Tokyo Day 9 & 10
Today was time for the last and oldest shrine in Tokyo, Senso-ji. When arriving at Asakusa station the immediate thought is, wait, where am I? The temple is here? That thought is purely due to how the station exit is on a quiet little side road.
But once you're out of that road it is immediately clear to see where the Temple and Nakamise Street is. Just walk on up to the large group standing in front of the Kaminarimon gate. And just beyond the gate is a busy shopping street full of a lot of souvenir-y things to buy. It is a very busy place to visit on any day.
The street itself has a lot of the same stuff to offer but good and pretty things. We picked up quite a few souvenirs for friends here. There are also a few food places to pick up cakes and things.We tried these (no idea what they were called) and they were sooooo good! Eating a bag of these would be easy XD.
There are also side streets with again lots of different shops along them (where I found my boxwood comb). And if you're in the market for a Boxwood comb I would highly recommend coming here. It is called Yonoya Kushiho and has a comb on top so you'll know it's the right shop. It is quite a small store but they have a beautiful selection of combs and you can tell that this is a family run business. The people who run this shop are helpful and so nice and have a fluent English speaking person (so you do not need to panic!). Unfortunately I was unable to purchase an ornate comb because those are ridiculously expensive but I managed to pick up a little one and with a beautiful little case am happy with it. It also comes with a care guide but I would recommend looking this up some more online.
Before reaching the temple proper you pass through another gate, the Hozomon. And then you're in the the temple itself, which I personally think has a different feeling than to the Meiji Shrine. Perhaps due to the sheer amount of people that are here. Because there are a lot!
The temple and architecture itself is beautiful. Once into the temple itself you can smell the incense and watch how people flock towards it and waft the smoke over themselves. It is said to have curative abilities and you will see people wafting the smoke over parts of their body and inhaling it. You can purchase incense yourself and place it inside the pot if you so wish.
Once in the shrine proper you can pray, light a candle and even get your fortune. The inside is absolutely beautiful and I think without all the hustle and bustle of tourists this shrine would be very peaceful and zen.
There are a lot of other buildings to see such as the Asakusa Shrine right next to the main shrine. It is smaller and relatively unknown to people so it is quiet.
Day 10
So today was apparently rush hour day because it was busy everywhere, like everywhere! It was another hot and sweaty day and I do not know how Tokyoites deal with this weather on a daily basis and not sweat buckets.
We decided to do the Imperial Palace today and it is relatively easy to find. Upon arrival it is immediately clear to see how immaculate the lawns and trees are kept. The views are very nice and it is a relaxing place to be. We did not do the grounds tour (unfortunately) but it was still nice to walk around the outside and we did go up to the Nijubashi Bridge (arguably the most famous bridge in Japan!).
It was lucky that we got to see it with the weather still relatively nice because roughly ten minutes later it started to rain buckets!
After the palace we headed up Shinjuku. And the station here is mahooooooosive!!!! Like omg guys, it is very easy to get lost in here. A tip is to make sure you know what exit it is you need otherwise you could end up somewhere very far away (like miles away) from where you want to be. If in doubt look for a member of staff and ask (most of them speak some English and are very helpful!).
We went into Isetan which I liken to the Selfridges of Tokyo. It was full of designer anything and everything you could want. It was nice to have a wander around but unless you want to do some serious shopping this is a place I would say skip.
There was another mall called Lumine Est. There are entrances from the station itself and has a lot of floors and corridors of shops. There are numerous things to be found in here so if you're on the hunt for clothes or some food this is a place to check out.
For dinner we headed back to the Tokyo station area and into the Kitte building. The building itself is really nice and the inside is very contemporary. They have some more shops inside here but we happened upon another Izakaya and mmmmmm it was soooooooo good XD. Izakaya in my opinion are just the best. The food portions are just right and they have a lot of picky bits so you can order a bit of everything.
They had an English menu and spoke some English (something that is difficult to find in Tokyo). The staff were very friendly and accommodating and we had a very nice dinner and drinks (just wish I had space for more!!).
xx
Check out day 8
Also check out my Vlog if you're interested
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But once you're out of that road it is immediately clear to see where the Temple and Nakamise Street is. Just walk on up to the large group standing in front of the Kaminarimon gate. And just beyond the gate is a busy shopping street full of a lot of souvenir-y things to buy. It is a very busy place to visit on any day.
The street itself has a lot of the same stuff to offer but good and pretty things. We picked up quite a few souvenirs for friends here. There are also a few food places to pick up cakes and things.We tried these (no idea what they were called) and they were sooooo good! Eating a bag of these would be easy XD.
There are also side streets with again lots of different shops along them (where I found my boxwood comb). And if you're in the market for a Boxwood comb I would highly recommend coming here. It is called Yonoya Kushiho and has a comb on top so you'll know it's the right shop. It is quite a small store but they have a beautiful selection of combs and you can tell that this is a family run business. The people who run this shop are helpful and so nice and have a fluent English speaking person (so you do not need to panic!). Unfortunately I was unable to purchase an ornate comb because those are ridiculously expensive but I managed to pick up a little one and with a beautiful little case am happy with it. It also comes with a care guide but I would recommend looking this up some more online.
Before reaching the temple proper you pass through another gate, the Hozomon. And then you're in the the temple itself, which I personally think has a different feeling than to the Meiji Shrine. Perhaps due to the sheer amount of people that are here. Because there are a lot!
The temple and architecture itself is beautiful. Once into the temple itself you can smell the incense and watch how people flock towards it and waft the smoke over themselves. It is said to have curative abilities and you will see people wafting the smoke over parts of their body and inhaling it. You can purchase incense yourself and place it inside the pot if you so wish.
Once in the shrine proper you can pray, light a candle and even get your fortune. The inside is absolutely beautiful and I think without all the hustle and bustle of tourists this shrine would be very peaceful and zen.
There are a lot of other buildings to see such as the Asakusa Shrine right next to the main shrine. It is smaller and relatively unknown to people so it is quiet.
Day 10
So today was apparently rush hour day because it was busy everywhere, like everywhere! It was another hot and sweaty day and I do not know how Tokyoites deal with this weather on a daily basis and not sweat buckets.
We decided to do the Imperial Palace today and it is relatively easy to find. Upon arrival it is immediately clear to see how immaculate the lawns and trees are kept. The views are very nice and it is a relaxing place to be. We did not do the grounds tour (unfortunately) but it was still nice to walk around the outside and we did go up to the Nijubashi Bridge (arguably the most famous bridge in Japan!).
It was lucky that we got to see it with the weather still relatively nice because roughly ten minutes later it started to rain buckets!
After the palace we headed up Shinjuku. And the station here is mahooooooosive!!!! Like omg guys, it is very easy to get lost in here. A tip is to make sure you know what exit it is you need otherwise you could end up somewhere very far away (like miles away) from where you want to be. If in doubt look for a member of staff and ask (most of them speak some English and are very helpful!).
We went into Isetan which I liken to the Selfridges of Tokyo. It was full of designer anything and everything you could want. It was nice to have a wander around but unless you want to do some serious shopping this is a place I would say skip.
There was another mall called Lumine Est. There are entrances from the station itself and has a lot of floors and corridors of shops. There are numerous things to be found in here so if you're on the hunt for clothes or some food this is a place to check out.
For dinner we headed back to the Tokyo station area and into the Kitte building. The building itself is really nice and the inside is very contemporary. They have some more shops inside here but we happened upon another Izakaya and mmmmmm it was soooooooo good XD. Izakaya in my opinion are just the best. The food portions are just right and they have a lot of picky bits so you can order a bit of everything.
They had an English menu and spoke some English (something that is difficult to find in Tokyo). The staff were very friendly and accommodating and we had a very nice dinner and drinks (just wish I had space for more!!).
And of course, had to have a crepe because it's Tokyo and crepe places are abundant. And I understand why because the crepes out here are so popular because they are freaking DELICIOUS!! Definitely make sure to get one (or like 5!) there are so many variations to try XD.
xx
Check out day 8
Also check out my Vlog if you're interested
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Follow me on Twitter
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