Day 16: TOKYO - ASAKUSA: Sensoji Temple, Nakamise, Denbouin, Kappabashi, SUMIDA, walk along the Sumida River to ODAIBA, Aqua City Shopping Center
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Today we wake up at 6.30 in the morning because we have a full day of the most complete, which will include a visit to the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo.
Before leaving the Horidome Villa Hotel, we give a final review of today's planning and go straight to breakfast to start the day with the energies charged.
In the hotel we have been confirmed that the trade of Asakusa It opens today, for the first time after the New Year's festivities, at 11 in the morning, so we decided that this will be our first stop today, to take off the thorn of the day we went and were closed.
How Asakusa It does not have a metro stop that is included in the 14-day JRP, we go to the Mitsukoshi Mae metro station, which we have next to the hotel, to take the Ginza line and leave us near the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa.
We pay our 160 yen for each ticket and there we go to discover another area of Tokyo.
Machine to get our subway tickets ...
The subway line that includes JRP in Tokyo It is very good, but it does not cover all the stops, so in some cases, if you do not want to waste much time in the displacements, it is best to pay and take the normal subway.
In principle the structure of Tokyo planning it was by neighborhoods, but after seeing that many things were closed by New Year holidays in Tokyo We had to redo it and make some visits without much logical sense by location.
We arrived to Asakusa at 9.30 in the morning and the first thing we do is go to the Sensoji Temple, one of the most important in Tokyo, not to mention the most.
A good option to not miss anything about the Asakusa neighborhood is to book this tour with a guide in Spanish that also includes the Akihabara neighborhood.
Newcomers to Asakusa
And as soon as we get to the front door ... we meet again with the commotion of people we have been seeing these days ago in all the temples and shrines that we have been visiting.
Who said it was low season? There are people to rage, so we are aware that we will spend a few minutes of “human plug”, cross the door and enter the Nakamise shopping street Senso-ji Temple.
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
On both sides of the street about 250 meters long, which runs from Kaminarimon to Hozomon, there are about 90 stores in the Edo era.
The atmosphere in the Senso-ji Temple It is spectacular, we are surrounded by people, food stalls, crafts ...
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
It is said that the Sensoji Temple It is the oldest of Tokyo, built in the year 628.
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
It is famous for its Kaminari-mon gate, from which hangs a gigantic lantern.
Gigantic lantern of the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
Posing at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
Corners of the Senso-ji Temple
In front of the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
One of Edo's three great festivals, that of Sanja, is held at the Asakusa Jinja shrine and attracts 1.5 million people each year.
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
Trying to “pose” for a photo in the Senso-ji Temple
Posts at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
We are reconciling with the city of Tokyo, which in days ago had stressed us a little.
Kaminari-mon Gate, in the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
We leave by the same Nakamise street and go straight to Denbouin street, another of the commercial streets of Asakusa.
Denbouin Street
In this 200-meter-long street that runs from east to west you can feel the culture of Edo alive.
Denbouin Street
In it we can find craft shops, Japanese accessories, sweet bean cupcakes ...
And walking, we arrive at Kappabashi Street that at this time still has some shops closed, so being the time it is, this makes us doubt whether they will open today or not ...
Leaving Denbouin Street to enter Kappabashi Street
Kappabashi Street is a commercial street, with a proud history of over 100 years.
Kappabashi Street Store
In this street of about 800 meters long, more than 170 stores of kitchen utensils and tableware of Japanese, Chinese and Western style come together, as well as confectionery and Japanese confectionery and all kinds of kitchen tools.
Kappabashi Street
But we are lucky and as we go along the street, we find some open premises, where we can not stop buying some kitchen utensils for 2250 yen.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Tokyo
- 10 essential places to visit in Tokyo
- 50 things to see and do in Tokyo
- The 5 best tours and excursions in Tokyo
- 10 essential places to see in Japan
- The best travel insurance for Japan
- Where to eat in Tokyo: Recommended restaurants
- Book here your JRP of 7.14 or 21 days with shipping included
We retrace our steps to undo the path walked by Asakusa and walk the streets with more atmosphere, close to the Sensoji Temple.
Color in Asakusa
Figure "of the thief" in Asakusa
We arrive again at the Temple door area when it is 12.30 in the morning.
Asakusa
Being already the time it is, we take the opportunity to stop at a place in the Sushi Zanmai chain (what originals we have already taken 3 times in the same place !!), which we have next to us and thus get back fine of sushi for 3145 yen.
Start banquet at Sushi Zanmai
Every time we like sushi more. This is going to be one of the things we will miss most when we return home ...
Sushi Banquet at Zanmai Sushi
In this place it is the first time, since we started our trip to Japan that we find a toilet in which the lid opens alone as soon as it detects that someone is approaching!
After this little anecdote, and with 100% charged energies, we leave and go to the Sumida river area and the Sumida neighborhood, where we take the bus to take us to Odaiba in 50 minutes for 1220 yen each.
Cartel with the Sumida River Tour
As soon as we look out over the Sumida River, we see the magnitude of what we have in front of us and one of the bus-ships that looks like a kind of spaceship.
Views of the Sumida River
After waiting a while queuing and riding the bus-boat, we enjoy as dwarves these 50 minutes tour of the Sumida River.
Waiting to board the ship that will take us along the Sumida River
We have to say, that although it is not something essential, it is a pleasant walk and it seems that you even leave the city scene, since the views of Tokyo from the Sumida River, they show you a totally different perspective of the city.
Touring the Sumida River
Views of Tokyo touring the Sumida River
Of course, in the tour, we see people who do not stop talking to each other, sleeping people ... something that makes us think: Mmm ... what do they pay for? Although at the same moment that we think about it, we react and think: Everyone who enjoys how they want not to? 😉
Interior of the ship in which we cross the Sumida River
We make a transfer at Hinode Pier and continue until Odaiba 20 more minutes, on another type of boat.
Touring the Sumida River
Sumida River
In the end the “ship of the future” we have not had the luck to try it but at least we have seen it, so we cannot complain.
Things that can be seen touring the Sumida River ...
Touring the Sumida River
We enjoy a walk to the famous Statue of Liberty Odaiba, taking advantage to rest with the incredible views that we have from this point of the city.
Odaiba
Statue of Liberty in Odaiba
and from here we enter one of the many shopping centers where we take the opportunity to buy a couple of great crepes for 800 yen.
Central Building of the Fuji TV in Odaiba
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Tokyo by travelers:
- Guided tour of Tokyo
- Excursion to Kamakura and Yokohama
- Excursion to Nikko
- Tokyo geek tour
- Lost in Translation night tour- More excursions and tours here
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Tokyo by travelers:
Central Building of the Fuji TV in Odaiba
It's a little after 4 in the afternoon and sunset time begins to approach, so we cross the walkway that will take us to the also famous ferris wheel of Odaiba.
Views of Tokyo from Odaiba
Ferris Wheel of Odaiba
Since we are here and although we are not much of shopping centers, we take the opportunity to meet one of the best known in this area of Tokyo, the Venus Shopping Center, which recreates the city of Venice.
Venus Shopping Center in Odaiba
Details of Venus Shopping Center in Odaiba
We can't help it, it reminds us in almost everything of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.
Interior of the Venus Shopping Center in Odaiba
Store at Venus Shopping Center in Odaiba
And we are here until almost 5 in the afternoon that we return to the area of the Odaiba beach To watch the sunset
Sunset in Odaiba
Who was going to tell us that we would enjoy a sunset on a beach in Tokyo.
Enjoying a Sunset in Odaiba
Almost at 6 in the afternoon, we have to go back to the road, so we go to the Aqua City Shopping Center, another one of those shopping centers that they give as “essential” if you come to this area of the city.
Aqua Shopping Center in Odaiba
We repeat again that we are not big fans of this type of visit, but since we are here, at least we want to have the experience to be able to comment afterwards with knowledge of the cause.
Interior of the Aqua Shopping Center in Odaiba
We take a walk and then go to the Fuji TV Building, which we are not going to fool, it has spectacular lighting.
Fuji TV building in Odaiba
After touring or why not say it, get lost on the Fuji TV, we go down to the viewpoint to enjoy the night on the Tokyo skyline.
Spectacular lighting in the Fuji TV Building in Odaiba
Fuji TV building in Odaiba
Awesome. There are no more words that can describe what we are seeing now.
And the cold is also quite impressive at this time 😉
Fuji TV building in Odaiba
From here you have to try another attraction of Tokyo, the monorail of Odaiba, but first we took a final turn, taking the opportunity to see the lighting of the Rainbow Bridge.
Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba
Views of the Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba
After this walk, we go up to the monorail of Odaiba, taking two tickets before to Shimbashi, which is the last stop, for 310 yen each.
And there we are going to enjoy this ride in the monorail without a driver.
A journey that can be done must be done at least once while on the Tokyo.
Once in Shimbashi, we take the JR line to go to Tokyo station and find a place to have dinner there.
And we end up in a tempura restaurant on one of the floors of the same station, which as we have said on many occasions, in all of them there is an underground world where you will find hundreds of shops, restaurants, cafes ...
Here we ask for two tempura menus plus water and beer for 3850 yen.
Today you have played tempura dinner!
It's after 10 pm and today we had a most complete day, so we take the subway line that takes us back to the Hotel Horidome Villa.
Tomorrow is our last day in Tokyo and we want to bust it ...
Navigating the Sumida River
Odaiba
Day 17TOKYO: Tsukiji - Takeshita - Omotesando - Shibuya - Shibuya 109 - Dogenzaka
