The Kimchi Chronicles
Japan, Day 2: Asakusa and Ueno
Posted on 1/27/2010 at 7:55:18 PM
Monday, January 25, 2010
After allowing myself some much needed sleeping-in time, I decided to explore Asakusa, the area around my hostel. But the first mission of the day was getting some grub. Since I can’t read or speak Japanese, I have to limit myself to restaurants that have English menus or plastic food models. Luckily, plastic everything is popular in Japan, so I stopped by a tiny establishment with everything on the menu displayed in plastic form. Each dish had a number assigned to it, then right next to it was a vending machine with all the menu items on it. You insert the money into the machine to pay for your meal, press the number that matches your meal of choice, and a little ticket pops out. You then go inside, take a seat, and give them your ticket, and your food is ready within 5 minutes. Very efficient and quick service for such a small place, and the food was great. I had a bowl of soba noodles in broth with seaweed and some other things that I don’t remember.
After filling my tummy, I meandered around the little streets in Asakusa. First and foremost, pictures will never do Tokyo justice. Seeing things in a photograph does not compare to experiencing them in person. There’s a mystical quality about the city. With it’s mixture of old world and modern architecture, Tokyo gives off an energy that immediately intoxicates you. The people, places, and things are quirky and eccentric, unique and historical. I have instantly fallen in love with this place, and can definitely see myself living here. But, I digress… I went on to see Senso-ji, one of Tokyo’s most popular sites and community temples. It was beautiful. The atmosphere was energetic, but respectful. As incense wafted through the air, people payed their respects by praying, lighting candles, and just having a nice time. The five storied pagoda right next door was also and amazing site. The alleyways lined with shops were enough to keep me busy for hours.
Afterward, I decided to go to Ueno and check out the park. There are many museums in the area, but unfortunately they were closed by the time I got there. I’ll have to check out the times next time. The park was pretty big, and it was nice just to walk around and take in the scenery. From what I’ve heard, this place is pretty busy during the warmer months, especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, but I was happy to see it just the same.
As evening descended, I went back to Asakusa to the hostel to relax for a bit, but once again, it was time to refuel, so I went in search of food again. I walked around for a long time, but nothing really caught my eye. My cash was really running low, and I discovered that my Korean bank won’t let me withdraw my money overseas, or pay for things. Fortunately, I brought my American credit card, so even though I didn’t want to spend money on it, I have to rely on it. A lot of the places are really small, and they don’t accept cards, and I really didn’t want to end up eating at McDonalds. As I was walking, I met this guy named Gordon. He’s originally from Hong Kong, but has been living in Australia for 13 years. He can speak and read Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Japanese fluently, and he has a wicked accent. He’s traveling on his own too, so we decided to get a bite to eat together. I normally wouldn’t hang out with a complete stranger, but there’s something about being overseas that makes outsiders gravitate toward each other. Being abroad really opens your eyes to different experiences. Things that used to be considered weird are completely acceptable and it’s amazing how many interesting people and places there are out there.