Asakusa and Ueno

Tokyo redeemed itself today. Even though it was still muggy and sticky and threatening to storm, I had a wonderful day.

First stop was Asakusa, one of the few areas they say still holds the spirit of Edo (old Tokyo). Its narrow streets are lined with quaint shops selling boxwood combs, fans, chopsticks, kimonos and sweets. Asakusa is also home to Tokyo’s oldest and most popular temple, Senjo-ji, which enshrines a golden image of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (I only know this because I read it in the guide book). The best part by far was the garden next to the temple. In the stream that runs through the garden, coi of all colors and sizes swim.



Next, it was on to Ueno, another place where you can get a feel for what life was like in the old days. The best feature of Ueno, as far as I’m concerned, is Ueno-koen, or Ueno Park. The park is home to galleries, museums and a zoo (not to mention a large homeless population).

Even though it was raining, sometimes fiercely, and even though the wind sometimes threatened to blow me over, I opted for the outdoor pleasures of Ueno Park, and after a short walk down the wide tree-lined path, and after a quick snack of green-tea Gelato, I went to the zoo!

Now, I’ve been to a lot of zoos, but this experience was like no other. Mainly because I had the whole place practically to myself (who goes to the zoo on a rainy Wednesday?). I never had to jockey for position to get a good view. Not only that, but the animals were unusually lively today, perhaps because of the storm. Even the pandas were up and about. I discovered an animal I'd never seen before -- the Chinese Panda. What an adorable creature! (Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a good picture.) And the pandas, of course, are incredible. The tigers and lions looked a little underfed, I have to say. And I had to wonder how the penguins and polar bears survive in such a hot climate. But overall, the zoo was fantastic.





Tonight, Colleen and I met some friends of hers for dinner at a great place in Rappongi called Gonpachi. Colleen’s friends ordered for us and the food just kept coming. We had a rolled omelet with radish and soy sauce, fried tofu wrapped in greens, soba noodles, asparagus wrapped in bacon and much more. And I got to sample some delicious sake – a perfect complement to the meal.

After dinner, they took me to a karaoke bar! You can imagine how much fun I had. I sang some ridiculous songs (in that I have no business singing them) like Crazy Train (a little Ozzie anyone?) and Mr. Roboto (Domo Arigato!). Colleen and I did a duet of Endless Love. I made her do the Lionel Ritchie part. (We were stellar.) But the highlight for me was undoubtedly doing Me and Bobby McGee, which I’ve never had the nerve to sing before. It was the most fun I’ve ever had singing. Karoake is so much fun in Japan. You get your own private room, and you just keep programming the songs and grabbing the mike from each other. I suggested to Colleen that we get our own karaoke machine, but then we realized that the two of us would never leave the apartment if we did!

So, yes, Tokyo has redeemed itself in my eyes. And tomorrow it’s off to Kyoto (which is just Tokyo with the letters rearranged). I probably won’t be writing again until I get back. Stay tuned!