Asia, Day 10 | Japan, Day 2
Sep. 18th, 2023 05:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sen_no_ongakuToday we have an all-day tour ahead of us, with a guide named Keiko. Though it was originally pitched as a "food tour", we've modified it more into a tour of some of Tokyo's highlights with food spots thrown in; Tsukiji Fish Market is often closed on Wednesdays, and we can't reasonably ask the boys to eat everything and anything that's put in front of them (though both have been excellent about trying new things).
Keiko meets us at our hotel, and she begins by leading us to a hidden shrine near our hotel (pic here). It turns out that Tokyo (presumably along with most places in Japan, at a guess) is chock-full of lovely little shrines tucked into all sorts of spaces: alleyways, rooftops, under a set of stairs. They're always a delight to find.
The first stop on our tour is the Imperial Palace East Garden. Keiko tells us about the current Emperor and his family, and notes some interesting aspects of the design of Japanese castles and their fortifications. The gardens themselves are beautifully designed, unsurprisingly; roaming around feels like walking through a sculpture. (Short video here.)
(Keiko speaks English with a British accent, and it's incredibly charming. For example, her 'O's are plummy and rounded, and she sometimes drops the R at the ends of syllables, e.g. "here" becomes "heah". It turns out she spent a chunk of her youth in London.)
From there we head to the Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower. We have lunch at the Skytree food court; J has yakitori chicken and a side soup (which he still raves about), G goes to town on a salmon roe rice bowl. This seems like as good a time as any to try takoyaki, which maybe is best described as a large hush puppy with a bit of octopus in the middle. While the batter is tasty, the octopus is unpleasantly chewy and rubbery, and my first time eating takoyaki will also likely be my last.
The Skytree has two observation decks; we stick to the lower one (the Tembo Deck, at 350m), and get some amazing views of Tokyo and environs. There's also a part with a transparent floor, which is dizzying to stand on.
(Sidenote: one of the things I love about Japan are the bathrooms. They're all super-clean, and every toilet has a washlet, of which I'm a huge fan. In contrast, in the Philippines, my Dad handed out wipes to everyone because toilet paper being present wasn't a guarantee.)
Our next stop is the Senso-Ji Temple; on our way there, we take a picture in front of the unfortunate "golden turd" -- a huge structure intended to be a single flame rising upwards, but forced to be turned on its side thanks to building regulations.
The main approach to the temple, Nakamise Street, is bookended with temple gates, and flanked with little shops of all kinds, selling souvenirs and treats. I pick up some tea-flavored okoshi (kinda like Japanese Rice Krispies treats), and the boys have a fine time trying various sweets. The temple is gorgeous, and I'm particularly struck by the paintings on the ceiling (though, sadly, one has fallen down recently). We pass up an opportunity to collect an O-mikuji, a Japanese fortune, a mistake I now regret.
We start making our way to Kappabashi and the end of our tour; on the way, E picks up some lovely fabrics, and G and J get to try out a traditional Japanese activity that involves catching up goldfish with a paper scoop (that eventually breaks as it absorbs water). Kappabashi is the place to purchase kitchen and restaurant supplies, and our final destination is Ganso-Shokuhin, where you can not only buy replica wax food, but make your own!
We arrive a touch before our appointment, so we have time goggle at the incredible and absurd level of detail of an wide range of "dishes". I'm particularly impressed by one imitating a loaf of bread being torn apart. The food-making session itself is super-fun, and is overseen by instructors who help make sure everything comes out OK; we each make a small head of lettuce, a piece of shrimp tempura, and a piece of vegetable tempura. (The lettuce is the most satisfying, as it involves making a layer of wax atop a tub of hot water, pulling that wax under and through the water, then lifting it up to make a wrinkly sheet that then gets folded to make the lettuce.)
After parting ways with Keiko, we chill a bit at the hotel before striking out to find dinner. Most places are small and full, so we end up at a sake bar near our hotel that serves izakaya, the Japanese equivalent of pub food. G gets to chow down on more salmon (loving salmon is a part of his identity), E orders an eel bowl, and J has some excellent fried chicken-type dishes. (I forget what I had, but I remember liking it.) Meanwhile, I try a couple of random sakes from their selection, and the fact that I enjoy them both immensely leads me to believe that there's no sake I don't like.
(Also, a bunch of salarymen come in after work to blow off some steam, and I realize that the bar allows smoking. Whoops.)
Then, to bed after a long, hot, full day.
Keiko meets us at our hotel, and she begins by leading us to a hidden shrine near our hotel (pic here). It turns out that Tokyo (presumably along with most places in Japan, at a guess) is chock-full of lovely little shrines tucked into all sorts of spaces: alleyways, rooftops, under a set of stairs. They're always a delight to find.
The first stop on our tour is the Imperial Palace East Garden. Keiko tells us about the current Emperor and his family, and notes some interesting aspects of the design of Japanese castles and their fortifications. The gardens themselves are beautifully designed, unsurprisingly; roaming around feels like walking through a sculpture. (Short video here.)
(Keiko speaks English with a British accent, and it's incredibly charming. For example, her 'O's are plummy and rounded, and she sometimes drops the R at the ends of syllables, e.g. "here" becomes "heah". It turns out she spent a chunk of her youth in London.)
From there we head to the Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower. We have lunch at the Skytree food court; J has yakitori chicken and a side soup (which he still raves about), G goes to town on a salmon roe rice bowl. This seems like as good a time as any to try takoyaki, which maybe is best described as a large hush puppy with a bit of octopus in the middle. While the batter is tasty, the octopus is unpleasantly chewy and rubbery, and my first time eating takoyaki will also likely be my last.
The Skytree has two observation decks; we stick to the lower one (the Tembo Deck, at 350m), and get some amazing views of Tokyo and environs. There's also a part with a transparent floor, which is dizzying to stand on.
(Sidenote: one of the things I love about Japan are the bathrooms. They're all super-clean, and every toilet has a washlet, of which I'm a huge fan. In contrast, in the Philippines, my Dad handed out wipes to everyone because toilet paper being present wasn't a guarantee.)
Our next stop is the Senso-Ji Temple; on our way there, we take a picture in front of the unfortunate "golden turd" -- a huge structure intended to be a single flame rising upwards, but forced to be turned on its side thanks to building regulations.
The main approach to the temple, Nakamise Street, is bookended with temple gates, and flanked with little shops of all kinds, selling souvenirs and treats. I pick up some tea-flavored okoshi (kinda like Japanese Rice Krispies treats), and the boys have a fine time trying various sweets. The temple is gorgeous, and I'm particularly struck by the paintings on the ceiling (though, sadly, one has fallen down recently). We pass up an opportunity to collect an O-mikuji, a Japanese fortune, a mistake I now regret.
We start making our way to Kappabashi and the end of our tour; on the way, E picks up some lovely fabrics, and G and J get to try out a traditional Japanese activity that involves catching up goldfish with a paper scoop (that eventually breaks as it absorbs water). Kappabashi is the place to purchase kitchen and restaurant supplies, and our final destination is Ganso-Shokuhin, where you can not only buy replica wax food, but make your own!
We arrive a touch before our appointment, so we have time goggle at the incredible and absurd level of detail of an wide range of "dishes". I'm particularly impressed by one imitating a loaf of bread being torn apart. The food-making session itself is super-fun, and is overseen by instructors who help make sure everything comes out OK; we each make a small head of lettuce, a piece of shrimp tempura, and a piece of vegetable tempura. (The lettuce is the most satisfying, as it involves making a layer of wax atop a tub of hot water, pulling that wax under and through the water, then lifting it up to make a wrinkly sheet that then gets folded to make the lettuce.)
After parting ways with Keiko, we chill a bit at the hotel before striking out to find dinner. Most places are small and full, so we end up at a sake bar near our hotel that serves izakaya, the Japanese equivalent of pub food. G gets to chow down on more salmon (loving salmon is a part of his identity), E orders an eel bowl, and J has some excellent fried chicken-type dishes. (I forget what I had, but I remember liking it.) Meanwhile, I try a couple of random sakes from their selection, and the fact that I enjoy them both immensely leads me to believe that there's no sake I don't like.
(Also, a bunch of salarymen come in after work to blow off some steam, and I realize that the bar allows smoking. Whoops.)
Then, to bed after a long, hot, full day.
