BootsnAll Travel Network



Ueno-Koen and the Omikoshi at Ameyokocho

One night in an internet café is tolerable.  Not so comfortable, but sleep is possible.  You can get computer work done and then easily pass out in your oversized recliner when you are ready.  Very helpful for blogging, uploading photos, and staying in touch with out a ketai (cell phone).  It is a worthwhile experience, and definitely a must for a budget traveler in Tokyo.  However, two nights in a row is too much.  In the few times I’ve stay in one before I never realized the quality of sleep wasn’t as good.  Compound two nights in a row and you simply don’t get enough rest.  None of my friends could put me up for another couple days, so I decided to seek out a cheap bed.  I found a ryokan in Minowa.  Hotel New Koyo is only ¥2500 per night for a private room and located near Ueno and Asakusa, two areas that were on my itinerary before coming to Tokyo.   

I dropped my bags off and set off towards Ueno Park.  Nothing really compares to the tranquility of a pleasure garden, and Yoyogi is definitely the place to be if you are young, hip or active, but Ueno has its merits.  While it is mostly swarmed with tourists, children, and the majority of Tokyo’s homeless population, the park still retains a certain charm.  It is always pleasant to stroll through the green, stumbling across random shrines, statues and stone lanterns.  Although it wasn’t as unique as other places I’ve seen here so far, there were plenty of opportunities to put my camera to use.

 

One highlight worth mentioning was Tosho-Gu.  It is the only shrine I’ve come across which actually cost money to enter.  The reason is that it is one of the few Edo era buildings still left standing after the war and earthquakes.  It was worth the ¥200 to see the aging walls, and serene courtyard.  I recommend a visit if you happen to be in the area.

 

 

After taking a walk around a rather large lake filled with lily pads, I began to make my way back to the hotel for a well needed shower but my attention was diverted.  Along the way back to the station I came across the Ameyokocho, a neighborhood of streets lined with vendors.  It was closed off to anything but foot traffic, and the crowds took full advantage of it.

 

 

A few minutes of wandering and browsing the merchant’s wares brought me to an intersection overrun with people wearing matching traditional garments.  They were all surrounding an Omikoshi (portable shrine), drinking beer, and chain smoking until a man climbed up the shrine and shouted an announcement.  With a tremendous wave of excitement the people gathered around the Omikoshi, lifted it high in the air, and started to bounce it rhythmically while chanting.  Definitely a bizarre site for a westerner, but I couldn’t hang around for long.

 

 

I returned to the hotel for a quick shower before meeting Mihye in Ikebukuro for dinner.  We spent the night eating at a Spanish style tapas restaurant, and talking again for hours upon end.  She is really turning out to be a great companion who is extremely easy to converse with.  We made plans to eat at a famous sushi restaurant in Asakusa the following day, and I literally had to run to just barely catch the last train back home.

 

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