Japan, 5th day, Tokio part 1

Fifth day of my trip, 19th September, will be divided between 2 cities: Tokyo and Kyoto.   Because of an abundance of photos taken, Tokio post will be divided in few parts.

Third Monday of September, in 2011 it was 19 September, is Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirou no hi), public holiday. As a public holiday, since 1966, it was celebrated on 15 September, In 2003 tho, it was switched to the Monday date, to make another longer weekend.

Before my departure to Kyoto I went for a walk through Asakusa's streets. For all the days I have been there, I didn't sightsee it at all. I was too preoccupied with other things. Thanks to the holiday, Asakusa was full of people on the Monday morning. It was a pleasant view, seeing how the city is alive.

I was marching through the district, wherever my legs take me to.

I came to a street called Denbouin doori　(伝法院通り), shopping street imitating one of the old Tokyo (former: Edo) downtown streets. The goods weren't all traditional. By the streeet there is Denbouin temple, closed for visitors. It helds accommodation quarter for the chief priest of Sensouji temple and acts also as a training center for priests. Few photos of the inside can be seen on Japanese site on Sensouji.

Additional map reference: http://goo.gl/maps/jK8yz

CDN

Japan, day 4, Tokyo Games Show

Tokyo Games Show (TGS), a game fair in... Chiba near Tokyo, was the sole reason for me to go around this date.

TGS started at 10:00. Few minutes after 10:00 I arrived at the station of Kaihin-Makuhari. And had to queeuee immediately after leaving the train. Yup, that was a queeue to the exit. :D


Even if I hadn't known the route, I'd find that place without any problems. One just needed to follow the masses. ;) If that wouldn't be enough, there were also signs and signs holders (yup, people!) saying where to go. ;)


I stood in line for the foreigners. I bought tickets, "registered" myself as a Polish and followed another guide. I stood in line with others, waiting for the possibility to enter. I think it lasted about an hour. The temperature was over 30 C, again. Some of the people were covering heads with terrycloth towels. Again. I know it's supposed to block the sweat, but still it looks strange to me.


There were really a lot of people inside. From all the games that I could have been playing, I was playing only smartphone/tablet games which didn't have a lot of people waiting. I didn't want to waste 1 hour to play TERA (tho it looked good). Some games caught my attention, just to mention Phantasy Star Online 2.

I haven't bought there anything except food. ;) Food stands got their own hall.

Before the food hall there was a place for cosplayers. You could take a photo of cosplayers. Through megaphones they were announcing the rules for taking photos.

One of the pavillions was only (!) for families with children (family corner). There were also 7 other games pavilions.

Below are some of the photos taken at TGS. I'll to go there again, when I have a chance.


A line for icecream called shaved ice (かき氷). Free, as it was a promotion of one of the companies that attended TGS. I was one of its last clients. :P I tried ice with melon syrup. And I became a melon fan since then. ;)


And lastly, few photos of Shinjuku station neighborhood (in Tokio). In big department stores with electronic appliances, there are brand-sellers (ie. Canon, Nikon sellers). But... when they see a foreigner, they still send whoever speaks English. :P

Japan, day 3 - Chiba & Narita

I went to see the place where tokyo Games Show fair was held. The route was: Narita - Chiba [Narita Express], Chiba - Chiba Minato (千葉みなと) - monorail, Chiba Minato - Kaihin-Makuhari (海浜幕張) - JR Keiyo Line.



Oh, the crowds. Will be bad tomorrow. ;)


But seeing these things made me feel more positive. ;)


When I had to choose sightseeing or shopping, like a real woman I decided to go for a shopping in an outlet mall ;)


Not my style. And the price wasn't that good (discount at 7350 yen) so I didn't even to bother if they had my size (European 41 - Japanese 27).


First clothes shop I went to had sizes up to 40 (I'm wearing 44). Second shop, which I left an hour later, had a wider selection of clothes. Wanted to buy a top, bought a dress (around 5000 yen). the clerk made me wear half a shop, I think, before I chose a dress. She gave me even some sets to try on. It was surprising to see how small things (imo) would fit me (as she thought).

And then it was time to go back to the hotel.

Japan - day 2, Kanagawa prefecture

I'm super lazy to translate all the things I've written in Polish version of "the day 2" so you'll have to look on info in encyclopedia.

According to that shit of a guidebook - "Discover Japan" by Lonely Planet there is no interesting/worthy to mention festival (matsuri) in September. But there is at last one, actually.

I'ts the yabusame (archery on horseback) festival.

In the middle of September (14-16) in the shinto shrine of Tsurugaoka Hachimanguu (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura (鎌倉市) there is a Reitaisai (例大祭)- The Main Celebration. It's part is yabusame. Origins of yabusame in this shrine are said to be in 1186, but the origins of yabusem are dated back to 6th century.

I was too lazy to get there before 13:00. My route was: Hotel > Tawaramachi underground in Asakusa (on foot) > Ueno (160 yen) > JR line Yokosuka to Kamakura (JR Pass, free). In the train to Kamakura I've met a French tourist, let's call him Jean, who went to Kamakura also. We talked a bit, but later on I was happy to loose him in the crowd of the shrine ;)

We went throught the middle of the street, through the alley of trees. I couldn't help but take photos. There was an info on children carrying mikoshi (I saw them on the way back).



The way to the shrine was straight. You could just follow the people.



there was a real crowd out there, and I didn't have the best viewpoint, but...




Below are photos of the shrine.




I bought omikuji. My fortune was ok. I bouth a talisman for my friend to help her with studies.


There was a gingko tree standing here for hundreds of years. But on 10th March 2010 it got uprooted by a storm. There is an urban legend saying that the tree was a hiding spot for a famous assassin.




In reality there is a fence around it and you can't enter there.


I stopped for lunch in a noodles restaurant. I've ordered hiyashii kitsune udon. It was really tasty and cooled me... but the serving was too big.



The owner of the restaurant warned me I won't be able to see both the next shrine and the Great Buddha. So I chose a Buddha and went back to the station.

I've boarded the Enoden (Enoshima Electric Railway) train.



It's route is around 10 km only. Enoden advertises (at last in Japanese ;)) to see the beautiful flowers/trees along it's line, every month there is something else to see.

To see Kamakura Daibutsu (Wielkiego Buddę z Kamakury) I had to go to Hase station (長谷駅). The Buddha is on the grounds of Kotokuin (高徳院) temple.

it's height is 13,35 m. Standing in the open airt since 15th centrury.



Entrance to the grounds (from 02.01.2012 is 8:00-17:00 lub 17:30 depending on season) - 200 yen. 20 yen for coming inside the Buddha.

There is more to Hase than the Great Buddha, just like the photo shows.


And also few photos of Hase station.







i was really surprised to see that coin-operated public phones are still in use. There aren't many like that in Poland. I remember only one such phone on a small and old train station. If you want to call another city or a Japanese mobile you'd better have a lot of 100-yen coins.

And yes, it's middle of September and the Halloween decorations are already in place. O.o