannah had shipped all her stuff today and you can actually see the floor in her room. I think she and Ed head out tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. She will be crashing her one night I think before they fly to Bangkok from Narita airport at the end of the month. I don't have a problem with that but she might not have her room. Muahahaha. Nicky said to me that I can have Hannah's room if I want it. I'll see if my theory about the air con is right before I up and move all my stuff. I"ve already put up all my pictures so it would be a bit of a pain to move everything now. But if it means I can have a reasonable nights sleep, then I will.
