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 sits in Tokyo’s Asakusa district and ranks as one of Japan’s oldest and most significant Buddhist temples. My take on it? Colorful, loud, and pretty hectic – and this wasn’t even peak season. The sheer volume of activity creates a completely different atmosphere than what you’d find in, say, a quiet German monastery or cathedral.
I approached the complex through the east gate from Asakusa Nekoen, which felt a bit off the beaten path. Most visitors make their entrance via the famous Nakamise-dori shopping street, passing through the impressive Kaminari-mon and Hōzō-mon gates. I saved that route for my exit instead.
After checking out the smaller Asakusa Shrine nearby, I joined the steady stream of visitors flowing into the main hall. Inside, you can glimpse the beautiful Kannon statue and browse various devotional items. I ended up buying my first souvenir from one of the many stalls – a small lucky charm supposedly designed to protect relationships, perfect for some newlyweds I knew. Figured it couldn’t hurt.
As I turned to head toward the exit, I did a double-take. Hold on… don’t I recognize those people?
Chance encounter number 1
Well, would you believe it – there was the entire cabin crew from my outbound flight, the same folks who had been so helpful with my luggage situation. Turns out they’d had the same brilliant idea I did. With their return flight canceled thanks to the strike back in Germany, they’d decided to make the most of an unexpected Tokyo layover.
I mean, Sensō-ji is definitely on everyone’s must-see list, so maybe it wasn’t that shocking. But still – in a metro area with nearly 38 million people, what are the odds of bumping into the exact same six crew members you’d chatted with on the plane? It felt like one of those small-world moments that makes you wonder if the universe has a sense of humor.
We ended up talking for a good while. They shared some solid sightseeing recommendations and gave me the lowdown on how to properly submit all those emergency purchase receipts to the airline. Before parting ways, we made one of those casual travel promises – you know, “if we run into each other again, drinks are on us.”
Spoiler alert: we didn’t cross paths again during the rest of my trip. Bit of a shame, really – would have been nice to hear more of their Tokyo adventures over a beer.
Oracle
After soaking up all that temple atmosphere, I wandered around checking out some of the smaller shrines and statues scattered throughout the area. My stomach started making some serious complaints – I’d barely eaten anything that day – so I made my way over to Nakamise-dori for a snack. Ended up grabbing something sweet potato-based (because when in Japan, right?), which definitely hit the spot before my dinner plans with Amber later.
On my way toward the exit, I spotted these oracle stands tucked among all the chaos, and honestly, my curiosity got the better of me. Look, I’m about as superstitious as a math textbook, but there’s something about trying local traditions that just draws you in. Plus, I had some leftover change jingling in my pocket from the food purchase – seemed like fate.
So I did the whole thing: tossed 100 yen into the donation box, made a wish (why not?), grabbed one of those metal containers, and gave it a good shake. After what felt like five minutes of rattling and banging – seriously, these things make a racket – a wooden stick finally tumbled out. The number on it told me which drawer held my supposed destiny.
Plot twist: total dud. My fortune was basically the equivalent of “meh, whatever.” But hey, part of the whole Omikuji experience is dealing with the bad luck ones, so I dutifully folded up that disappointing piece of paper and tied it to one of the wire racks with hundreds of other people’s rejected fortunes. Apparently this whole ritual is supposed to ward off the bad juju. Who knows? Can’t hurt to hedge your bets.
I traipsed around a bit more, but I still had hours before dinner and was starting to feel pretty overwhelmed by all the sensory input. Time for a change of scenery. Akihabara seemed like the perfect antidote – figured I’d see what kind of neon-soaked, tech-fueled madness awaited me there…