Asakusaー浅草や御田

Today, I met up with Ware before he had head back home to Fukuoka in the evening. We walked down the long hallway of shops that lead up to the Sensoji Temple. I believe this is the oldest buddhist temple in Tokyo and the size of it was a bit suprising! I've seen pictures before but this building and tower is much much bigger than I imagined it to be. The roof sort of fades away in the distance when you look at it which emphasises how large it really is.

There are two gates both with statues of Gods on the left and right portions before reaching the temple itself. If you look under the large red lantern, you will find wooden carving of a dragon underneath. It's very beautiful and it's a shame that it would be so easy to miss if you don't know where to look! However, it being in such a spot does make it feel a little more special as if it were a hidden easter egg.

It was very crowded, many people were walking up and down the pathway that led up to the temple and browsing the food and novelty shops along the way. I bought a couple red bean candies from one of the shops as we went by. I've always really loved red bean and it's cool that I'm able to get it every day if I wanted to 😸 Red bean especially goes really well with ice cream as a topping. The little ice cream parfaits with red bean are probably one of my favorite desserts I've tried here so far.

Reaching the main area before the temple, there was a structure that looked like a well with smoke rising out of it. People were surrounding the well and wafting the smoke into their face. Ware informed me that the smoke was meant to heal any ailments or problems you have which is why people were wafting it towards themselves. I purchased a small incense and attempted it myself. My mask smelled smokey for the rest of the day but I'm hoping that the smoke fixes the knot I have in my shoulder 😆

At a temple like this you can also draw a fortune. After paying 100 yen, you can draw a stick from a box. The stick will have a number that corresponds with a numbered drawer that will contain your fortune. I drew a 9 and was lucky enough to get the "Best Fortune". I guess there is no better fortune than this so the rest of my trip must be pretty amazing to come 😊

Afterwards, we went to one of Ware's favorite sushi restaurants in the area. There was a small device designed for you to press your cup into and water would come out. Ware said that it's a sort of meme to ask foreigners what it's for before showing them how to use it. It looks really strange and I can understand why people wouldn't know what it's for.

We then went and tried something similar to what I would call a beef stew. Ware said it was primarily made from the achilles tendon of the cow. I would say this dish reminds me the most of home, similar to something I ate when I was growing up. There are not many dishes that resemble american cuisine so I was very suprised by the flavor. The meat was very soft and rich. Writing about it now makes me want some more 😅

We then made our way over to a restaurant that serves Oden. Ware informed me that Oden is a winter dish in Japan and isn't usually served year-round. Oden is a type of soup with an assortment of soaked ingredients in a dashi broth. We got to pick out the various items to go into the Oden when we ordered. I can imagine how this dish would be nostalgic for people who grew up here as it was hearty and felt like something you would eat while bundled up in a bunch of blankets. The chef talked with us a bit when he found out that I was able to speak some. I really couldn't understand most of what he said but ware helped with the translation. He asked me how I would describe dashi since lots of foreigners don't know what Oden would taste like. Personally, I would just call it Dashi but I suppose that "seaweed broth" or "kombu broth" might come accross a bit more plainly.

The chef also gave us a couple reccomendations of dishes that have been on the menu for that particular restaurant through the years. It's my understanding that recipes and shops with cultural history pass recipes down over the years as part of keeping the tradition alive. We tried a type of pickled vegetables and what I think was a version of fried tofu. It's a shame that it's so difficult to remember food names here because the menus are written in Kanji. If I don't take a picture, I probably will never be able to find the food again unless I happen upon it by chance.

I'm excited for the time where I can have a simple conversation like this in Japanese where I'm not straining to understand. Visiting Japan has been both humbling and motivating for my Japanese learning. I feel like my skill level is just enough to communicate on the most basic level. I want to be able to have a friendly natural conversation would be awesome! It's fun to be able to give the "foreigner" perspective.

Thanks Ware for showing me around and teaching me about the area ☺️

Ware took his leave after the Oden then I headed over to Wolf Bar for a second time. I talked with some people and the bartender a bit more. Language learning is like a rollercoaster regarding levels of confidence. Some days I feel like I can't speak at all and I know next to nothing. Some experiences make me super happy and proud of my ability. Having these small times where I can communicate help learning the language feel worthwhile. Even if I'm not able to expres myself naturally, I can at least communicate on a level above zero. Without it, I don't think I could have gone to the bar by myself. I guess I could have but it would have been a lonely experience. I will continue to do my best and I'm hoping my next trip to Japan I'll be able to look back on my experiences now and compare the experieces in a postive way.Read more