Japan: Day One

We arrived in Japan on Thursday, May 11 after a 3 hour drive from Albany to Manhattan; a 1 hour Lyft ride from Manhattan to JFK; a 3 hour layover in JFK followed by a 15 hour plane ride to Taipei, Taiwan (a bit counter intuitive it seems); another 3 hour layover (noting Taiwan has a lot of themed waiting areas such as music, reading, flowers) and then a 3 hour plane ride up/over to Narita; and a 1 hour subway commute to our Airbnb in Azabujuban, a district of Minato, Tokyo, totaling almost 30 hours and just under 10,000 miles.

Our Airbnb

We settled into our Airbnb (it's in such a convenient location with a comfy bed, and a heated toilet seat in the bathroom!) and around 4pm we wandered around the neighborhood like zombies. We ate dinner at Afuri where it took us a minute to understand the ordering process, but we enjoyed our first meal here.

After dinner we stopped at the store for some snacks and by 7pm we passed out. Unfortunately this meant we were wide awake at 2am, but somehow able to fall back asleep until about 7am.

Yuzo Shio Ramen

Don't be fooled, this Vegan Ramen was quite tasty!

Sapporo and Japanese snacks, the perfect end to a long day!

Surprisingly we were able to navigate the Tokyo subway system pretty well. We probably stuck out like a sore thumb among all the business men in suits and school children in uniform (although no one seems to look up from their phones when on the subway). 

We set out for Asakusa, a busy sightseeing area centering around Sensoji temple, a Buddhist temple founded in 628 AD built for Kannon the goddess of mercy, and Nakamise Dori, the oldest shopping street in the Tokyo metropolitan area. We arrived a little before 9am and most of the shops were closed, but they opened up and were bustling as we were leaving.

Going into Sensoji we didn't know too much of its history or meaning and to be honest, the proper temple/shrine etiquette. We noticed visitors burning incense in large incense burners and then fan the smoke towards themselves. We later learned the the smoke is believed to have healing powers. We were also a bit shocked to see swastika symbols all over the place- printed on paper around the incense, inscribed all over the temple and shrine - in Japan it's a religious symbol derived from Sanskrit meaning "that which is associated with well-being".

There was also a purification fountain near the shrine's entrance. You're supposed to take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands. Then transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water beside the fountain.

I learned my fortune by drawing an Omikuji. Scroll down below to learn about my fate! 😝

So clean, unlike BART in SF 😝

Nakamise Dori, meaning “inside street" is lined with mostly souvenir shops,
some of them over 100 years old 

Kaminarimon Gate.  The characters on the big red lantern read “Kaminarimon” or “Thundergate”. 
The official name of Sensoji Temple is “Kinryuzan” meaning “Golden Dragon Mountain”, 
which is written on the green plate.

The Hozomon Gate...we're almost there!

The pagoda was under construction, but is originally also from the 10th century and houses
memorial tablets of thousands of families and individuals

Incense burning 

The purification fountain

Sensoji Proper, the main temple

Omikuji at Sensoji. 100 yen (equivalent to about $1 USD) is placed inside a money collection box. You then shake the Omikuji box until a stick falls out with a number on it, and search for the drawer that matches your number. I drew Good Fortune No. 18!

The cloudy sky will get more and more clear and the moon will appear. The linen robe turns into a green one. What you've been troubled for a long time will soon begin to fade away. Your virtue and happiness will reveal themselves.

Your wishes will be realized. A sick person will recover. The lost article will be found. The person you are waiting for will come. Building a new house and removal are good. Making a trip is good. Marriage and employment are all good. 

Coincidental the last few lines are!

After Asakusa we walked to Ueno/Ueno Park. On the hot (83 degrees) walk over we noted how clean the streets were with hardly any noise pollution, that no one really locks up their bikes or wears helmets, and probably one in every twenty people wear surgical face masks in public. 

The park was full of recreation sites including museums, temples, and a zoo. There were tons of activity and school groups around as well.

Tied "bad fortunes"

Toshogu Shrine

After Ueno we hopped on the subway to Akihabara, the home of pop culture and electronics! We had lunch at a restaurant where a lot of business men seemed to be eating on their lunch break so we figured it was a go-to spot. Two Katsu specials for 1200 yen did not disappoint! We opted out of going to a Maid cafe.

Instead we stopped into Bookoff, but sadly Kiel couldn't read any of the books as they were all in Japanese, and then hit up a 5 story video game store. You'll see what I mean...

The typical "Kirchface"  

Drink machines everywhere!

We grabbed a refresher before heading back to our Airbnb. It seems as though jet lag has caught up with us (mostly Kiel!) so we're relaxing with no set plans yet. But so far Japan has treated us well.

Until next time!