Blogs from Yanaka, Tokyo, Japan, Asia
September 13th 2009
12.45pm Sunday 13 Sept. - the Annex Katsutaro Ryokan - Yanaka not a place you will find on the average tourist map I am sure. the disadvantage of tatami rooms is of course as it is all mat there are no chairs! - so am sitting leaning against the wall. I found this one cos it was listed along with half a dozen others in Tokyo in a Japanese Inn Group book I found at the airport this morning on arrival from Berlin-Helsinki- there were also some flyers for a couple of the others and they were all around 6000yen or so (think just under $80 - which is pretty reasonable for Tokyo). I was thinking of going to the one I found at Ueno last time (if its still there) after an expensive night in ... read more
take two tatamis - blend them and ........
Published: September 13th 2009Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Yanaka
September 13th 2009
later that very same day.... now this will have to be the final - and it will it will be relatively brief - I may like the sound of my own E voice but I need some sleep like serious as courtesie de Finnair and time zones not too much last "night". So what got "done" this afternoon? well I finally hauled myself off the tatami and wandered down the road - decided I needed some kinda grab it and go lunch so the local Lawsons convenience store - like 7-11 which are also big here - they even have a bank, Seven Bank which is virtually the only one - other than the PO I beiieve - in which you can withdraw Yen against foreign cards - the Japanese are very insular like that. Its ... read more
June 20th 2009
Tokyo I was excited about heading off to Tokyo, to see a futuristic metropolis, possibly a glimpse of what's to come. However, it also gave me the opportunity to ride the legendary Shinkansen bullet train for the first time. As expected it was comfortable, clean, on time and reasonably fast. There's so little noise and the fact its very smooth makes it hard to get a sense of how fast you're actually moving, so it's extremely efficient but somewhat disappointing as I hoping to slammed back into my seat like some NASA astronaut as we pulled some heavy negative "G's". No such luck as the food cart slowly passed by with multi coloured crustless sandwiches on it and the usual noodles, sweets and something that would be deemed the Japanese equivalent of a ration pack. Arriving ... read more
November 28th 2008
Yanaka District - Yanaka, Tokyo, Japan To the north of Ueno Park is Yanaka district. It is one of the only sections of Tokyo that remained undamaged after the bombing of World War II. I walked to it and wandered down some side streets, stumbling upon the Jyomyoin Temple. On a sign in front of the temple, it said that there were supposedly 84,000 jizos (Shinto god who protects children and travelers) located within the temple grounds. I didn't try to count them all up but there sure were a lot. I finally made it to Yanaka Cemetery around 1300. Although the cherry blossom trees in the cemetery weren't in bloom, it was still very pleasant as it was in a quiet part of town. There weren't any people around so it was a bit odd/creepy ... read more
