We managed to work just hard enough to wrangle ourselves a day off on the weekend so we jumped on a train and headed to Tokyo!
The first stop was at a random exit for an aquarium that looked interesting. Unfortunately we got there before they opened so we just wandered around the park for a bit.
So after we gave up on the aquarium opening, we got back on the train and headed into Akihabara, AKA “electric town.” This place is jam-packed with people, arcades, electronics stores, etc… it’s intense. I narrowly avoided picking up a new camera lens. 😉
After an hour or so we all got bored of Akihabara and decided to move on and go see the Tokyo Skytree Tower (tallest structure in Japan!). Back on the train!
At some point along the way we realized we were hungry. Well, Burger King has this new “black burger”. LIterally the bun and cheese etc are all black. Sounds gross right? Well, why not try the darn thing! 😉 Bad review. Good review. (ok, i couldn’t FIND a good review.. but I know I read one a while back…)
We did get pictures of the real one. As usual, it doesn’t look nearly as “good” as the advertisement. BUT! I LOVED it! The black doesn’t really add any odd flavor IMHO, and the burger itself tastes peppery with a bit of soy sauce. I wanted to find another one to order, it was that good. If they brought it to the States, I would probably be the token weirdo eating it. 😉
After lunch we hopped back on the train again (see a trend here?) and stopped off at Asakusa to look at the Kaminarimon temple. Built in 941 (yeah, it’s kinda old…), the temple’s main feature is the giant red lantern at its entrance. It was also jam packed with tourists. I had to get creative to get shots without 1000 people in them. Life’s little challenges…
One thing I found interesting about Tokyo and Japan in general is how you can have giant skyscrapers full of the latest cutting edge technology right next to a 2000 year old temple, a tricked out BMW 3-series passing a guy pulling a rickshaw, and a street full of tourists with a few token women in beautiful kimonos… I’m from the 5th newest state in the US where there was barely any history at all. Living in Virginia for a few years was fascinating because the Revolutionary war was actually there but in places like Japan it’s a whole different ballgame of history. I love how they’ve managed to keep their centuries of traditions and somehow integrate them into modern daily life. Instead of being out of place it’s a beautiful addition to their culture. I saw an Abraham Lincoln impersonator at the Starbucks in Seattle the other day and it was utterly ridiculous. 😉