Asakusa and Akihabara

 

Entrance to the Sensoji Temple at Asakusa

February 17, 2026

It was a cold morning in Tokyo today. It wasn't even 40 degrees, so we bundled up and headed first thing to Asakusa to see the Sensoji Temple. Sensoji is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. The legend of the origins of the temple is that in 628, two brothers went fishing in the Sumida River. A small image of Kannon got caught in their nets. They tried to return it to the river, but it continued to come back in their nets. Recognizing the significance of it, the village chief enshrined the statue and it became the earliest iteration of the temple.

It was a very busy place, and we heard lots of Mandarin. The pagoda is the second tallest pagoda in Japan at 173 feet. The top floor houses ashes of the Buddha. It also holds statues of Kannon.

There were lots of images of Kannon on the temple grounds.

This is probably our third visit to this temple and every time we have come it has been so crowded!

After the temple, we stumbled upon our first Pachinko parlor for this trip. It is still a national obsession, where reportedly, one in every ten people in Japan play. Players play the machines and win small silver balls that they exchange for simple prizes. They take the prizes to a separate kiosk where they can exchange them for money. Somehow the process bypasses the anti-gambling laws. And Pachinko in Japan make four times more profit than all the world's casinos combined!

It was incredibly noisy inside and the people playing looked very unfazed by the noise and uninterested in the game.

We were going to have sukiyaki for lunch but the restaurant had a 90-minute wait. So, we opted for a quick lunch of tempura. 

After lunch we went in a five-story Don Quijote store, locally called "Donki." It was as chaotic as the Pachinko parlor. It felt like a five-story treasure hunt in a very crowded store with the crazy earworm "Miracle Shopping" tune playing nonstop. They sell everything: cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, trinkets, groceries, luggage, electronics, snacks and souvenirs. You name it, you can probably find it.

Akihabara

Since we had not had our fill of shopping yet, we took the subway over to Akihabara. This area is known as Japan's "Electric Town". It is a hub for anime, manga and electronics. The first time Karl came here in the 1980's, he said it was all kinds of gadgets. We went in a multi-story electronic store that felt like a Best Buy on steroids. 

We walked through some five-story arcade centers filled with teens playing all sorts of video games.

We walked through some the Capsule Toy Hall and Lauren tried one out. They had claw machines and capsule machines. And then we suddenly decided we had had a sensory overload, and it was time to go home.

Harajuku and Shibuya

 

February 16, 2026

We started out in Harajuku on Monday morning, which is a quieter time to visit this part of Tokyo. The first time we visited Harajuku in 1987, it was a happening place for fashion, artists and independent spirits. Today, it is a tourist destination filled with global chains. Wiggle Wiggle Zip caught our eye. We learned it is a Korean store aimed at Millennials and Gen Z'ers with the aim of bringing color and fun into their lives.

We also checked out a capsule store. For about US $2.50, you could get miniature collectables of all sorts from Disney characters to anime and even old-fashioned mini Fisher Price toys.

The variety was surprising. Frog and Toad?

Cat Street

We moved on to Cat Street, which is a trendy neighborhood with upscale stores and cafes with vintage and second-hand stores. We were still a little early for this neighborhood too.

We found a giant Harry Potter store that was an experience in itself!

For around $30 US, you could purchase your own wand.

Meiji Shrine

We had perfect timing for lunch. We found a small gyoza restaurant that was just opening. We walked in and got a table and once we ordered, we noticed every seat was taken. After eating, we walked over to the Meiji Shrine. The Meiji Shrine is a Shinto Shrine that honors the deified spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his spouse.

These two Camphor trees were planted in 1920 to honor the harmonious marriage of the Emperor and Empress. They are beautifully pruned with a domed canopy, which you cannot really see in this picture. The rope and folded papers between the trees are often seen at Shinto shrines to mark the boundary between the sacred and the profane. 

Shibuya

We walked over to Shibuya to see the famous scramble intersection. It get much more crowded in the evenings. We stayed near this area on another trip to Japan and saw it in action.

We took a donut foot-resting break. Japanese donuts are delicious!

It was another 20,000 step day! We tried out this restaurant that served rice wrapped in an omelet served with French onion soup. It kind of tasted like an American casserole. The red sauce tastes like marinera.

On to Tokyo

 

Shinkansen aka the bullet train.

February 15, 2026

It was time to move on to our next location, so we packed up and said goodbye to Kyoto. We left at 9:00 am to head to the station. It is a bit of a challenge to stay together as a group navigating the subway and train stations.

We periodically stop to take a headcount to make sure no one is left behind.

There is no eating or drinking allowed on most trains and subways in Japan. That is not true of the Shinkansen. They have several train station bento box stores to shop for your meal. We were traveling over the lunch hour, so we looked around. Karl really liked the Shinkansen bentos. But opted for something different in the end. Most of the choices are cold, but they have some options that come with a device under the box that will heat up your food if you want a hot meal.

We got a view of Mt. Fuji poking through the clouds along the route.

Karl learning how to open his salmon onigiri properly. The first one he tried didn't work out correctly. When he opened it, the nori was separated from the rice and he had to rewrap it. Now he knows, if he can remember how he did it!

We made our way from Tokyo station to the subway and on to Sophia University, where the students met their home stay families. They will spend three weeks with them, but meet up for class several mornings a week. We moved on to our Airbnb and got settled in.

In our taxi on the way to our Airbnb.

Our tiny oven in our apartment.

A very small dishwasher too!

We had our first tonkatsu for dinner. It came with miso soup, cabbage and two sides of your choice. I got potato and sunomono salad. And we have been served ice water in almost every restaurant we have eaten in. That rarely happened on our previous trips.

Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera

 

Fushimi Inari

February 15, 2026

We got an early start on the day and took the train to go see Fushimi Inari. Fushimi is a district of Kyoto and Inari is the god of business and agriculture. There are lots of statues of foxes throughout the shrine because the fox is a messenger of Inari.

There are reportedly 10,000 red tori gates stretching through the hills for 2 1/2 miles. Each of the gates was donated by individuals or businesses in hopes of seeking good fortune. Their names are etche on the sides of the poles.

The red bibs on the foxes signify their role as divine messengers. The color red warns off evil spirits.

We took the train to another part of Kyoto and found an okonomiyaki restaurant for lunch. Karl had a seafood one, Lauren had noodles and vegetbales and I had vegetables with tofu. So delicious!

The two most iconic sites of Kyoto are Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera. So, we climbed up the side of the mountain to visit this Buddhist temple. One of the notable things about this wooden temple is that it was built without the use of nails.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it is a temple to the eleven-headed, thousand-armed Bodhisattva, the Kannon Buddha who is the Buddha of compassion. The eleven faces and 42 hands symbolize the Buddha's ability to see and help those in need.

One of the pagodas on the temple grounds.

We walked down from the temple through lots of tourist shops. These funny statues are seen on lots of doorsteps. They are called Tanuki. They are not racoons but a native species of a Japanese animal related to a dog. In Japanese mythology they are shapeshifters known for playing pranks.

Coming down from Kiyomizu-dera, the crowds were plentiful. In the distance is the pagoda for the oldest temple in Kyoto. We walked through Gion and saw one geisha or possibly a maiko (an apprentice geisha).

Checking out a candy store in Gion. 

We walked on to Nishiki Market (known as Kyoto's kitchen). We walked on to find a place to eat, and then on to find our hotel. In all was walked over 9 miles and were ready to collapse!

Osaka Castle and a Visitor

 

Osaka Castle

February 13, 2026

We went on an excursion to Osaka with the students to see the Osaka Castle. We haven't been to this castle for twenty years! From what we can remember of our last visit, it has changed. It was originally built in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was destroyed several times, including by a fire that started with lightening. It now contains a museum to Hideyoshi and sadly, no pictures are allowed inside.

We climbed the eight stories to get the view from the top. We were already tired from just climbing the hill to get to the castle! The displays were nice inside. I liked seeing the armor and the helmets the best.

The plum trees were in bloom on the walk to and from the castle.

We left the group at the castle and headed to the airport to pick up Lauren!

We took the train back to Kyoto and caught the subway to get to our hotel. Then we set out to find a late dinner. We ended up trying Toripaitan ramen. It was delicious and even came with English instructions. 

The Golden Pavilion

 

Kinkaku-ji

February 12, 2026

The students had class in the morning, and after lunch we took a group excursion to see Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion. We have visited this site on two other occasions in other seasons. But it does not disappoint. It was just as beautiful as every other time we have come.

This building was originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was later turned into a temple. It has burned down several times, one time by an angry monk in 1950, who said at his trial that his hatred of beauty drove him to do it. This iteration has stood since 1955 and is the first rendition with the gold leaf.

Each of the floors of the pagoda is built in different architectural styles. The bottom floor reflects the Heian period intended to look like a aristocratic palace with its white walls. The second floor represents the samurai warrior class with it's gold leaf and lattice windows. The top floor is built in the Chinese Zen style topped with a phoenix on the roof.

The grounds are always filled with tourists. But it is still possible to keep them out of your photos, except for these two!

After the pavilion, we took a bus to our old neighborhood where we stayed for a month last time we were here so we could go back to the Kyoto Botanical Garden. Just like Kinkaku-ji, it never disappoints, even in the winter!

We are going to miss the daffodils at home, but these are giants!

Parakeet flower

Flamingo Lily

Prayer Plant

Amazon Lily

Aluminum  plant

It's not the Gardens on the Bay in Singapore, but they have an excellent collection of plants from all different climates. It smelled heavenly too.