Tag: Tokyo Travel Blog

Sensoji temple in Asakusa
After the sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Fish Market, we made our way to Asakusa district (pronounced as Ah-sock-sah) to visit the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Asakusa Sensoji (é‡‘é¾å±±æµ…è‰å¯º) has a rich history dated back to the 7th century. The charismatic temple built in 645 A.D was one of the few places in Tokyo which survived the air raids during World War II. This means we are treading a sacred place serving the same purpose today as it did more than a millennium ago!
The gate is known as Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate (é›·é–€) with its huge red lantern, is a landmark of Asakusa. The two fiery-looking statues flanking the lantern are the God of Wind and the God of Thunder.
Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street
Through the gate and we were greeted by the colourful shops lining up neatly along the alley. Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street (ä»²è¦‹ä¸–é€šã‚Š) is one of the oldest shopping streets and some shops have been operating here for generations. We see shops selling yukata, paper products, folding fans, traditional crafts and souvenirs.
But we went straight for the food, as usual..lol We had the rice crackers, mochi, charcoal-grilled biscuits, steamed buns and much more. And they are absolutely delicious. Thank goodness the street is only 200 meters long else we would be gaining some serious weight..haha
We also realized that the prices of the souvenirs are mostly standardized. So just grab it if you like it. Donâ€™t try haggling with the sellers, you may somewhat offend them and risk getting a stare. The Japanese typically do not embrace bargaining like other Asia countries.
3 things to do at Sensoji
After all the munching, we reach the imposing Hozomon gate (å®è”µé–€) or Treasure Gate.
This is an attractive and similar looking gate as the Kaminarimon but it has 3 huge lanterns instead. Pass the gate and we enter a sacred place. In our sights are the main temple hall and the famous Five Storey Pagoda. In which, the top floor of the pagoda houses the relic of Buddha.
And of course, the 3 common things to do at Sensoji;
1. Pray for good health
Proceed straight to the temizuya or water pavilion with the guardian statue and dragon faucets. Use the wooden dipper to scoop water to wash your hands and mouth.
Then pay Â¥100 for the incense stick, place it in the bowl-looking incense burner and fan the holy smoke towards your face. It is believed that the smoke will purify the soul, heal the body and bring in good luck.
2. Offer your prayer
Enter the main temple hall to offer a prayer. Clap your hands twice and bow twice, toss the money into the donation box and pray, then clap one last time.
3. Read your fortune
Next thing to do is read your fortune at the â€˜automatedâ€™ Sensoji Temple fortune teller.
Pick up a metal container at the counter, point the container hole at the counter and start shaking until a fortune stick falls off. Then pay Â¥100 to retrieve a piece of omikuji (fortune paper slip) from the drawers according to the number on your fortune stick.
This is similar to how we do it at Chinese temples but there will be nobody reading your fortune to you. Not that you need to since one side of the omikuji explains in English. Congrats if itâ€™s a good luck slip, keep that for a year. If it indicates bad luck, tie it to one of the metal poles so the bad stuff wonâ€™t follow you.
We were both lucky to get a good luck slipsâ€¦yeah!
Sensoji is very much a touristy spot which the crowds will constantly remind you. But the history of the temple alone warrants a visit. Well worth the visit for us and we enjoyed our time here.
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What are your thoughts about Sensoji in Tokyo? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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February 16, 2013
Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market
We have thought of waking up early to catch the famous Tuna auction at Tsukiji Fish Market Tokyo (ç¯‰åœ°å¸‚å ´). But the plan falls flat in the face of Z monster, it’s already 9 when we reached the worldâ€™s largest wholesale fish and seafood market. We were expecting one messy fish market with a lingering stench like those â€˜wet marketsâ€™ back in Singapore. But! Surprise, surprise, the fish market is unbelievably clean and neat with no funny smell. If your nose picks up anything, itâ€™s freshness.
Organized madness in Tsukiji Fish Market
Tsukiji Fish Market is crowded, lively and full of activities. And time stops for no man here. Fishermen moved their seafood hurryingly around the market in bikes, hand carts and some funny-looking motorized carts. Despite that, they were able to avoid a collision in this seemingly organized madness.
Not so good news for nosy â€˜Gaijinâ€™ like us as wandering around the aisles requires certain situation awareness to dodge the fast pace delivery. I was pushed aside by a fisherman while taking pictures near his stalls. I was probably blocking the view of a potential buyer from some restaurant.
There are plenty of styrofoam boxes containing various fishes, crabs, clams and shellfishes among many other kinds of seafood which we have never seen before. We were in awe by the massive array of seafood available at the fish market. If it swims and people eat it, you will probably find it here. No wonder Tsukiji Fish Market is a travel clichÃ© for anyone visiting Tokyo.
Being surrounded by Japanese-speaking locals hustling and bustling about while you stand there trying to tell up from down is truly an amazing experience. You gotta be here to understand what I mean.
Sushi Paradise in Tsukiji Fish Market
After getting our shoes wet at the fish market, we proceed to the quieter outer market which is populated with stalls and sushi restaurants. The retail stalls sell stuff from takeaway sushi, snacks, ice cream, fruits, utensils, groceries to souvenirs. And the sushi restaurants are another reason why people flock to the celebrated Tokyo fish market (ç¯‰åœ°å¸‚å ´) â€“ to taste the super fresh Tsukiji sushi.
Sushi Dai (å¯¿å¸å¤§) and Daiwa Sushi (å¤§å’Œå¯¿å¸) are two popular sushi restaurants located at Block 6 with their hard-to-miss queues. Did we queue? Of course! We ainâ€™t gonna leave Tsukiji Fish Market without indulging in the famous sushi breakfast, for this is often listed as one of the things to do in Tokyo. Undeterred, we joined the queue of Sushi Dai and waited one hour.
The limited tiny seats (probably only 12-13) and the chefs churning out sushi piece-by-piece are contributing factors for the long wait. This restaurant is a small place and the lack of space is very much noticeable. Bags or jackets are to be placed on the metal racks above your head. Upon seated, the waitress served us with a cup of hot green tea each.
The tea was a godsend after enduring the cold windy weather in the queue. We ordered two standard sets costing Â¥2,500 each. The set came with 7 pieces of sushi and a bowl of miso soup. We were mumbling about the costs when the first sushi of our sets was served.
Sushi Dai Magic
One bite and everything was worth it, the sashimi just doesnâ€™t get any fresher than this. The taste wowed us big time. Every single bite was like a revelation. Damn! The sushi back home will never be good enough anymore. Yeah, itâ€™s THAT good. Period.
Back for more Tsukiji sushi!
So mesmerized by the uber-fresh sushi at Tsukiji fish market that we went back for more the next morning! But instead of Sushi Dai or Daiwa Sushi, we walk into Tsukiji Sushi Restaurant Yamazaki. Picked the place randomly to find out whether the sushi will taste the same regardless of popularity.
In short, we were hungry and donâ€™t intend to queue lol.
There are only 4 patrons including us in the restaurant, a nice change compared to the packed and squeezy Sushi Dai. Most of all, there’s nobody staring while we eat or secretly hoping for us to finish the food quickly. The sushi set prices here costs lesser than Sushi Dai; 7 pieces sushi set (Â¥2,100 VS Â¥2,500) and 10 pieces sushi set (Â¥3,675 VS Â¥3,900).
The million dollar question next is: taste comparison? Seriously, we canâ€™t tell the difference between the sushi from two restaurants, they were equally fresh and good. Itadakimasu!
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What are your thoughts about Tsukiji Fish Market? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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February 12, 2013