Yokoso! Japan Day 4 - Tokyo

Asakusa and Ueno

Next day we took the bullet train back to Central Tokyo station, before transferring to JR Yamanote Line to Ikebukuro, where our hotel is located.

Earlier on we had seen those bento shops located at the train stations and/or platforms, which we tried for breakfast today.

The set that i had. It cost 1,000 yen (~S$15). It's kinda pricey, but the food wise was not bad.




Joey and Zhenzhi happily eating theirs. Joey bought hers at the 7-11 store near our hotel.



The trip to Ikebukuro station was rather smooth, and we were able to navigate our way through train stations without much difficulty even though we were all lugging our luggages and stuff. The difficult part, however, was locating our hotel.

We would be staying at House Ikebukuro, a ryokan (or guesthouse) of sorts. House Ikebukuro's main building is located a distance from the West exit of the Ikebukuro station, whereas our innkeeper has given us rooms at another location near the North exit. We were "blissfully" unaware that the location near the North exit is not actually a guesthouse on its own, but refer to rented premises in an apartment building.

After searching up and down the street for House Ikebukuro, we decide to call our innkeeper. To our surprise, we were standing right outside the apartment building all along! Our rooms were on level 3 and 8 respectively, and as the innkeeper is located at the main building, we need to let ourselves into the rooms with the keys hung right behind the door!

Besides letting ourselves into the rooms, we were supposed to leave the accomodation fees in an envelope on the table. The innkeeper would come to clean the room everyday after 6pm, and would collect the $$ at the same time. Pretty weird!

Our room:



A small kitchen of sorts.



Rather small bathroom:



I was generally satisfied with the room. There were the usual amenities like fridge, kettle, hairdryer, shampoo stuff etc. To top it all, we also had free internet access, oven and toaster! It's almost like staying at home. The only qualms was the bathroom. There's barely enough room for one person in the bathroom.

Our first stop in Tokyo is Asakusa, and the famous Senso-ji (Buddhist temple).
Many may have heard or seen how complicated the Tokyo Subway/Train line is. The Subway/Train line is like a multitude of various webs overlapping each other, and if you did not do your research beforehand, you'd easily get lost.



Tho the subway/train lines look ultra complicated, taking the JR Yamanote (Circle) line is pretty convenient. It covers the main areas in Tokyo like Shinjuku, Ueno,
etc, and pple can transfer to the Narita Express or Shinkansen (bullet train) at Central Tokyo station which is along the JR Yamanote line as well.



Train stations in Japan are generally a maze of their own. Central Tokyo station itself is likely to be 8-10 times the size of our City Hall station! With multiple companies' subways/lines stopping at Central Tokyo station, it is no wonder that we see signages everywhere in the station, telling you which way to go for which line or which exit.

Another interesting thing about trains in Tokyo is the display board in their train itself. On the JR Yamanote line, there is a display showing the names of all stations along the line, the name of the next station you're arriving at, as well as the name of the station before and after the station! They even show which side the door will open when the train is coming to a stop. Very convenient!



To reach Asakusa, we stopped at Ueno station and transferred to the Ginza Subway line.

At Senso-ji, the first that you will see is the Kaminarimon (雷門) or "Thunder Gate". Two statues of the guardian gods Raijin (god of thunder) and Fujin (god of wind) are erected at both sides of the gate.





Right behind the gate is the Nakamise shopping arcade that leads almost all the way to the temple. It is long stretch with many shops, and would take you at least 10 min to walk through if you were not distracted/tempted to stop and browse at any shop. The shops here mainly sell traditional crafts, souvenirs of Asakusa and Japan in general, and traditional pastries, rice crackers and sweets.



About halfway through the shopping arcade, there is another horizontal stretch of shops "hidden" at the sides. There you can find other souvenir shops and pharmacies that sell lotsa facial products, shampoo, cosmetics (somewhat like our Watsons).

AT the end of the arcade is the main gate Hōzōmon (宝蔵門), notable for a giant straw sandal (waraji) hung up on one side.









Inside the gate, you can see a five-storey pagoda Gojūnoto (五重塔), reputedly containing some of the ashes of the Buddha. It's 53.32 meters high, reinforced with concrete and steel, and like all pagodas, running down the centre is a giant pillar of Japanese Cypress tree wood. Around this, the five stories are loosely packed, resulting in a highly flexible structure able to withstand earth tremours.



Kannondō (観音堂, Kannon Hall) is right behind the main gate.

The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

Having prayed qt alot in Kyoto the previous day, we were pretty much "experienced" in the procedures to praying at Senso-ji. First step is always to wash hands before stepping into the temple to pray.





We saw a rather interesting sight. Temple-goers crowding around the incense burner and wafting the incense smoke over their bodies, presumably for good luck or to wash away bad luck?



There is also a fortune telling stand. Apparently if you took a bad luck slip, you can tie it to a branch of a nearby tree or to the rack provided, and the bad luck will then go away. I took a small good luck slip :)

After we have finished praying, we went back to the shopping arcade to do some serious shopping.

Rice crackers:



Folding fans. I've seen a shop that sells ONLY folding fans. i wonder how good (or bad) their business is, since the shop looked empty:



Yukata (traditional Japanese clothing that is more for leisure wear) and T-Shirts bearing the words "Tokyo". They also sold kawaii children wear:



We next made our way to Ueno.

Ueno is where you may want to head to if you want to see less modern, and "old" feel of Tokyo. The food and shopping here is relatively more "down-market" than Ginza or Shinjuku, and more affordably priced than what you can find elsewhere.

We planned to take a walk in Ueno Park first before doing some shopping at Ameyokocho and in the surrounding areas near the Ueno Station.

Near the entrance in Ueno Park:



A famous statue of Saigō Takamori walking his dog. Saigō Takamori was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history.



The minature Kiyomizu-Dera temple (from Kyoto; see Kyoto Day 3 - Part 2)



Ueno Park was actually famous for its 1,000 cherry blossom trees, which makes it the top most popular hanami party-spot in Tokyo. As we are there in late spring, we didnt get to see any cherry blossoms.



We saw many lotus plants on the Shinobazu pond though.



The weather was rather gloomy that day, and did not prove to be much of a good time to stroll in the park. In the end, we decide to leave earlier and do some shopping at Ameyokocho and the surrounding areas near the Ueno station where a few shopping centres were located.

The shopping district around Ueno Station. It was pretty crowded and bustling with shoppers even on a wkday late afternoon.



Ameyoko is a busy market street along the railway track. The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available on the black market.

Here, you can find lotsa fresh produce (all variety of fish and seafood, fruits etc), dried foodstuff, spices, clothes, bags, cosmetics etc at affordable prices. Many locals and tourists alike bustle along the street, browsing through the items and/or filling their stomachs with local delights.













To our great surprise, we came across the famous super-sized takopachi right at Ameyoko itself!



Look at how huge the takopachi balls are! Each one is about 5-6 times the usual takopachi ball size.



There is also a plastic display of the takopachi and its contents. There were 10 ingredients inside altogether, including 'sotong', and one whole quail egg!





The last remants of the big takopachi before i ate up the quail egg :P it does look disgusting, but it was tremendously nice and fulfilling!



We also tried a snack similar to the okonomiyaki:



And also some fresh sashimi on rice (chirashi don). There were 'u~ni' (sea urchin), 'maguro' (tuna), 'ama-ebi' (sweet prawn), fish roe, scallops and salmon. It was the first time we tried raw sea urchin, but it left a fishy aftertaste in our mouths. The scallops fared much better.



We also bought lotsa dried seafood and other snacks at a stall manned by a Chinese man with strong Hong Kong accent. I had intended to buy dried scallops and octopus snack only for my family, but couldnt resist the stall owner's warm reception and bought more stuff; he let us try almost all the snacks he had at his stall! One nice find was the pistachio chocolate, which was very yummy. The dried seafood stuff is also cheaper than how much you pay in S'pore, probably bcos Japan is a coastal country with lotsa seafood produce.

We left Ameyoko to do some shopping. At an earlier point, Joey had split from us to do some shopping at Uniqlo and the nearby shopping centres, while we had continued at Ameyoko.

The 3 of us went to a 7-storey building near Ameyoko; it sells all kinds of toys, figurines, accessories etc of various characters, including Sanrio characters, Doraemon, and others like Final Fantasy, Iron-Man, etc. We even saw model guns/rifles with bullets for recreational purposes. I was tempted to buy a Little Twin Stars keychain, but it cost over S$20, which was too pricey!


Dinner was at a small tempura restaurant on the 2nd floor of the shophouses near Ameyoko. As our restaurant is located next to the railway track, we can regularly feel the "tremors" when a train passed by while eating.

Kitsune (sweet tofu skin) with hot soba:



Tempura with hot soba:



Tempura with cold soba:



The soba in Tokyo was pretty good. You can really feel the smooth texture as it slips down your throat. In fact, some of us had soba again another day.

This marks the end of the day.
Next day: Disneysea! (one of the highlights of our trip)

Yokoso! Japan Day 3 - Kyoto Part 2

Nanzenji Temple, Kiyomizu-Dera Temple and Gion District

We continued on our journey along the Philosophers' Path to our next destination -- Nanzenji Temple.

Along the way, we saw two teddy bears fishing! So kawaii!



We also saw many mandarin ducks in the river. They do kinda stick together in pairs. I'm guessing the more colourful one is the male (just like the peacock, who had beautiful feathers to win over the female)



Along the path:



Most of the path is shaded by trees, and thus make the walk more cooling under the hot weather.

Along the way, we were distracted/waylaid by interesting shops that sell nice traditional bags/pouches/wallets, ornaments etc. Even saw a shop selling all kinds of ornaments/accessories with kawaii cats on them!

It's difficult to remember how long we took before we reached the Nanzenji Temple, but i'd make a guess at half an hr or so.

We had to deviate slightly from the path to get to the Nanzenji Temple, passing by some seemingly residential units/shops:



Some weird plant growing out from a house:



Here we are:



Nanzenji (南禅寺) is a Zen temple at the foot of Kyoto's eastern hills. As head temple of the Rinzai sect's Nanzenji school of Zen Buddhism, it is one of Japan's most important Zen temples.

The temple grounds is free for access, but if you wish to enter the Zen garden in the Hojo, you have to pay a fee of 300 yen (~S$5).

Entrance to the main temple:



The main temple:



Women in traditional kimono, praying:



We also followed the example of the locals praying. The procedure is something like this: you toss a coin (minimum 10 yen) into this box, clap your hands twice, and put your hands together and say your prayer silently. Then you are done! We prayed qt alot while we were in Japan (later at Kiyomizu-Dera, and in Tokyo's Sensoji Temple and Meiji Shrine).

Kyoto was very green during the summer time. It was interesting to see red-leafed trees, kinda "refreshing" after looking at so much greenery:



Such flowers are qt commonly seen everywhere in Kyoto:



Some nice arc in the temple grounds:



Us being funny again, hahah.



Zen garden:







Very nice small waterfall in the zen garden.



We left the Nanzenji Temple to take a bus to Kiyomizu-Dera temple. Again, we kinda got lost at some point, but eventually we managed to find the correct bus stop, which was actually located right outside Heian Shrine. Heian Shrine was initially on our itinerary, but as it was already late afternoon and we didnt want to miss the opening hours of Kiyomizu-Dera, we decide to skip Heian Shrine.

The torii outside the Heian Shrine, one of the biggest in Japan.



A canal on two sides of the bridge:





There's a small hike uphill to get to the Kiyomizu-Dera temple, passing by many small shophouses selling all kinds of food, traditional crafts, and even Geisha makeover services!

A small pavilion outside Kiyomizu-Dera. The orange colour makes the place look more modern. Also, it is distinctly different from Chinese temples that are usually red in colour.





Entrance to Kiyomizu-Dera temple.



Kiyomizudera ("Pure Water Temple", 清水寺) is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 and remains associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest sects within Japanese Buddhism. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. There is, in fact, a minature version of the Kiyomizudera in Tokyo, located in Ueno Park. But it is nothing compared to what we see here in Kyoto.









I must say this is one of the most spectacular temples/buildings i've seen in Japan. The bold use of colours and how the design/colour of the buildings harmonize with the surroundings of Mother Nature, makes it a very picturesque place and good spot for lotsa photo taking.


Some other shrines in the temple grounds:





Before praying, usually visitors should cleanse themselves using the water provided at such facility (kinda like cleansing their troubled souls before they pray). Here, this sign reads "Please do not drink from this water."




At the entrance to the wooden terrace and other shrines in the temple complex:





Thought this was quite a nice picture of me and zhenzhi at the entrance:




Some other nice photos we took, with the hill in the backdrop:






The temple is also famous for its wooden terrace, which allows visitors a good view of the surrounding area. The wooden terrace is actually built on a steep hill, making it a small miracle on its own. In fact, Kiyomizu-Dera temple was one of the 21finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, tho it didnt actually clinch a place in the end.

View of the main hall from the wooden terrace:



There is an interesting story/fact behind the wooden terrace at the Kiyomizu-Dera temple:

There is an expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu", which is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the plunge." This refers to an Edo period tradition that held that, if one were to survive jumping from the terrace, one's wish would be granted. This does appear plausible: the lush vegetation below the platform might cushion the 13-meter fall of a lucky pilgrim, though the practice is now prohibited. 234 jumps were recorded in the Edo period and of those, 85.4% survived. A pretty high percentage indeed.


Beneath the main hall is the Otowa-no-taki ("Sound of Feathers") waterfall, where three channels of water drop into a pond. Visitors to the temple collect water from the falls in metal cups and drink it for health, longetivity, and success in studies.


(Picture courtesy of sacred-destinations.com)


One can pay a small fee of 300 yen (~S$5) to buy a wooden charm like the one below, and write down your wishes. Mine roughly reads as "Safety at home", or generally, wish that all is well at home.




One can also buy one of these kinda wooden plaques, write down their wishes on it, and hang them:




Here, you can clearly see the coin box that you throw your coin in and pray:





The temple complex contains several other shrines, notably Jishu-jinja, decidated to Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love and "good matches." Near the shrine are two rocks placed several meters apart - successfully walking from one rock to the other with your eyes closed means that you will find love. You can be assisted in the crossing, but this is taken to mean that an intermediary will be needed.

We actually saw many teenagers at the Jishu-jinja, with some attempting the "love walk" admist giggles and jostling among themselves. It was qt funny to watch actually. Some even "guide" their friends by telling them to walk more to the left/right etc.







Seeing that none of us really needs help in "finding love", we didnt attempt the walk :P


We left Kiyomizu-Dera temple for some *serious* souvenir shopping before we made our way to the last destination of the day: Gion District.

Gion (祇園) District was originally developed to accomodate the needs of travellers to the Yasaka Shrine in the Middle Ages, but quickly developed into one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. Many mistake geisha to be prostitutes, and Gion to be a former red-light district. Geishas are actually artisans, performers of the art in traditional Japanese music, dance and play. Even till today, you can still spot geishas, or 'geiko'/'maiko' (trainees) in Gion district. Gion has also preserved the traditional architecture and entertainment.

P.S. You could read a former geisha, Mineko Iwasaki's book "Geisha of Gion" for more accurate portrayal of geisha and their lives in the olden times (as compared to Arthur Golden and the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha", which may not be fully accurate).







We arrived at Gion district at about 630pm. Hoping to spot a glimpse of a geisha walking pass, we decide to wait for at least 30 min along the streets.

Just like us who hope to spot a geisha, there were many other tourists waiting in the area. It got rather *irritating* when this angmoh tourist started to take photos of Joey (and me, probably?), CLEARLY without asking for our permission. Also, the fact that we were not in the best of moods (feeling tired, yet waiting anxiously for a geisha to appear) makes the matter worse.

We got lucky tho, just when we were about to leave the area after 45 mins or so has passed. At the entrance to the area, we saw a geisha who walked very fast (probably to avoid stares and blinking camera flashes in her face) towards us!



Other than avoiding the tourists' stares, she was probably rushing for an appointment in one of the ochayas in the area. Even till today, qt a few geishas are still in business, providing entertainment at a rather IMO hefty price.

I've no idea whether the geisha that we've just seen is a full-fledged geisha (or 'geiko'), or a (trainee) 'maiko'. But she looks pretty young. I'm also amazed as to the speed at which she can walk, given the seemingly bulkiness of her attire and her wooden clogs. Having tried on a full set of the kimono and wooden clogs before at my Japanese school in Spore, i can understand how difficult it is to walk even daintily, notwithstanding at such a fast speed!

Having fulfilled our "wish" of seeing a geisha in flesh, we left for Kyoto station for some late dinner. As the shops close pretty early at about 8 pm, we missed a chance to do some light shopping, and decide to a train back to Osaka.

There was a small episode of us getting lost at the Osaka station, where we were unable to, initially, locate the exit to our hotel. Thinking back, we were probably too tired to navigate our way well like the previous 2 days (when we had almost no difficulty, other than locating the Umeda sky building). Although there were not as many platforms/lines/exits in Osaka as compared to Tokyo, train stations in Tokyo were generally easier to navigate bcos the names of each platform/line/exit are clearly displayed at every turn. This means that if you know the name of the line (i.e. train) you're taking and the exit you need to take to go to your destination, you generally will not get lost in Tokyo. This does not seem to be the case for Osaka.

Fortunately, we managed to locate our exit after much orientation and turns. As we would be leaving for Tokyo first thing in the morning the next day, we'd be packing our luggage first before taking a good night's sleep.

Look out for the next post on Day 4: Tokyo!