Back at the hotel resting

Men eating sushi for breakfast at the fish market

It's 2:15 p.m. here in Tokyo and we have been back at the hotel resting for about an hour.  Sightseeing can be exhausting!  We arrived at the Tsujiki fish market around 5:30--much too late!  The wholesale market had already closed, but we wondered around the busy market area where fish had already been cut up to be shipped to restaurants and markets, fresh sushi was being sold for breakfast in tiny shops in the market area, and motorcycles, forklifts, and small trucks were darting around in all directions but not in any kind of frenetic manner.  Even fast-paced marketing is orderly here.  Since the boat up the river did not depart from near the fish market until a couple hours later, we decided to skip that option and take the subway to Asakusa instead.

Sensoji Temple ceiling

Other than the men working at the fish market, the rest of Tokyo seemed to be still asleep.  We had great views of the historic district of Asakusa, however, without any crowds on the street.  The bright red Kaminarimon Gate, with its enormous lantern and statues of the gods of wind and thunder, opens onto Nakamise Dori, a centuries-old area for vendors lined with small stalls selling food, fans, purses, t-shirts and other souvenirs--when they are open, which was not at 7:30 in the morning.  So, we walked past the decorated metal doors of the shops and went directly to Sensoji Temple, the oldest in Japan (from the 8th century).  The temple commemorate the two fisherman who found the golden Buddhist statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, in the Sumida River nearby.  It is stunning and we were able to enjoy it in near solitude.  Few people were there, which was great for photography even if it was an overcast day.  Next to it is Asakusa Jinja Shrine, which was built in 1649 by Iemitsu Tokugawa, the third Tokugawa shogon, to commemorate the two fisherman and the village elders.  Like the Sensoji Temple, it is magnificent and we were able to enjoy it in near solitude.

Asakusa Jinja Shrine

Hungry but still not finding any shops open, we walked through the Kaminarimon Gate and crossed the street to the nearby 7-11, where we purchased some food for breakfast.  (We had breakfast from the 7-11 near the East Garden yesterday morning because nothing else was open when we were up and ready to eat.)  We returned to a small park on the plaza in front of the Sensoji Temple and ate our food.  An older and somewhat unkempt man approached us and carried on a conversation with us for quite a while in English.  I have noticed that older people, who have matured enough to lose some of their self-consciousness, are the only ones to approach us to speak English.  The younger people do not want to lose face by making mistakes so do not try.  Katie has been good about asking for directions and information in Japanese; Katya has been shy and reluctant.

Akihabara

One by one the shops opened and the Japanese began to emerge from their apartments, many stopping to buy a sweet or a salty snack from one of the many vendors.  We, of course, were tempted and were not disappointed in the sweet choices we made.  Having seen enough of Asakusa, however, we decided to go to another district.  We chose Akihabara not because it is a center for electronics of every kind but because it has gained a reputation as the place to shop for anything related to anime and manga.  Unfortunately, the Tokyo Anime Center, a small museum in the district, is closed on Mondays, but we explored the colorful streets for a while and ventured into a few shops.

Hungry and a bit fatigued, we took the subway back to Tokyo Station.  After wandering around a while and having no success at various ATMs in withdrawing additional funds, we gave up and purchased bento at a bakery in the sprawling underground area in and around Tokyo Station and then ate the delicious meal on a bench outdoors in a plaza among the highrise office buildings before returning to our hotel a couple blocks away.  We believe we have found the source of our sustenance for the rest of our stay in Tokyo.  The bakery opens at 7:30 a.m.! -- Sherri