First, a couple of days ago, I decided to go the Harajuku to get some jewelry for my Girlfriend, mom, and my friend Linze. Harajuku was interesting, though I was kind of surprised how dull it was for being the fashion center of Tokyo (maybe I wasn't in the right place? or maybe, oh ya that's right, I'M A MAN) Anyways I didn't get anything in Harajuku and decided to move back to Shibuya.
Picture of a main street in Harajuku:
On the way to Shibuya, I saw the frozen man again!!! I decided to take a video! The camerawork is a little sketchy, but I was trying to dig in my pockets to get change to give him money! Here's the video!
After the frozen man I walked around trying to find a legit jewelry store. Finally I found one that caught my eye. I went in and found the perfect necklace for Jen, and a nice pair of earrings for Mom.
The next big thing that happened was that I met up with my Japanese friend Chiharu! She was a foreign exchange student my freshman year and lived on my floor. After some navigating the train system, I made it to our meeting point in Asakusa. I was pretty early, so I walked around. They had TONS of shops in many shopping arcades, selling everything from purses to toys to junk.
I finally found Chiharu, and we headed to the Sensoji Temple. According to Chiharu, it's the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. First at the entrance, there's a giant balloon type thing. The Kanji on it say "Thunder Gate."
Another picture near the gate:
Here's a picture of the temple itself:
A second balloon, apparently says "Small ship town" (thanks Chiharu)
A picture of the underside of the balloon pictured above ^
They were remodeling something, and they had this cool screen up!
There was also incense burning. Chiharu told me that the smoke is supposed to heal you, so you are supposed to waft the smoke to whatever part of your body you want to make better. We wafted it towards our heads so we'd be smarter :D
Next, there was a fountain, with ladles all around it. Chiharu told me that you are supposed to take the ladle and wash your hands with the water, as well as wash your mouth out. This is to cleanse yourself before you pray to the gods.
Right inside, there was a big box where you drop in coins. After that, you put your hands together and make a wish. I wished for a safe trip home :)
There was also a very beautiful screened off area inside the temple:
There was also a very cool mural on the ceiling:
After we looked at this, there was a table where you can get your fortune. There was a box that had long skinny sticks in it, and you shook one out thru a hole. This had a number on it, and you took a sheet out of the corresponding drawer. Chiharu got the "good fortune," and when I got mine, it was the "best fortune!" Hopefully I'll carry this luck with my for the rest of the trip :)
Also inside the temple, they were selling charms and similar stuff. I saw cool bracelets, so I got one for my friend Linze. When the lady gave it to me, she motioned to a large bead on the bracelet. I thought she wanted me to smell it, but Chiaharu told me to look inside. Inside this little bead, there was a small picture of Buddha! It was really cool!
After we left the temple, we walked around and looked at the shops. We decided to get a snack before we went to go meet Chiharu's friend for ramen, so we got some delicious pancake sweetbean filling type pastries. I forgot what they were called :/ but here's a picture!
After eating a few and sitting talking, we decided to head over to meet Chiharu's friend Natsumi. We met her and headed over to the ramen place. I got spicy ramen, it was good! I sat and tried to listen to Chiharu and Natsumi talk, but it was tough! We also had "straw tea." You read that right, tea made from straw. It was about as good as it sounds. We left after eating, and the girls walked me to the right station and I made it home without any problems.
Thanks Chiharu!!!
Today I decided to FINALLY check out Akihabara, so me and my friend Matt checked it out. Anybody who knows me well knows I'm a HUGE nerd, and I've wanted to visit Akihabara for a long, long time. For those who don't know, Akihabara is a nerd's dream, full of anime, manga, video games and french maid cafes. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Wait that's Mos Eisley :p. But really, it was pretty awesome! I don't have any pictures :( but I'll def get some when go back.
That's all for now! I will be going on a 5 day homestay in Mobara tomorrow, so I might not be able to access the internet. I will update ASAP when I get back!
Ja mata! (Well, Later!)
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