Reg & Haris' Visit - Part II

...sorry for the delay in posting.

Moving right along. On Day 4 of their visit (Friday, February 22), we toured Asakusa, home of the famed Sensoji Temple. Built in the 7th century, it is known as the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. For February, the weather was at its best so we took advantage and did a lot of walking and taking in sites around the town. You'll see many similar images of Asakusa from our previous guests' visits, however with each visit, we seem to learn and see something new. As it states in most tourist guidebooks, this area is a 'must-see' for all who visit Tokyo.

Kaminarimon Gate, entrance to Nakamise Dori

The newly restored Nio gate is the entrance to Sensoji Temple

Haris worshipping with a hug

Omikuji

100 yen will buy you an omikuji (fortune written on a small piece of paper). You place the money in an honor box and shake a small cylinder containing sticks with characters written on them. Shake the cylinder until one of the sticks falls out and pull your fortune from a drawer with the corresponding character. If your fortune is bad, tie the paper onto a nearby string so that the wind can disperse the bad luck. I think I may have mistakenly tied my good fortune on the string...oops!

Markus with his Tito Reg at the purifying station. Every Buddhist temple is equipped with a similar water cleansing station

Nisonbutsu (A Pair of Buddha)

The figure on the right is said to bring mercy to the worshippers. The right is said to bring wisdom.

Reg met some two very colourful personalities while souvenir shopping in Nakamise Dori

Kanpai!

That Friday evening, Reg, Haris and Rodney went to Roppongi to celebrate Travis' birthday. Rodney showed them to common bars we've been to previously such as the Train Bar (which is literally the size of one train car), GasPanic and Wall Street Club. Later, they met up with Travis at Geronimo.

Roppongi is an area in Tokyo synonomous for its nightlife scene, and popular amoung foreigners. If you cavort to Roppongi, expect to stay out all night. Trains stop running shortly after midnight, so you're likely stuck until the trains start up again until 4:30AM, unless of course you want to take an expensive taxi ride back to your home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRAVIS!

Toasting to Travis at Geronimo Bar

Oh dear...some high fashion statements, found only in Roppongi

That evening, the guys ended up taking a taxi back to our home in Kamiitabashi. The ride costed a steep 7,000 yen (US$70). Perhaps these guys are getting too old to pull an all-nighter (ha, ha). They arrived home just before sunrise and managed to catch a few hours of z's before we headed out to Harajuku-Yoyogi Park-Omotesando area, early afternoon on Saturday.

A typical dog-walking site is Yoyogi Park. We counted about 16 dachshunds strolling along with this man. It's hard to tell, but he was also carrying 3 dogs in the pouch around his neck. Some dogs weren't even leashed, they were just obediently tagging along with the bunch. Very cute indeed!

You're guaranteed to get a glimpse of some very peculiar looking people around Harajuku Station. Many foreigners like to visit this area to people-watch. Some of the costumes are indescribeable and you can't help but wonder what these people think of while they dress in the morning. To say the least, people express themselves in so many ways! As we moved through the crowds, Rodney first saw "Hawk", a famous dancer from the Fox TV hit show "So You Think You Can Dance", which was aired in the US/Canada last year. Since we don't acquire many of the American channels on our satelite, I had no clue who he was. Reg and Haris, on the other hand, are fans and were rather excited to meet the celebrity in person. At the time, Hok Konishi, known as "Hawk" was in Harajuku filming a documentary. He had a television crew following him as he interviewed some people in the area. Reg managed to get close enough to request a quick demonstration of his moves, which he humbly agreed. Right there on the middle of the cold pavement, he gave us a quick show of his cool breakdancing skills. He seemed like a pretty easy-going guy.

What a coincidence that over breakfast, Rodney happen to see a photo and read an article about Hok Konishi that same morning in the Metropolis magazine. Otherwise, he would've overlooked the signature hairsytle and skinny braids.

Reg with the "Hawk"

Taking a stroll down Omotesando Street. Here, you can find just about every top designer brand boutique from Ralph Lauren and D&G to Bvlgari and Chanel.

Markus admiring the mist from the humidifier that helps preserve the wooden furniture and artifacts at the Oriental Bazaar souvenir shop

Our next stop was Shibuya - about a 10-minute walk from Harajuku Station. Shibuya is a very populated shopping and entertainment district in Tokyo. You can find several high-rise department stores such as Seibu, Parco, Marui and Tokyu.

One of Reg's most anticipated places to see was the famous Shibuya crossing at the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station. It is known to be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. Every three minutes, when the light turns green, the masses cross the street becoming one incredible sea of people. The backdrop of neon lights illuminates the sky. It fascinates me every time.

After a long day of site-seeing and sauntering the streets of Tokyo, we headed back toward Ikebukuro to Gyubei, one of our favourite yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurants. Reg and Haris enjoyed the interactive experience of the "do-it-yourself" Japanese dinners.

...to be continued.