Day 9: bags packed, walk Asakusa, Sensoji, finally through the tourist magnet in our front yard...

We were packed early, checkout midday, a couple of hours to spare.

So we set out to cruise the neighbourhood, stopping for the lights with some elegant shoppers

and on into morning quiet time in the playgrounds of Asakusa, first past this opportunity surely to bless the entrepreneurial and entertaining world of Asakusa

where the fairground was having a warm up spin

and things becoming spruce

till we reached the eaves of the Sensoji, oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo

where we turned first to see the small and beautiful Asakusa Shrine, Anja-Sama, 

the Shinto shrine which honours and protects the Buddhist Sensoji,

which stands to the right, here, across this laneway, 

and where school excursions are the main early feature of the day

though some, including the drinks machines, are still languorously enjoying the sunny morning morning, 

while waiting for the wisteria, which we only get to see in first moments of bud-burst this week

See the blue sky? 

We have had fair weather since we arrived... and rain is forecast for tomorrow, after we have gone.

and then it's time to leave Sensoji, as regular tourists arrive

We head down a back street and find a fine park

before looking into the astonishing fancy food arcade under the Asakusa Tubo Station.

Then we head back to the apartment, crossing Nakamisedori, 

the covered shopping street that delivers tourists via Consumption Central to the Sensoji.

Here's the movie.
Watch for the conversation between the rickshaw man and his passengers,
his bewilderment that they want to be parked looking away from the temple.

Day 6: Tokyo, Monday, regrouping, counting cash, making movies, going across town for another massage

We had arrived on Tuesday night, been busy every day, now Monday, time to do some planning for days before departure Thursday evening... also catch breath and ride the subway back to Koenji to get another shiatsu massage. Also a quick trip to Kappabashidori for some minor purchases.

Also needing calculate money needs. Japan is not a place where a credit card can be used everywhere. Foreign cards cannot be used to draw money from ATMs other than at post offices and Seven-11 stores.

We had brought with us ¥150,000, at that time about $US1,500. Cash obtained from Australia Post, ordered online ten days before departure, available to collect at local post office several days later.

We calculated on Monday that we would make it to Thursday night. We did, leaving the country with ¥138 ($1.50) and two Suica cards drained to not much, which we passed on to Emi and David back in Australia. We are known for our generosity.. ;-)

In terms of total holiday cost, add the approx $AU1300 for the apartment, $1070 each for Japan Air return tickets booked earlier when on sale, $300x2 for the seven day Japan Rail Pass, $220 for a room in a hotel in Kyoto for a night, about $200 on a card in Kappabashidori and $50 for our ride to the airport, to a total cost from Australia of a bit more than $5000.

Photos:

• Today's train portrait, something serene about the Chuo Rapid at lunchtime Monday
• The beautiful lady with the beautiful koala-adorned clothes-and-more shop in Koenji

and

• Evening view from our veranda

We will never know how much is intellectual discourse on the phone, how much is killing ninjas...
Is Hollister saying: "I wish I had their friends", or "I wish they's stop killing ninjas"... or "Did I turn off the stove?"

click to enlarge
This is a panoramic view (the road is straight, the camera moves) from our veranda, at night, to the east.
The first, small building, on the left, is the elevator entrance to the Asakusa (Tsukuba) subway station.
The laneway straight ahead leads to nightlife Asakusa, relatively genteel.
The figure silhouetted against bright entrance of ROX department store
(tell a taxi driver "LOOKS" not "ROX")  mostly likely at this hour coming from the 24 hour supermarket.
The first street to right of ROX leads straight to the Asakusa Tubo Station, 600 metres or so.
Second side street after ROX leads to the closest onsen, we never got to use it,
too much amenity including big bath at home,
 but we found it early one morning when closed. Head down that lane and MacDonalds is on the left...
slip into the first tiny lane on the right and there you have the onsen looking as shown at link.
Down the main road 300m on the right is the Tawaramachi Station of the Ginza subway line, for Ueno and the world.
To the west (behind the camera) nice quiet streets to Kappabashidori, then much longer walk to Ueno Station.
Taxi to Ueno Keisei station ¥1050 from down below our veranda.
There is railing along each side of the street below.
Taxis wait at the end of railing sections, by the pedestrian crossings.
Minimum taxi fare first two km ¥710. Generally speaking train is faster and easier than taxi.
Take a taxi with baggage.