Monday, July 28, 2025 - Our final full day in Japan

 The day began early with a yummy buffet breakfast at the hotel. Karin and Kenji and I walked the neighborhood of Asakusa to the oldest temple in Tokyo, built in 628. Several hundred other people had the same plan. The huge lantern with felt-like underside was remarkable.  Four large wooden statues of deities graced the gate where the lantern hung. The walkway to the gate was filled with shops - snacks, food, beverages, souvenirs, kimonos, etc. We wandered and looked and fanned ourselves  as we walked to the temple. There were many fortune walls at which a person pays 100 yen, less than one dollar, shakes a box and removes a stick which falls from a hole in the box. The stick has a number. She then looked for a drawer in the wall with that number, opened it and removed a small piece of paper on which was written her fortune She said it was bad, so she walked to the bad fortunes wires, located around the corner and tied the paper to the wire to remove the bad fortune.  We continued up steps into the covered entrance to the area I would call the high altar. It was decorated with much gold and symbolic designs.  I left a few coins in the offering box as we entered.

We walked many more shops as we headed to the tourist information  center across the street. We took the elevator to the eighth floor to the viewing area of Asakusa portion of Tokyo. Being a clear day the view was impressive. Buildings standing close together as well as narrow side streets and lots of electricity wires made the view memorable.

Leo had joined us, and he led us to a cafe where he wanted to eat his brunch. It is part of a Japanese chain which we had enjoyed when we were in Tokyo at the beginning of the month.  Not hungry  I ate a green salad for people who are "a little bit hungry". At the restaurant we saw a newspaper on the page of which was a color photo of the grand champion Sumo wrestler holding a trophy shaped like a gravy bowl and into which two persons were pouring a beverage from bottles. Sake, perhaps?

We returned to the hotel to cool down, and rest, and pack, and read, and type, and to check in for our flight tomorrow. We four left to find a particular place that Leo and Kenji suggeste it was below ground, in a small area of  all shops, and it was closed.  Disappointing.  Back on the surface we walked quite a distance to find a place which suited all four of us. We fou d a quiet and very small place and enoyed stir fried noodles and  vegetables, chicken and pork cheeks on skewers, deep fried chicken  and edamame. It was a delicious final supper in Tokyo 

We walked back to the hotel e joying a light breeze. We stopped at a Family Mart and 7 Eleven to purchase breakfast food and snacks and to decrease our cash and also the cash already loaded our Suica cards. More packing and eating popcorn before  alling it a day. Our final full day of a wonderful month in Japan.   



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday, July 13, 2025 - Travel Day to Kyoto

 We selected breakfast items and picked up some requested items for Kenji rom the grocery store across the street. Karin had already started a load of laundry while I was still asleep. In our room we ate our purchases. I had a banana, a small bag of shelled edamame,and half a ham,cheese and llettuce. It was p,enty to hold me over four our 1130 reservation at a shabu ahabu restaurant.  Karin had researched inexpensive shabu shabu restaurants and found this one out of the main  touristy areas and in a metro mall. This meal had many parts: a choice of broth which is simmered on a burner at the table. On c houses a meat and how much  eat. One chooses  two dipping sauces and what kind of rice,  oh yes. The. There was a large bowl of fresh vegetables some of which I didn't recognize. I put them and the meat into the simmering broth.  With spoons to stir the ingredients there were lots of things on the table. The  meal was delicious,  super deliciou...
Read more

Sunday at the Dome and sore feet

Although it was cool the sun was out, and it was dry. We had breakfast in a neighborhood Cafe which we like. Along with coffee milk I had a lentil and couscous and vegetable salad, and Karin had a Spiegelei and muesli. This is a great way to begin the day. The food and environment, and company were perfect. We walked to the Senenfelder U Bahn station to Alexanderplatz, and we had difficulty locating the bus stop for bus #100 to bring us to the Dom for the 10 AM service.  Road work as well as construction continues in this city.  After asking directions and few times we found the correct stop and bus and made it to the Dom on time. We stated we were international visitors and were ushered a special seating area slightly above the congregation where we were given headphones and an audio device to receive live translation.  The choir was the Swiss chorus which we heard last evening. Throughout the service they sang the Bach Lutheran mass which we enjoyed last evening. It was...
Read more

A New Week Begins in Wermelskirchen

With the homemade muesli breakfast the week began happily. Fresh oatmeal flakes, sunflower seeds, another teaspoon of seeds, one banana, dried prune and apricot pieces, walnuts, almonds, and other nuts, homemade yogurt, and a little milk, Anja let the mixture sit for ten minutes before we began eating.  It was delicious. We then went outside. Anja cut back dead flowers from bushes in the front.  I picked up the material and placed it into a large plastic container.  When the battery hand shears needed recharging we left for Remscheid to do a little shopping. Herbert did his daily physical therapy exercises. He then went grocery shopping which he enjoys and Anja doesn't enjoy. She wrote the list on her cell phone, i.e. Handy, he saw the list on his Handy because the two devices are linked somehow. When he had completed the shopping he wrote on that list page that he had purchased everything. Slick.  Shopping at the Allee Center Anja point out the number of mall shops ...
Read more