The Japan Adventure.. Part 5
Monday, 9th March
My futon was so comfy and snuggly, I only woke up at 9.30am. So I missed my free breakfast (served until 9am). Oh well.
I decided to give my legs (and specifically my right knee) a rest today, as all the walking from the past few days was a bit of a shock to them. I think it’s more the steps up and down to all the subways, shrines, shopping centres, etc that caused it – but it was hurting like hell! I’d managed to find some Deep Heat at a chemist, so I put that on as well.
I showered and got dressed, and thought i’d just wander around Asakusa, at a leisurely pace. Out I went.
As I was walking around, I realised Asakusa felt more homely than when I was in Shinjuku – less daunting, less isolating.. I dunno. Or maybe I was getting used to the language difficulties a bit.
As I walked along the main street, a guy with a scruffy little dog walked past. In an attempt to be friendly, I smiled, and said “Kawaii”, (cute!) which he replied to with a smile and a nod. He said something to the dog, who stopped in the middle of the footpath, posing for a photograph. So I took one, out of courtesy – I still think the dog looks demented, but obviously it has some brains somewhere.
Venturing further, I discovered Asakusa had a minature theme park – complete with a rollercoaster and rides which would make you hurl. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so was looking for something to fill my stomach rather than empty it.
I passed some little shop which was advertising what looked like donut buns. Being half recognisable, I decided to try one. I was surprised that the girl actually made it on request, so it was really yummy and fresh. You know when you get donuts that have just come out of the machine? Yummmmm.
I wandered around some more, taking pictures of the gardens around the Senso-ji Kannon Temple, and the streets beyond.
I embarrassed myself by walking into what I thought was a little lunch place and sitting down expectantly, then discovering it was a bar – they didn’t have a food menu, and didn’t speak English. Red faced, I issued a “Sumimasen” (Sorry / Excuse me) and left hurriedly.
I saw some kind of ‘Art’ sculpture atop one of the buildings across the river, and later learnt it was the Asahi Brewery. I would have gone over to see if they had brewery tours, except i’m not that fond of beer. Those Chu Hai’s on the other hand…. yummmm.
Japan loves its’ gambling. There are little places everywhere, filled with these Pachinko machines, which are the equivalent of our ‘Pokies’, or ‘Dollar Slots’. But playing on how big Anime is in Japan – for people of all ages – they make Anime themed gambling machines. For example, Neon Genesis Evangelion – which I originally watched on SBS back in 1997 – is still very popular here. Below is an advert for a Pachinko machine with the NGE theme, so you can spend all day sticking things in their slots… hur hur hur.
There are also people who REALLY love their anime, so much so that they’ll airbrush their car in tribute. I didn’t see as much car modding as I would have liked though, but I never found out where or when the modders ‘hung out’. Maybe next time.
Space is of a premium in Japan. Houses and apartments are super compact, and that goes for car parking too. I didn’t get to see this one in action, but it’s a good idea. But maybe not if your car is on top, and you’re in a hurry…
Back near the Senso-ji Temple, I found a store selling very expensive knives. Evidently he’s some master swordsman or knife maker or something, and has pictures of himself with famous people all over the shop, including that weird Michael Jackson wannabe off Iron Chef!
I did a bit of souvenir shopping too, but just a little something for everyone – not enough room to bring back a lot of stuff! (Plus, I have to lug it around with me otherwise!)
On my way back to the Ryokan to offload my souvenirs, I passed by some kind of school or college. You’ve gotta love the uniforms they wear.. so funky..
It seems like a big part of Japanese culture is the dinner time meal, and associated interaction. My friend met me again for dinner, and we went to a different Izakaya – although in the same building as last time.
I was enjoying not only the food, but his attempts at conversing in English, during which i was picking up a few words / phrases of Japanese in the process. He had a really funky phone – some spiffy Docomo thing, which could even pick up HD TV! It also had some applications, one of which was a Kanji to English dictionary. So during our conversations, sometimes he’d hit a word I couldn’t understand, and would look it up. That’s what I needed on my iPhone!? Maybe next time.
Oh yeah, I lurrrrrve those Lime Chu-Hai’s… Kampai!
10.Mar.09 
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