Leaving Haneda
I started the day with a buffet breakfast in the hotel. It was a sumptuous Japanese and Western spread. EVA Airways crew were there and they didn’t hold back. Gotta have the energy to work I guess.
I left the hotel for the metro station a few minutes away by foot at 1000. First up, I had to buy a reloadable PASMO card. Putting my money into the machine, the note got stuck. An alarm went off. A hatch opened in the wall. The uniformed man held up a JPY5000 note and I nodded. He came out and gave me my money back and reset the machine. How efficient is that?
With one transfer at an intermediate station, I was at my new hotel, the Tsukiji Business BAN hotel before 1100. It was too early to check in, so I left my luggage and went exploring.
Ueno Park & Ameyayokocho
Keen to see if I had missed the sakura bloom, I took the metro to Ueno Park. Yep, my fears had been confirmed. Most of the cherry blossoms were gone. They were off the trees but parts of the ground were covered in a carpet of pink petals. Just my bad luck, I guess. A friend who visited last year (to the exact same day) saw the sakura in their fullest glory.
It was a cloudy day. After exploring parts of the gardens, I made my way back to Ueno station area to explore Ameyayokocho, an alley full of eateries and shops of various kinds (food, fruit, clothing, housewares).
Text continues after this gallery.
-
- Arriving at Ueno Park to the disappointment of cherry blossoms having largely disappeared.
-
- Greeted by a carpet of fallen pink petals at Ueno Park.
-
- Token shot of last remaining cherry blossom.
-
- Prayers or requests to the divine, I guess. At Ueno Park shrine.
-
- Ueno Park.
-
- Scene at Ueno Park.
-
- Ueno Toshogu Shrine, inside Ueno Park.
-
- Ueno Toshogu Shrine, inside Ueno Park.
-
- Inside Ueno Park.
-
- Ameyayokocho, a busy and interesting shopping alley near Ueno Park.
-
- Ameyayokocho, a busy and interesting shopping alley near Ueno Park.
Asakusa Temple
I metroed to Sumida Park to disappoint myself further with the lack of sakura before walking to Asakusa Temple. This is Tokyo’s oldest and most significant Buddhis temple. While the original temple was built in 645AD, it was destroyed and rebuilt after WWII.
The temple area was busy, bursting with tourists. Some mainland Chinese were dressed up in kimonos – that’s treason, isn’t it? The area leading to the temple was lined with many stall selling rice crackers and other snacks.
Text continues after this gallery.
-
- Tokyo Skytree as seen from Sumida Park.
-
- Amongst the crowds at Asakusa Temple area.
-
- Amongst the crowds at Asakusa Temple area.
-
- Cultural insight as seen at a food stall at Asakusa Temple.
-
- Asakusa Temple area.
-
- Amongst the crowds at Asakusa Temple area.
-
- Chinese tourists in kimonos. Treason?
-
- Inside Asakusa Temple.
-
- Inside Asakusa Temple.
-
- Inside Asakusa Temple.
-
- Asakusa Temple grounds.
-
- Asakusa Temple grounds.
-
- Asakusa Temple grounds.
-
- Asakusa Temple grounds.
It was around 1500, so I made my way back to Tsukiji to have a lie down in my new hotel. The room was called a small double but for me, it felt like a very generous single bed. There was enough room to swing a cat and had all the mod cons like fridge, kettle and internet. Considering the price and the proximity to the fish market (which requires an early wake-up) it was perfect for 5 nights stay!
I regained my energy to head back north to Akihabara to explore the stores specialising in electronics gadgets and electrical appliance. The weather turned foul, so I limited my explorations to largely one megastore. After a dinner at Suki, a franchise diner across the road from the hotel, I retired early for the 0245 wake-up tomorrow.
Vending machines are common in Japan. They are well-stocked with a wide variety of hot and cold drinks, cigarettes and even food.