While we were leaving Tsukiji Fish Market area she suggested to go to Asakusa (Pronounced Asaksa). For me anyway it didn’t matter where we were going to because I was sure that was going to be a surprised, because as I said in a previous post (see First Time in Akihabara (With Mari) – First Day in Japan), I didn’t know anything about Tokyo.
As soon as we arrived at Asakusa, Mari took me to see Sensōji Temple. Inside the entrance there were many traditional Japanese food stalls in both rows of the way towards the temple. All those food stalls gave me an impression of real Japanese culture that have been passed through generations and generations.
Food Stalls
The food stalls impressed me a lot for different reasons. One of the reasons was because they all looked very colorful. Another reason was because they gave me the impression that I really was in Japan, in fact, they really looked very Japanese with all the Japanese characters written above the food stalls. Another reason was because there were so many people walking along the way and stopping to buy some of the delicacies that they were selling. Another reason was because there were many girls (18-20 years old about, maybe more or maybe less) that were selling food in most of the food stalls.
Each food stall was selling different food, much different from the food stalls found in UK or in the Western countries in general. I was so glad to be there in that country that I loved for so many years, even though I had never been there before. The food that the food stalls were selling was made fresh on the spot. Some of them selling chicken such as yakitori, others selling sweets made with rice and others were selling other kinds of food.
I remember that at the end of the stalls there was a gate with two paper made (I don’t know how to call them) balls that were hanging from the ceiling (one of them is part of the background photo of the blog, also see below), one in each side, they were red with white stripes with written something in Kanji and Katakana characters. The pathway was in the middle. I decided to took photos because they looked so beautiful and interesting.
The Paper Balls (I don’t know how to call them)
After the gates there was a square with a big open temple at the end and a tall pagoda on the left. I really loved that place because it looked so traditionally Japanese, I would love to go there every day because it would relax me and would make my heart warmer (like I was feeling at that moment).
Asakusa Temple from outsideAsakusa Temple (View from Corner)Me in front of Asakusa Temple
When I reached the temple I decided to go inside to have a look. As I can remember, I think I wasn’t allowed to enter properly inside the temple. Anyway, I remember that I took photos of the temple inside and at the ceiling. Then I went to have a walk around. The overall environment is to beautiful. I took the photo at the pagoda near the temple, at the trees and at everything that was surrounding the temple.
After that we decided to leave and grab a coffee at Starbucks. I didn’t really want to go to Starbucks, I had preferred go to a Japanese style cafe’ rather than going to Starbucks, we just went there because I needed internet and I knew that Starbucks would have provided it. While we were going to look for a Starbucks, we had to go through an arcade of shops. At first we couldn’t find it and then I saw a McDonald and I said to Mari:
– Look, there is a McDonald, if a McDonald is there it means that Starbucks should be nearby.
I was right, Starbucks was like 30 seconds away just round the corner and across the road. However, that Starbucks provided wi-fi only to Softbank customers (Japanese mobile phone provider), however, we had already spent the money for the coffee so we stayed there for a little while.
After leaving, near the Starbucks I saw a statue of a man in Kimono in pose and I could see Tokyo Sky Tree not far away, then decided to take a photo with the man in Kimono and giving him a high 5. Then we left to the next next place…..)
Japan Discovered 