It’s an excellent but also immense museum. With only about 10% seen of it I got lost in the museums grounds between the old trees and the small tea houses. The weather was cozy, warm, and sunny. All the right ingredients for a relaxed day at the museum. I don’t want to leave Japan. But I have to. Soon.
Through the jungle of lo-fi Japanese website I managed to book tickets from Shinjuku Station to Otsuki with the express train and a seat on a train back to Shinjuku from Kawaguchiko. Since I had to get from Asakusa to Shinjuku first I woke up at 5 to get the Yamanote train at 7, no need to reserve that one.
The trains were neat, tidy and on time – as always in Japan. I arrived in Otsuki after only a short 50-minute ride from Shinjuku and couldn’t wait to get on the local train to Shimoyoshida that would take another ~40 minutes. I was warned that in Summer the view could be pretty obscured, but I monitored when to see mt fuji to select the best day. It was a real good idea to reserve those seats back from Kawaguchiko because a lot of people had to stand for 1.75h after a day of walking and more walking.
The stairs up to Arakurayama Sengen Park to the Chureito Pagoda had me out of breath. Luckily there was the Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine at the bottom of the stairs and the view at the top was more than a reward for my huffing and puffing. I thought I’d be fit from my running, but maybe I should train more stairs.
The rest of the day was spent around Lake Kawaguchiko with Fujisan looming in the back. The sun tried to kill me and shade was in high demand. It’s crowded for sure. The red bus that runs every 15 minutes was often too full, and you had to wait another 15 minutes in the sun. With plenty of time to spare I arrived back at Kawaguchiko Station and finally found a restaurant to my liking. After a late lunch consisting of Hoto Noodles and a Coke Zero I enjoyed the view of the mountain and lake until my train brought me back to Shinjuku. I arrived in Asakusa around 8 – all tired but very happy about the trip out of the city.
Nothing like some filter coffee served from a cute car
Kaminari Mon Gate that leads to Sesoji
Actually the Senso-ji Buddhist Temple is right around the corner of where I stay. That made it easy for me to go there and explore it bit by bit. First was Nakamise Shopping Street, then the Temple and finally all the surrounding area.
There are plenty of muscular buddhas in the temple but also this one.
Smaller structures on the temple grounds
Bright may sun with the Skytree in the background.
My last week in Tokyo has started and I will stay in Asakusa. The area is not far from Ueno so I can go back there to check out more Museums. Also there is an astonishing amount of tourists here. Even more than I am used to. But I enjoy being in Tokyo and I am happy I extended my stay here.
A rainy night in Asakusa
The unicorn gundam next to Diver City Mall
When going to Odaiba on the Yurikamome Line you get to go through a neat loop right before going over the rainbow bridge and see the port from different angles. Surprisingly there is a Statue of Liberty set up here. The beach here was empty as it rained a little and the sun was hiding behind a closed curtain of clouds.
Enjoyed the Malls here. Tempted to buy an Entry Grade RX 78 Gunpla in Gundam Base Tokyo. I can’t. I shouldn’t. I wouldn’t. Would I?
Had the best Miso Ramen of my life in Aqua CiTY and went to see Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in the Cinema there. The ScreenX side projections made me nauseous but were only activated in a couple of scenes. The movie is a 3/5 for me because of some structural issues, but I was entertained every second of it. Tom Cruise thanked the Japanese people (in English) for watching and supporting the franchise before the movie which I found quite cool. I also found that watching movies in English with Japanese subtitles really didn’t bother me at all.
Lots of callbacks in this one
The rainy weather made for an ideal day to explore more of Ueno Park. Equiped with my umbrella and jacket I went back to Ueno Park to take a closer look at the shrines and temples.
Wall near Toshogu Shrine in Ueno
Shinobazuno Pond Benten
First rough buildings I saw here in Tokyo
Later that night I went to search a Hard Off near Ueno Station. On my way and in the store I found a couple of old things.
I liked the weathered look of this shop I walked by
It is known that the Hard Off locations in the city center are not great to find bargains but it was fun browsing and seeing all the colorful GBs.
Not exactly cheap either
Entrance to Ameyoko Street
Ameyoko was busy with lots of foreigners, restaurants, and vendors trying to sell trinkets, clothes, and souvenirs. I really wasn’t in the mood to buy anything here.
Colorful vending machines and Gashapon machines in a side street
After I got a delicious pork and rice set at the Hidakaya near my hotel I wandered down the road to find a Book Off with some nice Famicom games. I love the design of those and wish I could take some home and put them in a display case. But my backpack is already way too full and I need to be careful not to get in trouble. I thought about buying some new luggage so I can take more stuff home. No decision until now. Also, I sold most of my physical game collection last year before beginning to travel. With one major exception: My Game Boy games (without boxes). I actually bought some GB games here too. I may report about them in another post soon.
Super Famicom games and more in the Book Off Ueno