Asakusa and Beyond

After we got our fill of the temple and kimono shopping, Noel and I strolled around Asakusa. This part of Tokyo has a really cool old feel. Human taxi's cart people around and the streets are lined with small restaurants, stores and sushi stops. One of the things on my "must do in Japan" list was to drink tea while sitting on the floor. It's just how I pictured it would be done there :) Noel was a great sport, walking me around until we found just the place!

Next we jumped on the metro and headed for Ueno. There is a huge street market here and you can find foods from all over the world. Ueno is home to a large park, several temples, and is a hot spot for museums. It was starting to get dark so we walked around so I could get the lay of the land. We approached a temple just as it was closing for visitors. I had to laugh when I heard ominous music coming from the direction of the temple... it was the New Year's song! What Auld Lang Syne has to do with closing time at the temple is beyond me, but it was good for a laugh.

Our next stop was one we had been looking forward to all day. In the Ryogoku section of Tokyo you'll find Popeye - a restaurant with 70 craft beers on tap. Even better, during happy hour they serve free food with orders of beer. Hazzah! I had a super simple, yummy tofu dish here and... drumroll please... the best pumpkin beer EVER! I couldn't tell you exactly what the difference was, but it must have been some magical Japanese spice. The best was I can think to describe it is - you've been eating curry and loving it. You try all different kinds but they are all variations of Indian curry. Then you go somewhere new and again order curry, but wham, someone brings you Thai curry and your mind is blown! Something like that :P

Noel asked me if I minded making one more stop so he could meet with some collegues to discuss a few things. He is working on a project to bring new technology to Mexico, where he is from. I don't speak Spanish but I was pretty stoked that I could follow most of the conversation that was swirling around me. Turns out listening to "Spanish for Gringos" in my car a thousand times kinda paid off! It may sound strange, but I thought it was pretty cool to witness a meeting in Tokyo where the gap between Mexico and Japan was being bridged in an effort to create technology that will aid kids' education.

Sushi hut

Streets of Asakusa

You never know what you're going to see!

These guys were on buildings all over town!

Noel and my floor-level green tea :)

Approaching a temple

Had to be done

Visiting Sensoji

Asakusa was the first area my host Noel and I visited, and one of my favorite in Tokyo. One of the main attractions is a Buddhist temple by the name of Sensoji. Leading up to Sensoji is Nakamise, a long walkway lined with vendors. This is a place to do some serious shopping! It reminded me of a spot Matt Thompson and I perused for souvenirs in Moscow, but that stroll didn't lead you to the oldest temple in town! There are 2 gates you must go through before entering the temple; Kaminarimon, also known as Thunder Gate, and Hozo-mon, which also stores the temple's treasures. Visitors are not allowed to photograph inside temples, but there was plenty to capture all around the grounds. I couldn't tell you what most of it is, but it's beautiful to look at!

 

Proof I was there!

Nakamise - full of goodies :)

Thunder Gate

The incense pit. You will see these at the entrance to most 

temples in Japan. Believed to have healing powers, it is 

customary to wave the smoke toward you before entering.

Hello, fishies!

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Arkanus Interview

I interrupt this stream of posts about Japan to bring you news from Catalunya! You might remember me writing from Spain over the summer. While I was there I was plucked off the beach and interviewed by the cool cats of metal radio station, Arkanus Rock. Below is a link to the interview, and another to their Facebook where you can find all sorts of interviews. And for all you non-Catalan speaking individuals (like me!) don't worry, they were kind enough to interpret everything in English as well :)

Cheers!

Full Interview

Arkanus Rock on Facebook

Shibuya

Joining back up with the KD peeps, we made plans to meet in Shibuya and hit the town. This part of Tokyo is made for shopping. It was busy and noisy - billboards playing music videos, music in the streets. It wasn't my favorite part of Tokyo, but it was certainly something to see. The highlight of the day was definitely the automated sushi restaurant we ate at. No servers - just sit down, place your order on the monitor in front of you, and wait for your dishes to come shooting over to you! The best part - a belly full of sushi including sake to wash it down, about 11 bucks :)

After eating the guys and I decided we weren't quite up for more shopping and left the ladies to venture the stores of Shibuya while we got to know the local Irish pub - yup, even in Tokyo! Eventually it was time for me to say goodbye till next time and head back across town to get my things. I was moving on to meet my first couch surfing host in Meguro. 

After meeting Noel at the metro station, we walked to his house, stopping briefly at a temple along the way. One of the coolest things about Tokyo is in the middle of the modern architecture you will randomly see temples and other traditional buildings. Once at his home he welcomed me with a glass of sake and gave me extensive advise on places to visit. Even better, he offered to show me around the next day. I went to bed not knowing that the next would be probably my best day in Japan.

Our meeting spot at Shibuya Station
- apparently this dog is pretty famous. Hachikō

Entering what is supposedly the busiest
intersection in the world for pedestrians...
while having a bad hair day.

Pachinko is a popular gambling game in Japan. A lot of businessmen 

spend their lunch hour relaxing in these arcades. It's so loud and chaotic 

in there, I don't now how anyone would find it soothing.

I also don't know why this video refuses to move to the left!

Why I was not tempted to shop in Shibuya

Eating sushi was definitely on my list of things to do in Japan.

Spidery sculpture!

Yoyogi Park and Harajuku

After seeing Tokyo's metal side, it was time to do some exploring! I started my second full day there by doing what I do best - tracking down a vegan restaurant :) Pure Café was very close to the apartment where I was staying in the Omotesando section of Tokyo, but it still took me a while to find due to the plethora of small streets. It was pretty rad tho once I did find it to eat a veggie sandwich with veggies in it that I've never had before. From there I set out for Yoyogi Park...

I walked the main shopping street about a mile until the entrance to the park. Most of the stores along this street were regular and upscale retail shops - not my thing. I did stop in one store tho that sold traditional Japanese goods and I wanted to buy everything! I'm normally not much of a shopper when I travel but I've always loved Japanese art and design. This stop gave me my first indication that I would have to practice great restraint!

Yoyogi Park wasn't the hike that I expected - it was paved roads - but it's a lot of ground to cover and I was lucky to go there on one of the few nice days I had in Tokyo. Unfortunately the museums were closed when I was there but I did get to witness a wedding procession while I was visiting Zoujyoji Temple in the center of the park. When I finally exited the park I bumped right into a car show that was about to start. Timing is everything! I couldn't get close to any of the antique race cars, but I walk by one later on a flat bed while I was on my way home.

After the park I ventured to Harajuku, which was conveniently close by. This is a popular shopping area for crazy fashions. Here I was only tempted to by tights, of which there were a variety of fun ones, but it was eye opening to see what some people are willing to wear! As I continued on I got to a smaller street that had a lot of second-hand clothes... "Used American Clothing." This of course, amused me.

In Yoyogi - A whole lotta sake!

Koi friends!

Washing hands before entering the temple

You can leave your prayer here. Was cool to see people 

from all over wishing well for their loved ones.

Vroom vroom!

Entering the main street in Harajuku