JapanJune2005/IMG_0845A coworker here coined an accurate description of Tokyo, when he said that this city lives in the alleys. For every main street, there are a dozen little alleys, barely wide enough to get a car through (and sometimes not even that).

I headed down to Asakusa (pronounced a-sock-sa) for the first time on this rainy Friday, and I was impressed. It’s amazing that even though this is my 10th trip to this city, it still manages to find ways to impress me. Today, it was the five story pagoda near the shrine at Asakusa. I haven’t had a chance to research it’s story, but it’s presence is impressive.

As I planned, I took the Ginza line to Ueno, and walked a meandering half-mile to Asakusa. Along the way, I walked a few blocks through Kapabashi, the kitchen district. Sarah and I bought a few dinner sets from here last year, and it was cool to walk though again.

JapanJune2005/IMG_0839Nearby was the Hibiya temple, which had a cemetary adjacent. The stones are packed very close together, and I’m sure even then that the plots are very expensive. Of course, while I find my surroundings to be extremely interesting, the local residents remain unimpressed.

JapanJune2005/IMG_0847Finally, I made it to Asakusa, and had a moment of deja vu. Along with Shibuya, Asakusa was featured promently in the Xbox game, Project Gotham Racing. As soon as I saw the front gate to the shopping area, I recognized it from the game. I was told that Asakusa was a tourist trap shopping experience, and it was. But I was surprise at how close the shopping was to the entrance to the shrine itself.

Anyway, that was my outing for today. I wanted to get some pictures inside the shrine but my batteries died in my camera, but not before I got a picture of the front of a fugu restaurant, one of these guys grilling bread, and one of this chopstick store.

Food for the Day:

• Lunch: Sushi – Â¥1600
• Dinner: Fried Pork Cutlet, Fried Egg, over rice. – Â¥450