Theres no real need for me to come to Asakusa for as many times as I visit Tokyo. But every now and them, I will stroll the area especially if there is some now area that I just hear about. The main attraction is Sensoji temple. The entrance is highlighted by the large red lantern and the guardian demons alongside it.
Nakamise, just beyond the gate, is a tourist's paradise for souvenirs. Along side toy ninja kits, good luck charms, and fake traditional masks, some tasty treats are interspersed among the stalls. Freshly roasted sembei wafts along the stalls. Little custard filled cakes are molded into several forms like Hello Kitty, 7 gods of fortone or Doreamon.
Lets not forget that in the niddle of the tourism, this is a working temple for many of the locals. They come to pray for good health and fortune.
Patrons wave smoke at themselves to bathe in the blessings of the temple
To the west of the temple, there is a new developed area called Asakusa Rox. I strolled the area of shops, restaurants, and arcades. The central point of the area is anchored by this don Quijote and the Toho cinema acroos the way.
As I strolled back toward the temple, I came across this little amusement park that was about to close for the day.
Closer to the temple, a number of food stalls appeared. They sold various foods from roasted potatoes, skewered meats, okonomiyaki and other tasty smelling snacks
I walked back toward Rox then turned back toward the main street. Down this one street was a row of plastic awnings that juts out into the street. This was a lively place with revelers tucked under the awnings enjoying beer and snacks
Ive come back to where I started and am along the banks of the Sumida river. On the other side, not too far away, is Skytree.
As a matter of fact, its so close I decide to walk to it. last year, I went up to the first level to get a panoramic view from the dizzying heights. However, the camera I had at the time only had 5x zoom. This new camera has 30x zoom. But I started to get hungry and changed direction to some ramen
I went back to Ramen street at Tokyo Station. Ive eaten at Rokurinsha a few times and wanted to try something different. I had seen reviews of this place, Hiraugo.
The item on the top left is usually the number one item they sell and I decide to go with that.
The soup has an initial hit of alot of seafood. The strength of the flavor subsides as your tongue becomes habituated to it. With the pork and egg, there are 2 wonton and a single shrimp. Not something I would seek out but I enjoyed the bowl
