Asakusa and Senso-ji

Tokyo surely seems to be a very livable city. Despite some cultural differences it almost feels like some place in America that's just a little more neat, clean, and organized. The standard of living here is quite high and, even if there are language issues, I don't think it would take that much adjusting to live here. Of course I'm drawing that conclusion after a few short days.

I met up early today with a former student and his father and they took very good care of me. First we went by subway to the Asakusa area of Tokyo where we had soba noodles and hot sake for lunch at a delightful little place that's renowned for its soba. I didn't manage to catch the name.

From there it was a short walk to Senso-ji, which has a row of market vendors just inside the gate and on the way to the temple. Some visitors were wearing traditional Japanese yukatas and buying and carrying around a type of cherry plant, hozuki, with large orange pods. Daiju's father explained that today is a special day and that the plants, which are said to have thousands of seeds in the inner cherry, have some significance: prayers said today are multiplied thousands of times. And having the plants in one's home is said to bring good fortune. Daiju bought a little orange pod for me and placed it in a clear cellophane bag. We also enjoyed some iced green tea and kibidango, sweets made of rice and a coating of sugar on a little stick.

From there we went the Fukagawa Edo Museum, with reconstructions of Edo-period shops and homes, and Kiyosumi Gardens, with its Kaiyu-style garden landscape, where a girl in traditional Japanese dress was doing some kind of photo shoot. It was a pleasant day for a walk. Also there was a monument to the poet Basho with one of his most famous haiku inscribed:

An old pond!
A frog jumps in --
The sound of water.

Our last stop was the Edo-Tokyo Museum where we saw, among other things, a tiny little reproduction of kabuki with puppets.

Later that evening my friend's friend took me to the Roppongi Hills area where we went to the top of Mori Tower for a spectacular view of Tokyo as well as a walk through the Mori Art Museum. I didn't find much in the museum that spoke to me, but I did happen to see a piece earlier today in the hotel's collection by Bernard Buffet ... I'll try to get by there tomorrow and photograph it, if possible.