Tokyo is my first ever encounter of a bustling gigantic metropolitan. I'm not very into city sightseeing but then not visiting Tokyo while you are in Japan just doesn't make sense. Being a first timer at Tokyo, it's not possible to cover all the areas. Nonetheless, we decided to visit some of the touristy landmarks in Tokyo.
1. The Hustle and Bustle of Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Street Market
The Sensoji Temple is the oldest and one of the most significant temples in Tokyo. The temple is also known as Asakura Kannon Temple. Legend has it that once upon a time, the fishermen brothers found a statue of Bodhisattva Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) while fishing in the Sumidagawa river, which inspired them to enshrine it do villagers could worship the Kannon.
The entrance is marked by the infamous Thunder Gate (Kaminari-mon), which is the symbol of both Asakusa and the entire Tokyo. The gate features a huge red paper lantern with statutes of Raijin (God of Thunder) and Fujin (God of Wind) on its right and left.
The temple itself is very well maintained and has very nice garden inside. I can even see the orange red Tokyo Tower from the temple itself.
Through the gate, we were greeted by the colourful shops lining up neatly along the alley. Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan and some shjops have been operating here for generations. We see shops selling yukata, paper products, folding fans, traditional crafts and souvenirs. At another section, we saw many shops selling dried seadfood products like the popular Japanese scallops. I really thought that the entire place resembled that of our Bugis Street back home, except this was like many times bigger.
We had our late breakfast at Macdonald. It's a routine for me to try the Macdonald's at different countries because the variety is always different.
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| I enjoyed this teriyaki pork mac-muffin ! |
The entire street was crowded with people and everyone was busy checking out the street food or posing pictures with the iconic big red temple lantern on the backdrop. The food sold were mainly deep fried. Not very healthy, I would say.
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| Wheat biscuit for sale :) |
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| Very sweet pastry! |
At 333metres, Tokyo Tower is 13 metre taller than Eiffel Tower. The tower was competed in the year 1958 as a symbol for Japan's rebirth as a major economic power, and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna and tourist attraction.
We bought tickets to get to the main observatory at 150 meters and the special observatory at 250 meters to get a bird's eye view of Tokyo. Under good weather conditions, Mount Fuji can be seen in a distance. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and hence we are not able to view the majestic Mount Fuji.
A wax museum and several more attractions can be found on the ground floors of the tower at separate entrance fees.
The closest subway stations to Tokyo Tower are Onarimon Station on the Mita Subway Line and Akabanebashi Station on the Oedo Subway Line. You can also walk there from Hamamatsucho Station on the JR Yamanote and JR Keihin-Tohoku Line in about 15 minutes.
3. Coco-Ichiban Curry
Coco-Ichibanya Curry House is quite a famous one in Japan and Asia. Beside serving delectable Japanese curry, the restaurant also provides high level of customization to the customers. You can choose the level of spiciness, a variety of toppings and the amount of rice to suit your preference. There are 5 levels of spiciness and the curries get thicker and more peppery with each level.
For first timer, it will be wise to choose level 2 for this is the most comfortable level of spiciness. I had vegetable curry rice while hubby had hashed pork curry rice. The curry flavor was strong and tasteful. Nonetheless, it pales in comparison to the curry rice I had at Shiragawa.
4. Shibuya
Shibuya is a must visit place in Tokyo. It would be a shame to come to Tokyo without taking a walk across the famous intersection outside Shibuya Station. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings, the surrounding area is packed with shoppers, students, young couples and commuters. When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and the pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides, like marbles spilling out of a box. The crowd was insane!
After experiencing the "scramble," follow the trendy teens into Shibuya 109, a big shiny mall with more than 100 boutiques, for a look at the latest in disposable fashion. Or duck back into Shibuya Station and down to the bustling Tokyu Food Show for an elegant array of gourmet eats and an education in local tastes: grilled eel, fried pork, tiny fish salad, octopus on a stick, seafood-and-rice seaweed wraps and much more. The prepared dishes and grocery items are all sold from immaculate counters amid a chorus of "Irashaimasen!" ("Welcome!"). There are aisles full of beautifully packaged treats — rice crackers, mochi cakes, jellied confections — but the pickle counter is my favorite.
5. Shinjuku
Shinjuku (新宿) is one of the 23 city wards of Tokyo, but the name commonly refers to just the large entertainment, business and shopping area around Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku Station is the world's busiest railway station, handling more than two million passengers every day. It is served by about a dozen railway and subway lines, including the JR Yamanote Line. Shinjuku is also one of Tokyo's major stops for long-distance highway buses and city buses.
Opened in 1996, the Shinjuku branch of Takashimaya consists of 15 floors, including a food department in the basement and three restaurant floors. It is the main store of the "Takashimaya Times Square" complex that also houses a Tokyu Hands branch and Kinokuniya book store with a large foreign language section.
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| Not a fan of donuts but apparently, Krispy Kreme always attract a long Queue at its store |
6. Ginza
Ginza is Japan's biggest luxury shopping and entertainment district. At the height of Japan's economic glory in the 1990s., Ginza land was insanely expensive reaching over 100 million yen for a square meter.
This was the place for some serious shopping of high end branded stuff. With the prominent classy high rise buildings, Ginza certainty glitters with light and atmosphere. On weekends, the traffic roads are closed and shoppers can walk on the roads freely. I even saw quite a number of well-dressed Japanese strolling their dogs in prams on the road!
It was also here that I bought quite a number of Fancl products at incredibly cheap prices!
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