Tokyo Trip - 31 December 2009

It's new year's eve, and we're off to Asakusa to see the Sensoji temple, or otherwise known as the Asakusa Kannon temple.

Arrived at the Asakusa station, and chose one auspicious exit...




Apparently, sightseeing tours by rickshaw is popular in Asakusa...


rickshaw sightseeing tour

I think there's more than 1 operator..


interesting costume

But these guys speaks in Japanese, so not sure if gaijin are supposed to take the tour or just locals. I've seen female pullers as well.. strong ya!

Another thing I've noticed in Asakusa was that the people who ride bicycles, rode it fast and furious.. especially at traffic lights... swooosh! They'll zoom past you criss cross the junction as they're in a hurry to catch the green light!


mild riders, for illustration haha!


Soon, we found shopping area and hence, took time to look at their wares...


shopping area


There's this shop that sells all bags at 10,000 yen. Quite cool. I also found a shop selling blueberry.. that looked like burberry haha!


we were at this area first.. i think this one not Nakamise right?


Got lots of interesting stuffs to see, for example:


shop selling... trunks?!


Soon we moved out to the outdoor area.




I like all these rustic feel kind of shops.




interesting figurine, i think its to prevent vehicles from coming into that area


Also noticed that some shops have interesting features:


figurine on the roof


another figurine for the kimono shop


another one here!


Omoshiroii desu! The back alley seemed less crowded, so usually I'll take that route.


quiet back alley


Saw this interesting toy shop that sells retro toys.. or rather, limited edition retro ones?


cool, right?


After which, I lost the kids and their mom! So after texting Gina to inform her of the situation, I went on a semi sightseeing semi looking out for the lost sheeps.


feels like festivities


Sensoji priests residence?








It sure felt peaceful looking inside Denbo-in, but outside sure got alot of people heading towards the temple.



look at the crowd..


five storey pagoda.. i think


Outside, there are stalls selling auspicious stuffs. But got this one stall that has Hello Kitty items!


i think these are charms?


Didn't go inside the temple, so moved about the area exploring nooks and corners...


walk and walk...



interesting shop that has a samurai picture, but is actually an antique shop


But what caught my attention, were these:


so beautiful, right?




Then I walked past these:


old and rustic



modern buildings.. of course, when i see this.. i was already a little lost


Then, best if I go and seek some divine help...




greeted by this dragon...




It's actually a shrine for the raccoon or known as tanuki in Japanese. Apparently I'm at the Chingodo shrine. It is said that Otanuki-sama, is a deity believed to protect people and their homes from calamities like fire and theft. In the same hall, there's also a statue of Mizuko Jizo, of which according to wikipedia, Mizuko refers to unborn children or infants who have died.

There's a beautiful pond and garden, beyond Chingodo shrine.




Then I walked and walked again, and I saw these:


still lost...


must check properly..



oooh.. i've reached kaminarimon


thunder gate


But I was also cold and hungry.. wind was blowing till it toppled a couple of those parked bicycle!



getting ready for the evening

So went to find food. Passed by alot of those drinking joints.. and oden stalls, but I thought it'd be difficult to order since I my Japanese is just half-past six.. so chose a ramen shop (vending machine style).



hot ramen on a cold day.. itadakimasu! (costs 290 yen only!)


The snacks around that area seemed to be crackers. Found one shop that made it traditionally via charcoal...




After all those walking, I think I found Nakamise..


isit this one?


I also found the amusement park, Hanayashiki.






Hanayashiki has this souvenir shop that has this sweet called, "Pinky" sweets but its sold in a box of six. Haha!


Finally found my way out of Asakusa (must have walked a few kilometres that day!) and back to hotel.


hotel entrance, getting ready for the new year


Then it's back to Harajuku for more retail therapy...


lugging the suitcase


Made a stop at KiddyLand.. and noticed something pretty cool


notice the Ayumi Hamasaki logo? heh heh


Unfortunately, most other shops closed early.. as it's New Year's Eve! Big day big day!


all things pink, went in there on our Harajuku day already


For that night, we ate at Yoshinoya.


beef bowl, with miso soup and kimchi


the kimchi was nice


To end the night, we went back to Shibuya to take the train back to Hanzomon..


byebye Shibuya