Tokyo Day 1 Asakusa and Akihabara

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Well it wasnt a bad sleep for my first time in a Capsule. Someone woke up at around 7am which was kind of annoying but other than that it was wicked. I actually got up around 930ish getting as much sleep as I could handle. I wasnt sure when check out was but i was pretty sure it was around 10. Got up and packed all my stuff up and charged my camera battery for my adventure. I didnt have an itenerary or anything but I had a bunch of ideas for what to do. The lady came up just after 10 and said time to check outttttt. Ha i dont think too many ppl were staying at the hotel that night so she had to busy herself somehow.
After i packed up I put all my stuff down in the lobby and they wanted to know when i would be around to pick it up again! I told them around 5pm but really i didnt have to meet Kyoko, a couch surfer who I was planning on staying with that night untill 7. I sat on the internet for awhile after that checking my email and looking at other ideas of what to do. I forgot my travel adapter for Japan so I had to use the computer they had there after it died. It was kind of tough to get used to at first. The caps lock changed the language from Japanese to English.
I grabbed myself a cold coffeee on the way out and I was off to explore. The first thing i realized was that I was just across the water from a famous monument. The Ashai breweries headquarters. One of the strangest buildings i had ever seen in my life for sure. I walked around that part of town and checked out a convience store for some breakfast. I think i got some sort of bun thing with something in it I couldnt really put my finger on but tasted like meat. Ha it tasted pretty good and for 120 yen it was exactly what i needed to stay on budget.
I saw a fisherman with 3 rods at once and beside him, some guy playing the flute. After that I went to the Sunday market. Famous in Japan around the Asakusa district at the temple with the huge lantern I saw last night. It was packed with ppl everywhere. Very cool little place. Got into the main area past all the rows of shops and saw a monkey show. Kind of interesting although im sure its not to politically correct. The baby monkey even had a diaper.
Saw a few temples after that. One of them ppl were constantly throwing yens into this huge vat of some sort. It must bring good luck because behind that was the actual temple where most ppl werent allowed. Very loud inside. Really weird that this was considered a holly place. After exploring around I saw a place where ppl were gambling on horse racing. And just behind there was the oldest amusement park in Japan. This area was one of the oldest EDO areas in Japan. Edo was the name of the old country before it was called Japan.
After that i had some soup at a Donut shop called Mister Donut. The guy screwed up my order but it was cheaper that way anyway. One other thing i noticed that ppl in Japan often eat alone in restaraunts. Not something done in Canada very often unless your a recluse or whatever.
After that I went back to the hotel to see if i had any messages from the ppl I was going to couch surf with. The gay couple i was staying with messaged me and said I could stay with them an extra night if I wished making it a bit more convient for me. Problem was i had to tell Kyoko now and try not to offend her. An older lady at the hotel kept bringing me tea and candies and even this odd seaweed wrapped thing. I think it was like sweet tofu inside. Really sweet lady.
I ventured off on the metro after that. I took the Ginza line and switched after three stops taking the Hibya line to Akihabara, the electronics district.
I got a bit lost for a min but after i just started walking i found my way no problem. Found a converter from a corner shop for 200 yen but i only had big bills on me. So i kept going. Lotsa girls in maid outfits trying to get you inside there shops and also a ton of ppl with microphones telling you the cheap deals they have. Found some nun chucks and tazers inside this one shop! The guy tried to make me delete the photo but i managed to save it!
After that it was time to head back and collect my gear. I called Kyoko on skype, but she couldnt hear me from the noise at the subway. We arranged to meet at the big lantern for dinner.
Met the other surfers with her Delia and Sayeed. We chatted for a while about where they were from and couch surfing. The pain was that I had all my gear with me. I had to even carry it inside this tiny restaraunt we went to. It was the grill style restaraunt where you sat around the table which was a grill and cooked your own food. Had to take off my shoes. To get in and put my bags behind me.
We were having a pancake dinner with seafood and assorted things inside. VERY good-yummy. We also had another pancake looking thing already made with ginger on top. The first thing was taking a long time to cook. Sayeed ordered a funny type drink that you had to press down to push a ball down to sip from. It resealed itself after a few mins of not drinking. Very high tech stuff here haha.
Oh and i forgot to mention the toilets. Even in Mcdonalds they have these amazing toilets where water shoots up your ass. You can choose how much pressure you like and the toilet paper is there to finish off. Very interesting. I think the seats are even heated so your balls dont shrink up or something hahaha. Joking!
After dinner I decided to stay with Kyoko and the gang cause it was already 9pm and i didnt want to go all the way across town to stay with these dudes so I stayed. Very glad i did too.
She lived in Ueno which was walking disntance from Asakusa. We stopped at a convenince store for breakfast materials. Sayeed was a very interesting character. He was from Iran and was very up front with what he liked and didnt like. He said that not many ppl from his country got to travel and I believe him visiting the middle east myself. Everything he said was very to the point kind of thing. The other surfer Delia was from France. Nice actually which was definetly one of my fav places in France. She lives now in Barcelona and I think i even tried to stay with her in Barcelona to no avail.
We got all set up for bed and took some pics. Kyoko made me take a pic cause she said she photographed every surfer she had. The couch i slept on had folding arms which came down into a bed. Really cool. After an hour or so of chatting we all hit the sack! Nighty night.

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Photos

IMGP0335
Ashai Headquarters