Tokyo and Kyoto: Asakusa

Another 2hr ride on the Shinkansen brought us back to Tokyo Station, near Ginza in downtown Tokyo. We grabbed a taxi to get through Ginza ward, heading north towards Asakusa and our hotel (and dinner reservations). The reason for the heavy pedestrian traffic near our hotel became apparent as the Senso-ji temple came into view—we were slowly heading down Hoppy Alley and past dozens of izakaya bars on our way to the Richmond Hotel.

After dropping our things at the hotel, we set off for Kappabashi St to buy Japanese knives. The stores along this street are all hyper-specialized, each dealing with a different aspect of kitchen/ restaurant supplies. Some stores only sell chopsticks, others only fake food for displays, and others only knives. The selection of knives is immense, with all different styles of blade made of different metals and with different handles.

With knives in hand and some time left before our dinner reservations, we stopped by a local bar where the owner helpfully explained that there was no menu. Nevertheless, the hundreds of bottles lined up on the wall behind him gave us confidence that he would be able to make anything we requested. Drinks came out with garnishes speared on small wooden sakura branches, accompanied with a bowl of small white peas that I still have not been able to identify—perhaps in the pistachio family, although they were eaten with shells on.

Dinner that evening was at Nagami, an absolutely incredible kaiseki restaurant in Asakusa. The restaurant that evening consisted solely of the two of us and the chef, who prepared approximately ten different dishes for us along with wine pairings featuring Japanese reds and whites. The final flourish on a fantastic evening was walking past Senso-ji temple on the way back to the hotel, now tranquil and empty of the huge crowds we drove past (and through) earlier.

With one full day left in Tokyo, we took the train (more) downtown towards Ginza and Tokyo Station for a walking tour of the Imperial Palace. We spent the afternoon walking around Ginza and the hyper-luxury stores lining the pedestrian-only streets. Thankfully the flagship Uniqlo was more in our price range. Interestingly, the store features both a fresh flower shop and a cafe! We slowly made our way towards Tokyo Bay and Hamarikyu Gardens. Entrance to the garden requires a small fee, and with it, a reminder that Japenese attitudes towards parks and public space is very different than the United States! With a big travel day ahead of us, we made our way back to Asakusa for a few slices of pizza and an early night.

Sadly, Sunday marked our last day in Japan. We stored our luggage in Asakusa Station (one of two different Asakusa stations!) and continued onwards to the Azabudai Hills neighborhood to walk around teamLab Borderless and the Roppongi Hills mall before grabbing our luggage and taking one last train ride to the airport. This was our longest (non-Shinkansen) train ride, starting at Asakusa Station and continuing all the way through the city, suburbs, exurbs, and farmland before getting to Narita Airport. The farmland is dotted in solar panels especially right along the rail tracks, but few wind turbines. The train ride reminds me of the Washington DC metro ride to Dulles Airport: start downtown, and quickly progress through the suburbs and towards farmland (or in the case of Northern Virginia, the data centers).

Leaving Japan was easy, with a quick passport check and a stop at some tablets to push a button declaring that we had our tax-free purchases with us. Thankfully, there was no unpacking of our bags to verify—things were packed pretty tight! Our flight back home was quiet, with the majority of the flight spent in the dark flying along the Pacific coast towards Alaska and northern Canada. After zero sunsets on the way to Japan, flying east and across the international date line treated us to two sunsets. After an alarmingly tight connection in Toronto thanks to US customs, we boarded our last flight and fifty minutes later found ourselves back in the DMV. ✈️