Yesterday I went for a trip to Tokyo (finally after half a year since Sakura Exchange Program)!! For this time, I went to Akihabara ( the final stop of Tsukuba Express from Tsukuba station), Asakusa and Ueno. Since it was raining, I had to take the bus from AIST (namiki-2-chomei) to Tsukuba station. The fare was 270 yen (will opt for bicycle if only there was no rain...). From there I took TX express to Akihabara to meet my friend, Wee Shuein who is currently interning at Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI). The trip took about 45 minutes since I was using the rapid train.
Akihabara, which is also known as Akihabara Electric Town is considered by many to be an otaku cultural center and a shopping district for video games, anime, manga, and computer goods. There are a lot of shops and if one were to shop in detail, one whole day will not be enough. Here are some of the picures I took in Akihabara.
 |
| A replica of Prince Arslan from Arslan Senki anime currently on display near Akihabara Station. |
 |
| Shops in Akihabara |
 |
| Yodobashi-Akiba, a very huge shop (like a mall but it's actually one shop) that have huge variety of electronic goods and other stuffs. |
 |
| More shops related to Anime, Manga, etc |
After eating lunch in Akihabara, we went to Asakusa. Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. So since we went to Asakusa, we also went to Senso-ji Temple. Since it as a weekend (or perhaps in other days it's the same), there are a huge number of tourists visiting the place. While in Sensoji Temple, I went for a fortune telling at Omikuji. And my fortune is "secret". Haha (it's my fortune, so am not going to tell.. lol... But still satisfied with my fortune. Next I went to buy a health amulet inside the temple (to protect my health for the year from sickness). Here are some of the photos that I took in Asakusa.
 |
| Asakusa Station |
 |
| The gate of a small temple in Asakusa dedicated to Tanuki God. |
 |
| Me and Otanuki-sama (God of the art of public entertainment) statue |
 |
| View of Sensoji Temple |
 |
| A pagoda in Sensoji Temple |
 |
| As you can see, lot's of people around |
 |
| The main gate of Sensoji Temple |
 |
| A Buddha Statue in Sensoji Temple |
 |
| View of outside from inside of Sensoji- Temple |
 |
| A performer with his monkey entertaining visitors |
 |
| Statue of Jizo statue of Mother-Child |
 |
| More statues in Sensoji Temple |
After visiting Sensoji temple and the shops around, Wee Shuien and I went for a drink in Starbucks for a rest. Next, we went to Ueno.
Ueno
is another district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Nature and Science, as well as a major public concert hall.Since we dint have much time, we did not enter any of them but instead we explored around the Ueno Park. Here are some of the photos that I took in Ueno.
 |
| View of Ueno from Ueno Station |
 |
| Ueno Park |
 |
| Statue of Saigō Takamori, walking his dog |
 |
| View of the city from Ueno Park |
 |
| A small temple at Ueno Park |
 |
| Inside the temple |
 |
| Gate of another temple at Ueno Park |
 |
| Random statue |
 |
| As you can see, Ueno Park is very huge and wide |
 |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Art Musem |
 |
| Tokyo National Musem |
 |
| Fountain in Ueno Park |
 |
| Tokyo National Museum |
After Ueno, we went back to Akihabara for dinner before going back to respective staying place. Akihabara is more lively at night and there were more people than in the daytime.
 |
| Softmap, another shop with huge selection of Anime related stuff |
 |
| View of Akihabara at night |
 |
| The night is still young in Akihabara |
With that, I ended my Tokyo trip. It was a tiring (from walking non-stop for the whole day) but a great trip visiting the combination of popular places (Otaku culture, Japanese Culture, Nature) in Tokyo. Looking forward to go to Tokyo again, perhaps in two weeks time. :)
