Tokyo Day 1: Akihabara, Sensoji Temple, Ueno and Shinjuku
Last week I spent a few days in Tokyo to do some sightseeing. Yes, I finally visited Japan’s capital after living here for eight months; better late than never.
On Monday night, I took the night bus from Umeda, Osaka with two friends and we arrived at Tokyo Station at 7:15 on Tuesday morning.
Tokyo Station's main entrance
I felt like we got a lot out of our first day in Tokyo because we went to four places: Akihabara, Sensoji Temple, Ueno and Shinjuku. What made travelling around the city cheaper was purchasing a JR Pass for ¥730 that allowed us unlimited access on the JR Yamanote line (Tokyo’s busiest and most important lines) for the whole day.
Akihabara Electric City
If you have come to Osaka before, this is the equivalent of Den-Den Town but it’s bigger and flashier. Here is where many electronic shops can be found as well as stores catering to lovers of all things pop culture.
A store in Akihabara
There are many shops selling manga and anime – perfect for otakus (geeks/nerds). Be warned that the stores also stock plenty of pornographic materials.
Maid cafes are a common feature in Akihabara. I saw countless young Japanese girls dressed in French maid outfits at every street corner beckoning to people to come to their cafes.
The streets of Akihabara
The most obvious and inescapable part of town had to be the excessive promotion of AKB48, a Japanese pop idol group that originated from the area. Think of them as the Japanese equivalent of the Pussycat Dolls times but multiplied by six. AKB is an acronym for Akihabara.
An AKB48 store
They are really the mascots of the area and there are numerous stores selling AKB48 merchandise. Again, this is for the otakus who are the band’s main audience.
The band has its own theatre, which is located on the eighth floor of discount chain store, Donki Hote with performances held at certain times of the day. Due to their popularity, attendees are drawn from a lottery. On the floor below is a store that sells AKB48 merchandise and another one selling female costumes like French maid uniforms.
Want a maid costume?
There are also seedy adult stores around town too, like this store a few minutes away from Akihabara Station.
Sensoji Temple, Asakusa
My next destination was Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo which is said to have been built in 628.
The landmark entrance is the Grand Kaminarimon Gate (Thunder God Gate) and it is famous for its pair of large red paper lanterns.
Nakamise Shopping Street
Beyond this is Nakamise Shopping Street, a 250m street lined with 90 shops selling souvenirs, food and drinks. It’s a good place to try out local delicacies.
A lady serving sweet sake
I tried this sweetened sake that tasted really good. The street is historically significant because the shops originated during the Edo Period and some have been run by the same families for centuries.
Hozomon
At the end of the street is the two-storey gate, Hozomon and beyond this is the main temple hall and the five-storey pagoda on the left.
The main temple
The five-storey pagoda
In the courtyard, there is an incense cauldron, and people ‘bathe’ in the smoke due to the belief that the incense will bestow a year’s worth of good luck upon them.
The incense burner that attracts crowds
Ueno
From Asakusa, I headed to Ueno, which is most famous for its park. In fact, it’s Tokyo’s first public park and inside is a zoo, an art museum, a pond and temples. My friends and I mainly spent our time strolling through the park. At the time I went, most trees had lost their leaves but they were still pretty to look at.
Another one of Tokyo’s oldest temples is located in Ueno Park- Kiyomizu Kannon-do. This temple is recognised as a national treasure and is popular with women who have trouble conceiving. They believe that the Goddess of Child-rearing, who is enshrined in the temple, will fulfill their wishes.
Kiyomizu Kannon-do
At the south end of the park is a famous statue of Saigo Takamori, a famous samurai who lived in the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. Ken Watanabe’s character in The Last Samurai was inspired by Takamori.
Saigo Takamori
Another man who is immortalised in the park is the Imperial Prince, Komatsu Akihito, the first president of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Prince Komatsu Akihito
Ameyoko
Another interesting place I visited in Ueno was Ameyoko, a busy market street. Its name has two origins: one is Ameya Yokocho meaning candy store alley as this is where they were traditionally sold. Another is that Ame comes from America because American products used to be available here when the street was a black market after World War II.
Today, the market sells a range of goods including clothes, bags and food. There are plenty of cheap items on sale.
Shinjuku
My last stop for the day was Shinjuku, which I’ve been told is where the yakuza (Japanese mafia) hang out. There are numerous electronic stores, cinemas, karaoke bars, restaurants, clothing and department stores. At night, this place comes alive with bright neon lights.
It's never dark in Shinjuku
Shinjuku is also home to a very very seedy red-light district called Kabukichō. The area was named after the Japanese style of dance-drama, kabuki because a theatre was originally going to be built there. It didn’t happen but the name stuck. Here you can find hostess bars, gentleman clubs, night clubs, love hotels, massage parlours and the like.
The entrance to Kabukichō
There were Japanese men hanging around approaching people to get them into their clubs. I was even asked by one man if I wanted to watch a strip show. A big no from me. I didn’t like this area but it was still interesting to walk through just to see the darker side of Japan.
Walking through the streets of Kabukichō
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