Day 2 : Loving Tokyo bit by bit.
Ohaiyogozaimasu!
Akihabara - the Funan Centre/Sim Lim Square of Tokyo -
A pleasant stroll down to Yasukuni-dori from Jimbocho brought me to Akihabara where there are like Shinjuku-like and Shibuya-like buildings that advertise video game characters,cartoon figures instead of fashion brands. I would have really loved this place when i was a kid playing my 16-bit sega megadrive. As usual stores were all screaming about the latest Nintendo Wii ..
Ok tummy growls. Got another ticket from the vending machine for a tempura don with a bowl of hot steaming ramen. The tempura was sooooo thinly fried , crisp to perfection. And once it is soaked in the tare, it just melts in your mouth. All this for like ?500 yen (<10>Asakusa
after all that megalomaniac kind of buildings-skyscraper galore, i was just happy to be in Asakusa. it was by no means a quiet neighbourhood -there were throngs of tourists here in fact. it's just that the buildings were a lot more old-school japanese - and the nearby sensouji temple made things a lot more placid. it was a pleasant stroll by the shops - 1000s of them in fact selling all-so-nicely packaged okashii (sweets) and omiyage (souvenir snacks). this looks like the most attractive district so far. fairly charming and not so much glitz.
Sensouji temple by early evening .. sun sets really early in Tokyo during winter. nothing really much .. just a touch of spiritualism in midst of the urban chaos. good idea actually.
One of the many quaint alleys and shopping streets in Asakusa as evening beckons.
I had a great meal at this restaurant. don't you love the fact that they all have such gorgeous displays .. i had the colourful "matsume" (the one in the black bowl) .. yanni would love the red beans (i ain't such a big fan but apparently red bean/green bean is like a sine qua non of Japanese dessert making.
I had the wonderful Negitoro (upper row ; inner most in maroon bowl) ; which is like mashed raw fatty tuna over a deep bowl of rice.
Tokyo Tower
Well if you have been to the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building (now especially that Empire State building), what you are gonna experience would be pretty disappointing. not that worth the 700+ yen.
The view is just okay.. nothing really compared to the Empire State Building or even that Shanghai tower (what name was that tower ? sheesh i just went in March )
Akihabara - the Funan Centre/Sim Lim Square of Tokyo -
A pleasant stroll down to Yasukuni-dori from Jimbocho brought me to Akihabara where there are like Shinjuku-like and Shibuya-like buildings that advertise video game characters,cartoon figures instead of fashion brands. I would have really loved this place when i was a kid playing my 16-bit sega megadrive. As usual stores were all screaming about the latest Nintendo Wii ..
Prices in Akihabara were competitive but nowhere to be compared to Singapore. A Nikon D40X kit costs like 1100 in LAOX (the major superstore), but i figure Harvey Norman/Courts were of course selling their cameras at a slightly marked up price. 
Ok tummy growls. Got another ticket from the vending machine for a tempura don with a bowl of hot steaming ramen. The tempura was sooooo thinly fried , crisp to perfection. And once it is soaked in the tare, it just melts in your mouth. All this for like ?500 yen (<10>Asakusa
after all that megalomaniac kind of buildings-skyscraper galore, i was just happy to be in Asakusa. it was by no means a quiet neighbourhood -there were throngs of tourists here in fact. it's just that the buildings were a lot more old-school japanese - and the nearby sensouji temple made things a lot more placid. it was a pleasant stroll by the shops - 1000s of them in fact selling all-so-nicely packaged okashii (sweets) and omiyage (souvenir snacks). this looks like the most attractive district so far. fairly charming and not so much glitz.
one of the alleys in Asakusa ... now this is kinda of japan that i like. quieter and sedate. yes there are tourists and etc, but not the thronging screaming crowd that you experience in shibuya or shinjuku.
Sensouji temple by early evening .. sun sets really early in Tokyo during winter. nothing really much .. just a touch of spiritualism in midst of the urban chaos. good idea actually.
One of the many quaint alleys and shopping streets in Asakusa as evening beckons.
I had a great meal at this restaurant. don't you love the fact that they all have such gorgeous displays .. i had the colourful "matsume" (the one in the black bowl) .. yanni would love the red beans (i ain't such a big fan but apparently red bean/green bean is like a sine qua non of Japanese dessert making.
I had the wonderful Negitoro (upper row ; inner most in maroon bowl) ; which is like mashed raw fatty tuna over a deep bowl of rice.Tokyo Tower
Well if you have been to the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building (now especially that Empire State building), what you are gonna experience would be pretty disappointing. not that worth the 700+ yen.
The view is just okay.. nothing really compared to the Empire State Building or even that Shanghai tower (what name was that tower ? sheesh i just went in March )
posted by James Huang at 10:21 PM
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