Japan - Senso-ji; Tokyo Forum; Shibuya

Senso-ji, Asakusa.

I did a few things in Tokyo on this day. I knew I couldn't visit all new places so I revisited a few from my previous trip.

I started at Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple in the northeast part of the city. It's Tokyo's oldest temple founded in 628. I believe the subway station you get off at is Asakusa (G19 on the Ginza Line if you take the Tokyo Metro Line; or A18 on the Asakusa Line if you take the Toei Line).

There's a line of stalls for tourists on the road up to the temple that sells all matter of trinkets, food and other items.

Here's an excerpt from a Japanese travel website:

When approaching the temple, visitors first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), the outer gate of Sensoji Temple and the symbol of Asakusa and the entire city of Tokyo.

A shopping street of over 200 meters, called Nakamise, leads from the outer gate to the temple's second gate, the Hozomon. Alongside typical Japanese souvenirs such as yukata and folding fans, various traditional local snacks from the Asakusa area are sold along the Nakamise. The shopping street has a history of several centuries.

Beyond the Hozomon Gate stands the temple's main hall and a five storied pagoda. Destroyed in the war, the buildings are relatively recent reconstructions. The Asakusa Shrine, built in the year 1649 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, stands only a few dozen meters to the left of the temple's main building.

After visiting the temple I saw some young boys eating pieces of friend chicken from one of the nearby stalls. So I bought a small (3 pieces) for Y300 ($3.00). It was so tasty. I sat and ate it under the shade of a small picnic area.

Next I took the subway down to Tokyo Station. The Imperial Palace is nearby. I wasn't going there today, but I would visit later. No, I wanted to see the Tokyo International Forum. It's a cool looking glass building in the shape of a long, skinny sea vessel. Construction started in October, 1992 and the building was completed by May, 1996. It opened to the public in 1997.

From their website:

With 11 stories above ground and 3 below, Tokyo's first convention and art center is a magnificent venue embracing a glass atrium and four buildings each housing a unique hall.

I spent a little under an hour taking shots there.

Next I headed towards Harajuku, first stopping at Omotesando to go through the mall there (Omotesando Hills). They had their Christmas decorations up and a light display which was nice.

When I got to Harajuku I was expecting the kids with their Cosplay costumes to be out. After all it was a sunny, Saturday afternoon. But, perhaps, it was too late in the season. The temperatures had dropped some, so maybe they had packed it in for the year. Too bad for me. I got some good shots of them back in '07.

I hopped back on the subway and took it one stop south (on the Fukutoshin Line F15 to F16) to Shibuya Station. This is where you find that well known scramble crossing - Shibuya Crossing, one of the largest in the world. It's fun watching the mass of humanity crisscross from all directions while vehicles wait their turn.

There are a lot of stores geared towards young people here. As well you can find a number of places to eat (which is what I did next).

While still in Toronto I researched conveyor belt sushi restaurants. I couldn't find one in this particular area, but I did come upon one that was similar. Genki Sushi offers small plates of nigiri from Y129.

You order from a touchscreen menu (in your language of choice) and the items are prepared then delivered on a sliding device that comes out from the kitchen. Nine dishes comes in at under 12 dollars.

After eating I took more photos in and around the area before heading back to my hotel. I washed and sat in the hot tub again. Then headed for an early sleep... That was before remembering that the observation decks at the nearby Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings were opening late.

I hurriedly got up and rushed over there, not quite sure how late they were open. I arrived with plenty of time to spare. But, found out that only the North Tower was open late. That's the one that has the restaurant in it which obscures around 1/3 of the view around.

To make things worse (for photography)... the lights inside were quite bright reflecting off the windows. It made it extremely hard to get a decent shot of the city lights outside. Try as I might, I just couldn't manage too many good shots. A disappointing way to end the day that's for sure.

It happens.