Rewarded for our hard work

On Thursday, we ventured to two areas in the northern part of Tokyo: Ueno and Asakusa. Ueno has a very large park that contains an old Shinto Shrine as well as the Tokyo National Museum. Just outside of Ueno park is a famous street market called Ameyoko Arcade. Asakusa, just a bit farther north, contains Tokyo's largest Buddhist Temple in the middle of a working class neighborhood. Above is a picture of the entrance to the Shrine in Ueno Park.

Having just returned from the beautiful Shrines and Temples of Kyoto, it was clear that the Shrine in Ueno park was not treated as well. It was a bit run down as was Ueno Park, unlike Yoyogi Park which we had seen earlier in the week in Tokyo. However, there were a few nice pictures to be had, and we also really enjoyed the Tokyo National Museum. Above is an annex to the museum designed by the same architect who did New York's MoMA.

As we ventured out of the park, we couldn't help but notice streams of people rushing into the building below this billboard.

Inside, we found rows upon rows of Tokyo-ites of all ages captivated by the same video game... the sound of the machines was deafening. All of the games involved putting buckets of silver balls into the machines and moving them around similar to pin ball. We really couldn't figure it out but it was quite a sight. No one even blinked at the tourists with their camera - they were far too captivated.

This is the entrance to Ameyoko Arcade: a street market where you can find fruit, fish, watches, clothes, new shoes, and even golf clubs. Having seen markets in Hong Kong and China, this seemed a bit more quiet and orderly though still a feast for the eyes.

After Ueno, we got back on the subway and headed up to Asakusa. This felt like a working class area of town and was FILLED to the brim with tourists. We haven't seen anything like it in Tokyo thus far. Below is the crazy busy street you walk down to get to the Buddhist Temple, Senso-Ji. After this, we ventured out into the side streets of the Asakusa neighborhood which were more peaceful and great to get a glimpse of the everyday life there.

Above: Brian at the entrance of Senso-Ji and a view of the crowds streaming in and out of the Temple.

As we walked through these Shrines and Temples, we reflected on our time in Kyoto. The setting in foothills, the sheer size of the structures, the relative calm and quiet, as well as how meticulously each site was cared for make Kyoto a very special place. Having seen a few similar sights in Tokyo, we were so glad to have both perspectives and really appreciate our experience in Kyoto.

On Wednesday night, we had eaten at a sushi place the hotel recommended: Sushizenmai. It was a very casual local spot with by far the most incredible sushi either one of us has ever tasted. We were the only non-smokers and non-Westerners in the crowd, so I am sure we stuck out a bit. But we felt right at home at the sushi counter pointing to the pictures on the menu to get what we wanted. So, as we finished up our rounds in Ueno and Asakusa on Thursday, we found we could not get the sublime taste of the Toro out of our heads.

I convinced Brian that we HAD to go back there for a late lunch/snack. Below is a picture of me at the counter at 4pm on Thursday happily sipping a Kirin light beer ready for the sushi to begin.

Above: The master at work serving us up more Toro, a tuna hand roll, and salmon sashimi.

Above: the delicious tuna hand roll. We walked out of there completely satisfied and wondering how could it get any better than this?!

It did.....

Our final reward after our long, hard day touring Tokyo was dinner at Morimoto's Teppanyaki restaurant, XEX Morimoto. We again perched ourselves at the counter and enjoyed every second of this amazing meal.

Above: Our chef. We each had a different tasting menu of five items each more beautifully prepared than the next. I was photographing every course....

Above: my tuna tartar with 7 different condiments on the side. This is one of their signature dishes. So delicious.

Above: even the carafes of sake were served with incredible care and attention to detail. After lobster, chicken, steak, veggies, and japanese mashed potatoes, and key lime creme brulee, we were full and ready for a great night's sleep. Another incredible day in Tokyo!