Japan Trip 2006. Asakusa Temple. Tokyo, Japan

 February 9, 2006  Posted in Uncategorized

Pictures from Asakusa (Tokyo), where we visited the Kaminari-Mon at the Asakusa Temple

Back to Tokyo, where we visited the Kaminari Mon (Thunder Door) at the famous Asakusa Temple
The walk towards the temple once we pass the “Thunder Door” was lined with street vendors (or tourist traps, however you see it)
The street vendors usually sell traditional Japanese goods / food – in this case it is a dorayaki (red bean paste-filled pastry)
work in progress…
the finished goods
Somehow I visit this same temple every time I am in Tokyo, since I was about 14 or so…
People gathering around the gigantic incense holder
The belief is that by bringing the incense-smoke towards you brings you good luck…
Another “luck spot”, where drinking the water brings you good health
My good friend Hiro Kanasaki
Once we were done with the tour of the temple, it is back to the street vendors for some food-tasting and shopping!
Traditional hand-made ice-cream sandwiches
The finished good
Too much to eat, too little of a stomach (and too small a wallet, j/k)
Discovered this cute piggy-shaped meat bun at a local seven-eleven… The Japanese just knows how to make things cute 🙂

 Pictures from dinner with friends in Tokyo:

Hiro bought this funny shirt – imitation Puma t-shirt (for those who are Japanese language-challenged, “Pama” means “Afro”)
Yummy cake during tea time with Hiro, at a coffee shop near Shinjuku (Tokyo).
Go Asanuma, who I used to hang out with every day and learned snowboarding together in Minneapolis
Go’s sister Tomoko, who cooked us so many meals after snowboarding 😛
(L-R) Go Asanuma (Minneapolis), Maki Takeuchi (from from high school in Hong Kong), Azusa Yamane (friend from my China trip in 2005), me, and Tomoko Asanuma (Minneapolis)

Here are pictures from our last day on this trip, where we spent in Tokyo. We had a chance to go to our “usual sushi joint” in Harajuku, shopped in Shibuya, and met with some friends for an excellent crab feast dinner to wrap up a wonderful vacation with family and friends…

About 15 years ago my mother brought Philip to this Japanese sushi restaurant in Omotesando near Harajuku, and ever since then every time we are in Tokyo we have lunch there at least once…
For a “rotating sushi” (some countries also call it “choo-choo train sushi, for the method in which the sushi platters rotate around you in trains for you to pick up) it is unusual to be so crowded…
Directly across from the sushi joint is the brand new Omotesando Hills, a re-development of several buildings along Omotesando to house several brand-name designer boutiques. It was opening day so the entrance was lined all around the block!
I’ve never been a person to have the patience to line up on opening day for ANYTHING, so I was not one bit interested in the commotion across the street 😛
It was a Sunday, so even on our side of the street there are hundreds of people walking around, looking for interesting things to buy/eat/browse..
Back to the restaurant… the food is prepared fresh by the sushi chef behind the counter, where he places his finished food on a conveyer-belt for customers to pick up…
Usually at these type of “rotational” sushi restaurants the quality of food isn’t too good, but this is definitely one exception to the rule. If you ever have a chance to be in Tokyo you should definitely try this place out!
I hate to jump from one restaurant shot to another, but after a whole day of shopping in Harajuku (where I did not take any pictures) we ended at a Kani-Doraku (specialty crab restaurant chain) for dinner
Maki loving her glass of beer 😛
Thank you Hiro for escorting me and my brother all around Tokyo this past 10 days!
My high school friend Yuki Zaizen and Azusa Yamane, whom I met in China the previous year
Cooking our own meal on the table – the best way to describe this meal is a “Japanese Broth Fondue with Crabs”
Thanks to all my friends who took the time to meet with me on this trip!