ASAKUSA- a taste of Shitamachi Central or Downtown Tokyo

I have had several trips to Asakusa and am pleased to say that each visit has delivered a new experience.

Asakusa is on the north-east fringe of Tokyo and if you catch the correct train and don't mess up the train changes, from where we live it takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get there. The trip there is quite straightforward.... catch a pale blue stripe train  from Ishikawacho to Yokohama, then the Tokaido Line (orange stripe) to Tokyo, where you then catch the Ginza Subway Line or the TOEI Asakusa Line. Recently a trip elsewhere was abandoned when I mistakingly caught the wrong green striped train from Yokohama because I was too busy chattering and not really concentrating. The ensuing route correction took 1.5 hours....welcome to 'Jenny Lost in Japan Tours'....where you get exactly what you pay for!!!

Asakusa is festive and quaint and renowned for having preserved a certain atmosphere of the old Tokyo. As it is very popular, with both locals and tourists, it is a very busy place. The crowds are drawn by Sensoji Temple, the Five Storied Pagoda and the traditional Nakamise shopping arcade. Interestingly, for visitors between the 1600 and 1800's, the attraction was somewhat different. In those times Asakusa contained the notorious "Yoshiwara", the city's licensed pleasure quarters.

Sensoji Temple,Tokyo's largest Buddhist temple, has three gates. The first gate is Kaminarimon Gate or 'Thunder Gate', which is a reconstruction built in 1960. Like so many other places in Japan, the original gate was destroyed in the air raids of 1945.  In the area around and below the gate it is not uncommon to see many women, young and old, dressed in traditional kimonos.

As you pass through the gate you come face to face with the Nakamise Shopping Arcade. Bustling  with crowds and noisy spruikers, the street is lined with colourful, lively stalls selling traditional knick- knacks, festival foods and rice crackers.

Most of the stores contain very similar products, many of which are made in China, and pricing is fairly consistent. You can purchase fabrics, kimonos, trinkets, chopsticks, packaged confectionery etc etc... On my last visit I was keen to buy a wood block print. Prices for wood block copies of originals start at about $100, but originals cost considerably more. Digital reproduction prints are also available for a lot less.

Hozomon Gate, the main gate also reconstructed in 1964, marks the end of the street. This gate is notable for the giant straw sandals (waraji) which hang on either side. Each of the temple's gates are guarded by ferocious guardian gods, Raijin (god of thunder) and Fujin (god of wind).

As you near the temple, people surround large incense burners waving incense onto their bodies with both hands.  The incense is wafted over the body as an act of purification.

Nearby there is a large wooden fortune telling stand and for 100 yen you can have your fortune told.  First...you must select a stick from a metal cylinder....the stick displays a number (written in Japanese naturally) which guides you to a drawer....within the drawer is a slip of paper....

Predicting 'good fortune in the future' this is what my piece of paper said....  
"All of your family members should be patient and careful. You had better believe in the Gods of Buddha. Everything will go slowly and not progress because devils will give you damage, and many mistakes and misunderstandings will happen. Even if you might loose (sic) a treasure, it will appear again. Do your best then the situation will change and you can get good fortune. 
Your wishes will not be realized. A sick person will be hard to recover. The lost article will not be found. The person you are waiting for will come but take a long time. Making a trip is good. Marriage and employment are bad."

All I can say is, if this is good fortune I would not like to have bad fortune!! Unbeknown to me, as I still have mine, if the fortune paper says you have bad luck then by tying it to the branch of a tree or on the special rack provided it will apparently blow away. Things are not looking good for me are they? ....my antique mirror was broken during delivery to Japan and now my bad luck has been predicted!!

The Sensoji Temple dates back to 645. Sadly the original temple was also destroyed in the air raids of March 10 1945 and today's building is a 1958 reconstruction. As a measure of respect you should clap twice and bow your head at the top of the steps. It's also customary to make a small offering by tossing coins into the wooden rack.

Gojūnoto (五重塔), the Five Storied Pagoda, built in 1973, stands 53.32 meters high and is heavily reinforced with concrete and steel. Pagodas first appeared in Japan in the 6th century when Buddhism was introduced.  They can range in height from one to thirteen tiers. Five storied pagodas like the one in Asakusa are the most common. Apparently like all pagodas, it has a giant pillar of Japanese Cypress tree wood running down the centre. The five stories are loosely packed around this centre, resulting in a highly flexible structure able to withstand earth tremors. The finial on the top represents many symbols of Buddhism.

As with all Japanese shopping districts, the main street is like a tree with branches spreading out on either side. Nakamise Arcade is no exception. Wandering along the side streets you find more traditional type stores and restaurants. Rickshaws, pulled along by strong young men, pass with tourists on board. With many of these rickshaws lining the main street waiting for the next job it's a 'cut throat' business. Rickshaw operators run with empty rickshaws back to the pick up area as soon as their passengers have disembarked.

Smaller shrines and more traditional eating places pop up and the crowds diminish considerably as you move away from the central tourist area. As in so many places, you do need to move away from the main attractions to discover the hidden and less publicised features. On my last visit with alien visitors, Marion and Sandy, a yummy meal was enjoyed in a Himalayan Restaurant. Overlooking the traditional street below, we enjoyed giant naan bread, curry, mango lassies and dessert for 800 yen ($10).

This was a far better deal than the other times when the Thompson Clan and I endured more chicken gizzards and other unknown delicacies for a far greater cost!!

After those two experiences, when I returned on my own to buy a print for my lovely son's birthday, I opted for the 'Australian Embassy', a tag we have given Macca's. Unaccustomed to indulging at these restaurants, I never realized how comforting the golden arches could become!!

A few blocks across from the busy tourist area is Kappabashi Dori. It is the restaurant wholesale area of the city where you can buy anything from paper lanterns, crockery, kitchen utensils to plastic plates of sushi. A walk along this street is well worth it if you need to update the kitchen!! Many things found here can be acquired elsewhere though.

You can easily spend a full day looking around Asakusa. It is well worth visiting and, in my opinion, can be guaranteed to satisfy most visitors. 'Jenny's Lost in Japan Tours' is happy to make return trips, with her alien visitors, to share this interesting part of Tokyo.

As the seasons change so to do the impressions and sights we experience, so I am happy to revisit. Autumn will have red and gold foliage and maybe winter will treat us to light snowfalls...who knows??

'Basements, Buckets and Bites!'-The Izu Peninsula

Weekend of August 14th-15th, 2010.

With the prediction of yet another hot weekend, to follow the continuously hot, hot weather we've had for 10 weeks, we decided to head off to the beach again. The weather has been unrelenting; heat, humidity and more heat! Some days the air, so thick with the humidity, makes it difficult to breathe.  Heat exhaustion has claimed 132 lives in Japan this summer, with 31,579 people hospitalized since May 31 as an intense heat wave has engulfed the country.

Steve loaded the 'people mover' with everything we kept pushing into his arms, complaining each time he returned about the amount of crap we were taking. Finally we headed off,  making sure Sophie got to push the elevator button thus avoiding a 3 year old 'tantie'!!! At the last minute I returned to the apartment for some forgotten item, so everyone went on ahead.

Back in the elevator I pushed B3... at B3 I rushed out  through the security door into the underground car park....proceeded to the car.... it wasn't there. Damn!! Wrong level...the car's on B2.... I raced to the door. Double damn!! Locked and no key to get in. I tried ringing...no telephone reception...I walked up a level on the exit route and got to a grille... triple damn (actually a bit worse than that)... locked...I needed the remote control.....back down to the door....tried the emergency bell...no response. Down in the bowels of the car park it was bl....y hot! Back up to the grille....tried calling out this time...no good...back down to the door in case someone was looking for me. Negative...so back up to the grille...Yes!!..someone driving in...another 'Lost in Translation' moment but finally I'm released from my prison.... hot, stressed and close to tears and we haven't even left home!!

 
We found our way out of Yokohama, with the assistance of the GPS, which has Japanese maps but talks in English,  and were soon on the tollway. Our destination was the Izu Peninsula via Lake Hakone. The Izu Peninsula juts out in to the Pacific Ocean, with Sagami Bay on its east and Suruga Bay on the west. With its rolling green hills, numerous hot springs and sunny seaside resorts it is a popular year round tourist area.

We had booked accommodation for Saturday night at a traditional Japanese ryokan in Toi. Unlike the weekend before, when everyone had visited Lake Hakone while I was climbing the icon, this weekend was windy and overcast and Mt Fuji could not be seen. We stopped for a quick walk and something to eat before moving on. Travelling with a three year old you also tend to become quite familiar with every toilet block along the way, Western style or squat she's not fussy!

The difference in weather conditions can be clearly seen in the photos. Sunny and clear.....grey, windy and overcast (still warm though).

From Lake Hakone we moved on down the west coast of the Peninsula, passing through some beautiful countryside.....beautiful treed mountains, rice paddies and towns with traditional housing. The photo below was taken the weekend before
 
We checked out where our bed (actually futon) for the night was as we passed through Toi, just in case we were late returning. Our next mission was to find somewhere to swim. We decided that the beach at Dogashima looked ok so we found a place to park the car, not always easy, and trekked off through narrow streets for a swim.
 
The beach was in a little bay with a collection of small islands at the opening, very pretty indeed. As is the norm, the sand was black and the beach was quite busy!

We erected our new beach shelter and blew up the beach toys before heading for the water.

Hang on....beach toys!!! "Steve, where are the new things I bought for the girls? They were in the plastic bag I passed to you this morning." After the initial denials that no bag had been passed to him....there was the sudden realization that he had thought the bag contained rubbish and had disposed of it in the bin. Good one...another 'Lost in Translation' incident! The initial excitement of going for a swim was quickly dampened when Sophie, who was floating around in her beach ring, began screaming and tearing at her body. As we brought her ashore she continued to scream and rip at her skin. A local life guard joined us as we examined her arms and torso. 

She had been stung by a small, unidentified jellyfish with long tentacles. Unable to communicate with anyone, the only thing we understood was if she was allergic we should take her to a hospital. My goodness, sometimes you just need to be able to ask questions. Sophie screamed and cried for half an hour and her arm became red and inflamed. I ran off in search of ice (later research indicated this was the wrong choice) and then went off again in search of a distraction...a new beach bucket and spade. It sort of did the trick but we all decided we didn't need another swim!! Within hours the marks on her arms looked like burns and by the next day we realized, as the wounds got deeper, she would probably be left with scars. In true Sophie style though, she moved on and only used the incident to earn 'sympathy votes' when needed!! As the pain subsided she quickly returned to her normal self and disappeared, unannounced, in search of a shower. Before we could retrieve her, she appeared at the head of the stairs to the beach..... completely naked with a spear gun in each hand. Certainly this patient was suffering no long term effects... it takes a lot to subdue some!! Harriet thought the 'spear gun trick' was a great joke!!

Before returning to Toi for the night, we continued south along the picturesque coast passing through many pretty coastal towns.

The scenery was beautiful and the views quite stunning...such a stark contrast to the 'concrete jungles' of Tokyo and Yokohama.

Our accommodation for the night was a traditional ryokan where the owners lived downstairs and guests stayed in the three rooms available on the second floor. The charge per adult was 6,000yen, which included dinner and breakfast. We opted for breakfast only so the tariff was reduced by 900 yen. As it turns out we were the only guests for the night, quite surprising as it was a long weekend and many places had been fully booked out.

The room was quite large but, as is the norm had very thin walls and paper window blinds, which are a little delicate with boisterous toddlers around. We rolled out the futons and laid out the quilts then started to think about our next meal.

Sophie by this stage had investigated every nook and cranny and went off playing with the young Japanese residents. Unable to communicate verbally she still loved the company of other children, something she missed most whilst on holidays. Tea was the normal chaotic affair but the walk around town in the warm balmy evening was very pleasant. We massaged our feet on a reflexology footpath (more like a torture path) then enjoyed soaking them in a hot spring.

After such a busy day we all fell into bed, that is, after we had enjoyed our indoor onsen at the ryokan. The water was actually too hot to bathe in, but that didn't stop Soph or Steve.
Breakfast in the morning was quite amazing and I was able to give most of the offerings a go. Our hostess had prepared a real feast to satisfy most taste buds.

A quick walk around the streets and an early morning 'wake up' gong for all and we were off.

The day before Sarah had noticed a cave set into a cliff as we had been driving along the coast. We decided to find that first off. Naturally each of us had our own beliefs as to its location. We managed to avoid a major battle in the car and gave a collective sigh of relief  when 'himself' was wrong and we were right. Oh the joys of travelling with a car full of females, what hope did he have?? We parked the car and walked along the road to the spot we had spied. We ascended the steep stairs to the entrance. The first section of the 'cave' held work tools. We passed through and into an outdoor garden. It was here that another building was located.

 

Within what we believe was a temple we were intrigued to find individual shrines enclosed in cubicles. Each shrine had a collection of offerings. It felt like a very sacred area. Feeling like intruders in such a special place we had a quick look and departed, afraid we may be trespassing. Well done though Sarah for sticking to your guns, it was a special find.

 

After a snack in one of the coastal towns we headed inland to the 'Seven Falls of Kawazu', a series of waterfalls in the rapids of the Kawazu River. The drive through the traditional villages and forested, hilly country was beautiful. It has been lovely to finally find the more traditional type buildings that we tend to associate Japan with. The Kawazu Loop Bridge was impressive. It is a double spiral loop which links two different mountains with sides so steep it was impossible to build a road at the same elevation on either side. 

Never ones to  miss an opportunity, Sophie and I quickly dunked our feet in this drain full of water. Anything to cool down!!

A lovely walk along a bush path took us past each of the seven waterfalls. We then headed for home. After a couple of hours we finally headed in to Yokohama and successfully navigated our way back to our apartment. Thank goodness for the GPS and thank you again Japan for sharing the beauties of your country with us.

We are indeed privileged 'temporary residents' to be experiencing this wonderful place!!