Asakusa

Out in Tokyo! Steve has Thursdays off, so we set out for Asakusa on the metro this afternoon and cruised around. Asakusa is home to Tokyo's oldest temple, Senso-ji, and is a tourist and people watching hotspot. The entrance gate to both the temple and the long shopping street packed with tourist trinkets and treats, is named Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate, and has statues of the protector gods Fujin (wind) and Raijin (thunder) ominously flanking the gateway through. There was much to be seen on both the avenue in, and the temple grounds itself: there were shrines, statues and monuments, bridges and fish-filled ponds, a display of chrysanthemums, an incense-filled cauldron (whose smoke is said to bestow health - many were wafting it towards themselves and rubbing it in, on the heart, on the head...) and more. The weather was great, and we enjoyed walking around and in and out of temples for a good hour or so.

Just outside the main gate of the temple, Kaminarimon

A busy and full shopping street!

The Buddhist temple is devoted to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Kannon



A chrysanthemum flower-tree - neat, no?



The Asahi Breweries comples - complete with golden drop of beer (or something - ?)

The view from the 45th floor of The Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment Offices - the city seems never ending...


hi!
Skyscrapers and more skyscrapers - plus the neat Cocoon building


Outside the station in Shinjuku

We crossed the Sumidagawa River to check out the Asahi Breweries complex, a building topped with what must be a golden drop of beer. It's an interesting addition to the skyline, that's for sure. Back on the metro we went - change here change there - and wound up in Shinjuku to elevator up to the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment Offices and the free observation deck. The view is incredible.... I can only imagine what it would be like on a smog-free, crystal clear day (does such a thing exist here? not sure). There were heli-pads on most of the taller buildings, and the smaller ones (8-10 stories, minimum) just blanketed the landscape - completely. It's an amazing view up there, and there are some amazing buildings - the Cocoon Building and it's little bubble were my favourites.

And then, by the time we decided to head home, it was rush-hour. My first experience on the metro in Tokyo in rush-hour was... well, not soooo bad. We had to squish onto the train in Shibuya, but thankfully decamped before the cars got really jammed at our stop, Nakameguro. Eek. After a day of walking and metro-ing around, I can definitely see why there are no fat people here; McDonald's and KFC and fast food chains seem to be popular, but people just walk so much - to get to the subway to get to work, to get to the subway to get home from work, down stairs, up stairs, up more stairs... commuting is exercise. I suppose it helps that it's still 20 degrees out here... and I'm going to end with that.

rush hour!!!

Cramming in - people are squished against the doors and glass when the doors squeeze shut...

Sushi for dinner... YUM!