After our short stay in Hokkaido, we flew back to Tokyo and spent a few days there. As everyone probably knows, Tokyo is the capital of Japan and is considered to be the most populous metropolitan area. It also used to be the most expensive city to live in the world (it was recently toppled from the number 1 slot by Singapore according to an article I read online).
We stayed in Sun Members hotel in Shinjuku. Shinjuku is considered to be a major commercial and administrative center. In addition, the Shinjuku station which is situated in the center of the area is considered to be the busiest train station in the world according to japan-guide.com. I haven't been to many train stations so I can't attest that it's the busiest but I can say that it's a very busy train station with people running here and there.
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| photo courtesy of www.japan-guide.com |
The Ueno park is one of Tokyo's most popular Sakura spots. Numerous Sakuras were lining the central pathway and I bet it looks magnificent during the Spring. Since it was still winter when went there, I was not really expecting to see Sakuras. So imagine our surprise when we saw a few tress already starting to bloom. I was really thrilled.
Ueno park is also famous for the museums that are in the grounds. The Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the
National Science Museum are basically situated next to each other. Japan's first zoological garden, the Ueno Zoo, is also in the grounds.
The Ueno Toshogu Shrine is a shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate. It was built in 1616 and is one of the numerous shrines in the country dedicated to the person I just mentioned in the previous sentence.
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| This is my cranky face. :D |
The Akihabara is a district in central Tokyo that is famous for its many electronic shops. Recently, the district is slowly being recognized for the many shops and establishments devoted to anime and manga. Take note that if you're planning to buy electronics and use them outside Japan, go to the duty free shops. Most of the shops sell electronics that are only intended for use in Japan because of technical or voltage differences, Japanese manuals and limited warranties. The sellers are actually nice and honest enough to tell you if they're only selling electronics that is intended for Japan. They are also nice enough to point you out to the best places to buy your things. There are also many "for-adults only" establishments in Akihabara so be careful in entering the stores you see. My parents and I accidentally entered an adult shop because we thought they were just selling anime costumes. When I looked at the table next to the entrance, I saw vibrators of different sizes, I had to go out right away. Thankfully, my parents didn't saw them. I think.
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| photo courtesy of www.japan-guide.com |
Asakusa is a district that has the atmosphere of the old Tokyo. Asakusa's main attraction is a Buddhist temple named Sensoji. On the way to the temple one would pass by Namakase, a shopping street, that has a variety of traditional local snacks and souvenirs. The Namakase street leads from Kamanarimon, one of the large gates of the Sensoji temple, to the temple grounds
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| the Kamanarimon gate (front view) |
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| the Kamanarimon gate (from the back) |
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| Sensoji temple |
After a week in Japan, it was time to go home. Despite the freezing and constant walking, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent in this awesome country. It might have been an expensive trip (that probably ate half of my
life-savings), but it was truly worth it. I'll definitely come back..to see the other cities and of course, Disneyland.
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