Japan Pilgrimage II Day 9 - Guest Blogged by 浪迹天涯小狗

Warning: Image quite intensive..


Hm... I think I blended into the crowd!

Hooo.. our last day before Birdy flies back, so its more of an omiage shopping day.



Mistress woke up in the morning to find the window sill wet from condensation of the cold.


Our not-much view from the 2nd floor.
Not like there's any view from the 1st floor anyway.

This is how close Japan homes are to each other. One is really able to enter the windows of the next house like in the animes!

We went back to Ueno today to cover Ameya yokocho which we did not manage to visit yesterday due to the rain.


The very prominent sign marking the entrance to Ameya yokocho at the Ueno exit facing Yamashiro toy store side.


A Japan fruits store. Those bananas costs S$6.50 per bunch!
Fruits in Japan are downright expensive!


A drug store selling daily hygiene necessities at wholesale prices.


Hello Kitty brollies..


A very mini umbrella.
Wonders what its for. As a beach umbrella for me??


Group of students buying some Ameya specialties.


Expensive melons!

Parked ourselves at a ramen store for lunch. Cant remember this is the how many times we had ramen already.




A few small eateries located in the side alley.


Mistress's shio-ramen. This is 500 or 600 yen if I'm not wrong.
That's at least S$8!




Some stores around Ameya yokocho.


Uechun
More little stores to shop in. Too bad we din have the time to cover the whole area.

We popped into the Yodabashi Camera around the corner as we were returning to the station.


Kame-kun!

After seeing enough of toys and donating enough of 100 yens into the gashapon machines, the animals proceeded to Asakusa to see the big lantern that was donning the pc/laptop monitor at House of Ikebukuro.


Mistress is a cradle snatcher!


The "shit (unko)" building, as affectionately referred to by the locals.

Its the headquarters of Asahi Beer, located besides Azumabashi bridge and Suminda river. I've posted the explanation for the shit building in the earlier trip


Kaminarimon, the prominent landmark.


Detailed carvings under the base plate of the huge lantern.


Nakamise Shopping Street, never miss this if you're in Asakusa vicinity.
This is like a one stop omiage shopping street with pretty reasonable prices since competition is stiff.


Little strings of cuteness.

Mistress bought one of those strings of rabbits since rabbits are supposed to be her feng shui "good friend".

Only upon paying did she realise that its actually not cheap.


The little omiages + some huge Anpanman blow up toys.


An umbrella shop


The back of the lantern at Kaminarimon.


One of the side streets that branches from the main Nakamise area.


There's more traditional stuff being sold here, like handkerchiefs, tea leaves, etc.


A kindergarten that's located next to the Nakamise Shopping Street.
Phototaking is prohibited but Mistress stole a shot of the cute little kids anyway (actually before she saw the sign).. And that's Yankumi! (not..)


Reaching Hōzōmon as we continue down the Nakamise street.


A landscape shot to emphasize on the numerous lanterns lining the pathway.


Each lantern honoring the donor. Probably it goes in denomination of yens like one lantern = 10,000 yen.


Mistress trying to replicate the wallpaper at House of Ikebukuro. Haha!


The wordings are to honor the town of Funamachi which its people had donated 5 million yen back in 2003.


The huge waraji that hangs on both sides of Hozomon, weighing 400kg each and measuring 4.5m in height!


Another shot on the pair of huge waraji.


The full view of Hozomon from the back


Sensō-ji


Omukuji, a piece of paper with some fortune description on it which one randomly picks from either a box or a vending machine (yes. all hail to the country of vending machines!)


The strips of omukuji which one pulls from these drawers representing the ticket that was dispensed.


The entrance of Senso-ji.


RR was a tad hungry and went off to buy this from one of the bakeries at the side street.
It was good!~ Soft and warm.. yums~


The streetlights that donned the sidewalks of Nakamise Street


Loads of foodie omiages.


"Get down the horse"


Some cute display banners


Came across this stretch of handprints outside a building for performing arts or enka. Cant remember. Not prominent on Google Maps as well.


Got teleported (Yar, I forgot how the hell I got here) to this shopping arcade where Mistress got herself a taiyaki just bcos she wanted to eat one in Japan.


Discovered Tsukiji Gindaco at the shopping arcade where RR promptly goes to order a tray to share.
That's the animals... #3 (or #4?) takoyakis.


Fresh from the stove, very very hot.

We went over to Shinjuku in the late afternoon as RR was still on the lookout for her Burberry Blue bag.


Cradle snatcher in action again.
That looks like a future tai tai.


A 3M building. Yes, stationery producer has a shophouse on its own~!
Right smack in the middle of Shinjuku!


The streets of Shinjuku, Japan equivalent of Orchard Road, right down to the jam of traffic.


A very glassy building.

Last stop of the day,Shibuya, for a bit more shopping.


Hachiko statue, which the animals took a while to locate.


The crowd at the uber messy/huge traffic junction crossing and the nightlights of Shibuya.


Shibuya 109, where RR bought a couple of bags (again!).




Very very neonlights-plastered nightlife of Shibuya.


With a lot a lot of people!

After a tiring shopping day, the bunch of us headed back to Ikebukuro, where we did a bit of munchy omiage shopping at the basements of Tobu/Seibu.


The basement counters.


Bought some Japanese snacks back.


Part of a supermarket.


Got some gyozas and toriyakis for dinner coupled with some convenience store items for dinner.


Nissin cup noodle.

Story of the picture goes: Mistress was slurping her NISSIN noodles from the cup. Birdy turns to watch the tv commercial while eating her instant soba. She turns back, looks at Mistress's cup, and exclaimed,"Wah! Japan companies very diversified leh.. Cup noodle company also can produce cars!?!"

The tv ad was for NISSAN car......

We laffed and laffed and laffed and laffed~ Mistress almost couldnt finish her noodles from all the laughters.

After the dinner/supper, the animals were busy RE-packing their luggages again as Birdy is heading back SG while the other 2 had to change rooms yet again.

Mistress is having much difficulties stuffing her stuff into the bulging luggage already....