Last Monday to kick off the winter course at the Intercultural Institute, we met a group of kids from Taiwan and went to Ame-Yoko and Ueno Park together. Due to the street being called other names, I didn't realize until I was walking down Ame-yoko that I had already been there!
According to our teacher, the Ame (アメ) is short for America and Yoko (横) means shopping street. Ame-Yoko has origins as the first "American-style" shopping street to show up in Japan after World War II. While this style shopping street no longer exists in America (that I know of), there are many in Japan.
Walking through Ame-Yoko midday in the winter is not too terribly difficult, but during the summer months and especially on weekends it is teeming with people to somehow find your way around. It's almost a challenge to see how many stores you can spot (over 500 I believe) and definitely a challenge getting to the shop you want to stop at. Shoppers can find virtually anything in Ame-yoko from fresh meats and vegetables to clothing to imported snacks and coffee beans.
Walking through Ame-Yoko midday in the winter is not too terribly difficult, but during the summer months and especially on weekends it is teeming with people to somehow find your way around. It's almost a challenge to see how many stores you can spot (over 500 I believe) and definitely a challenge getting to the shop you want to stop at. Shoppers can find virtually anything in Ame-yoko from fresh meats and vegetables to clothing to imported snacks and coffee beans.
After browsing the many many treasures of Ame-Yoko, we made our way to Ueno Park. On my first study tour to Japan, I was able to visit Ueno park on my way to Tokyo National Museum, the oldest and largest museum in Japan. This year, I was actually able to walk through the park to see the remains of Kaneiji Temple including the still-standing Pagoda, Kiyomizu (pure water) Kannon Temple, Toshogu Shrine, and Bentendo.
A side note about religions in Japan: temples are places of worship and the homes of Buddhist gods, shrines are the places of worship and areas of enshrinement of Shinto gods. These two religions have lived in harmony in Japan for many years as they complement each other well in objectives (Buddhism about the way of death and Shintoism about the way of life). Because of this harmony almost every large shrine complex includes a small temple and vice versa.
A side note about religions in Japan: temples are places of worship and the homes of Buddhist gods, shrines are the places of worship and areas of enshrinement of Shinto gods. These two religions have lived in harmony in Japan for many years as they complement each other well in objectives (Buddhism about the way of death and Shintoism about the way of life). Because of this harmony almost every large shrine complex includes a small temple and vice versa.
The next day after class, we traveled to Asakusa for some of us to revisit Sensoji (Temple) and for some, to experience it for the first time. Asakusa and Sensoji were actually my responsibility to research before we went there on my first trip to Tokyo! While my efforts combined with my adviser's got us lost that day, my second trip ran quite a bit more smoothly.
Asakusa's Sensoji, typically referred to as "Sensoji Temple" (the "ji" stands for temple everyone...), is the oldest temple in Tokyo. After making their way through the 雷門(kaminarimon, Thunder Gate), tourists and locals alike mix together in the crazy shopping street: Nakamise Dori. Here we browsed shops, ate senbei (a rice cake snack?), and enjoyed fried Monja.
Asakusa's Sensoji, typically referred to as "Sensoji Temple" (the "ji" stands for temple everyone...), is the oldest temple in Tokyo. After making their way through the 雷門(kaminarimon, Thunder Gate), tourists and locals alike mix together in the crazy shopping street: Nakamise Dori. Here we browsed shops, ate senbei (a rice cake snack?), and enjoyed fried Monja.
I tried matcha and sakura monja (green tea followed by cherry blossom). They are delicious and I HIGHLY suggest that anyone traveling down Nakamise Dori try at least one of the monja's. The shop on the right towards the end of the street is superb. The staff even asked me (in Japanese <3 ) where I was from and when I told them Ohio-shu, the man put a paper in front of the lady's face and removed it and she said "Ohayou!!" (which is good morning in Japanese). Quite a fun exchange.
And then of course, once we made it out of the shops, we entered the grounds of the oldest temple in Tokyo and it was just as amazing as I remembered it. I promptly made my way to an おみくじ (Omikuji, fortune) station and dutifully paid my 100 yen, shook a container, pulled my number out of it, and found my fortune. Luck was on my side this time though! I got good fortune. According to our guide, 80% of Sensoji's omikuji are bad luck.
I then proceeded to wash my hands, waft smoke at my lungs (in hope to heal my asthma issues, oh the irony), and then made my way up into the temple to pay my dutiful 10 yen coin in exchange for a prayer. I feel like a local. (Random thought to research: some places I have gone to have bells to ring and others don't, yet the method of praying is always the same: toss in your coin, bow and pray, clap twice, bow again. I wonder if shrines have bells and temples don't.)
And then of course, once we made it out of the shops, we entered the grounds of the oldest temple in Tokyo and it was just as amazing as I remembered it. I promptly made my way to an おみくじ (Omikuji, fortune) station and dutifully paid my 100 yen, shook a container, pulled my number out of it, and found my fortune. Luck was on my side this time though! I got good fortune. According to our guide, 80% of Sensoji's omikuji are bad luck.
I then proceeded to wash my hands, waft smoke at my lungs (in hope to heal my asthma issues, oh the irony), and then made my way up into the temple to pay my dutiful 10 yen coin in exchange for a prayer. I feel like a local. (Random thought to research: some places I have gone to have bells to ring and others don't, yet the method of praying is always the same: toss in your coin, bow and pray, clap twice, bow again. I wonder if shrines have bells and temples don't.)
The next day we went to the Imperial Palace again. I don't have any new pictures, but be sure to check out the school's Facebook for the photos from that day and all the other trips. It was interesting to see the grounds not covered in thousands upon thousands of people and to walk through the remains of the old palace site.
Then on Thursday, after taking many pictures of Skytree, I finally got to visit Skytree! This is the newest viewing tower in Tokyo and the tallest in Japan as far as I know. It's a bit expensive, but it was included in our school fees, so that was awesome! Below are my pictures of the city that never ends, except when it hits the ocean, but even there Japan has built multiple islands (some out of trash) in an effort to expand into the sea as well.
It seems like because of Valentine's day they were trying to be all lovey-dovey like Namsan tower was, but I don't think they constantly have a love theme going on in the tower. (But Janelle, if they had a mailbox, I would have sent a postcard this time)
I also got to walk around outside the bottom of the tower (forgot to take my artsy, "I'm at the bottom of a tower and looking up" photo, but oh well) and that night I made myself yaki-soba and had some mochi with kinako on it, so please enjoy some more food pictures, you're welcome.
I also got to walk around outside the bottom of the tower (forgot to take my artsy, "I'm at the bottom of a tower and looking up" photo, but oh well) and that night I made myself yaki-soba and had some mochi with kinako on it, so please enjoy some more food pictures, you're welcome.
The next day, Friday, it decided to snow it Tokyo. I was not a happy camper when the weather went from rain to snow and back to rain again, but with Ohio's weather patterns I should be accustomed to that by now. We didn't have an activity for the winter course because the whole school was invited to make kites!
The word for kite in Japanese is 凧(Tako). Another meaning (with different Kanji of course) of the word "tako" in Japanese is octopus. So naturally, I had to draw an octopus on my kite! Also, if you want to see the AMAZING artwork of some other students, please check out the Intercultural School's Facebook Album.
The word for kite in Japanese is 凧(Tako). Another meaning (with different Kanji of course) of the word "tako" in Japanese is octopus. So naturally, I had to draw an octopus on my kite! Also, if you want to see the AMAZING artwork of some other students, please check out the Intercultural School's Facebook Album.
That is all for now, there is much more of my journey to share but this post has taken so long to upload that I am going to share it all in tidbits! Sorry for the delays, hopefully I will be caught up soon!
Until next time, Morgan.
*PS if a word is green, that means I have linked some content to my blog (usually the corresponding Facebook album) so click on them!
Until next time, Morgan.
*PS if a word is green, that means I have linked some content to my blog (usually the corresponding Facebook album) so click on them!