Asakusa

After that wonderful experience, I continued to the main destination of the day: the Sensō-ji. Like every tourist in Japan, I didn’t want to miss that old and important temple complex. It was only a short walking distance from the cat café, and I quickly got to the complex via the east gate.

This was completely different from the Benten-dō, and also completely different from a typical religious building in Germany. Rather comparable to the Cologne Cathedral square. Then I remembered that in the past, things weren’t so different around European churches. We had and still have fairs, flea markets, and weekly markets too, which are all very lively. I remembered how it was always like that in France and Italy, and suddenly this hustle and bustle here didn’t seem so strange to me anymore.

So I threw myself into the fray. I had a funny chance encounter because it seems I always need to have on my trips. But read for yourself:

Jasmine in Japan: Sensō-ji in Asakusa

At the end of the first day, I went to one of the most important tourist attractions in Tokyo: the Sensō-ji in Asakusa (浅草寺). At the Sensō-ji in Asakusa The Sensō-ji complex is located in the Asakusa district and is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Tokyo and in Japan in general. My impression: colorful, loud, and hectic (and it was not even high season yet). A huge number of impressions have a completely different effect than, for example, a religious building, not to mention a monastery in Germany. From the Asakusa Nekoen I reached the…

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Akihabara – Shopping, Part 2

After Sensō-ji I still had some time to burn before dinner, so I decided to take a quick detour to Akihabara. Not necessarily for shopping, but to do a few initial explorations. On the actual shopping trip, I could then be a little more focused.

Yodobashi Akiba

Nonsense: Of course, I was curious about the legendary electronics markets. So I went straight to Yodobashi Akiba. And I was not disappointed. In addition to 2000 iPhone cases, a whole floor of electronic musical instruments, and a huge laptop department (frustrating because they all came with a Japanese keyboard), I also found a complete floor dedicated to model making. This was an unexpected stroke of luck, as I was secretly looking for a special model kit for a sailing ship, which was almost impossible to get in Germany.

Turned out it was my lucky day – I could hardly believe my eyes and I would have taken it with me right away. The price was sensational, about 15,000 ¥, and there would be another 10% tax exemption. In Germany, the list price is almost twice as much. But unfortunately, my big suitcase hadn’t arrived yet and I was not sure about the free space in it.

So I noted the location and hoped the ship would still be there on a later visit. Maybe it would be available in other shops too. But my impression was that in Japan the classic Plamo sector was in serious decline. Apart from the machinery of war, they always seem to be in demand. Most of the space was taken up by Mecha, Gunpla, and other anime/manga scenarios. There were lots of accessories, of course, but I didn’t need any tools or paints.

Dinner

Overwhelmed I left the shop. I had originally wanted to go to Donki as well, but now it was getting a bit late and I was too hungry. I texted Amber and we agreed to meet at 7 pm at Kaminarimon. Unfortunately, Google Maps let me down this time and I ended up at the wrong gate. But we eventually found each other.

We then went to a fun fusion pub nearby. There we ate Japanese-style pizza. My topping consisted of a ton of small white fish that looked like little worms. I hoped they were all dead; I wasn’t in the mood for Gakh. I closed my eyes and took a bite. But it was all perfect, super tasty and I was thoroughly satisfied. And suddenly very, very tired and thus I decided to take it easy on the next day…