Friday, September 20, 2013

Asakusa, Tokyo


When you visit Tokyo you MUST see Asakusa. I haven’t been there for quite a long time and had
forgotten how lovely that area is. It has an old-town flair, there are no skyscrapers but many Japanese-style old houses, lots of small local shopping streets instead of big department stores and in some streets you feel like you have time shifted to the ancient time of Japan...
From Asakusa, you have a nice view on Tokyo Skytree the new broadcasting tower which was completed in spring 2013. It is the tallest tower in the world now!
 


The Kaminarimon 雷門 ("thunder gate") one of the most photographed giant lantern is the entrance to the famous Senjoji 浅草寺 Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in Japan.


 
When you have walked through the gate the Nakamise 仲見世 Shopping arcade starts right after, which leads you to the temple.

This arcade is the best place to buy souvenirs: e.g. Hello Kitty mobile phone strap. So cute! Hello kitty mini graphics


 
...or Samurai swords for guys...?
 

 
Fuurin 風鈴 (wind chimes) is also a very popular gift. Reminds me of summer in Japan...

 
Try the Osenbei (Rice Cracker) that are roasted here on the spot and flavored with soy sauce.


Make sure to visit the side streets of Nakamise Shopping arcade on the left and right sides. The Denpoin-Dori 伝法院通 is my favorite street in Asakusa - I felt like time shifted to the ancient time!




Another side street: kaminarimon-yanagi-komichi 雷門柳小路

Sensoji Temple and the five-roof pagoda on the left.
浅草寺



 

 
 

What a cute taiyaki-shop!

 
Taiyaki たい焼き is a fish-shaped cake filled with red bean paste but since I don't really like the paste, I Chose with custard in it. :)
 



Azuma-bashi, Tokyo Skytree, Asahi Beer Headquarters and it's golden flame object on top.


Asakusa station (Ginza-Line)
 
 
スカイツリー





Sunday, September 15, 2013

Characters in Odaiba, Tokyo

While we were in Tokyo, we went to Odaiba a large artificial island in Tokyo bay which is a popular shopping and entertainment district.

Let me post here some interesting characters that can be found on the island / inside the various malls:

In front of the building "DiverCity Tokyo Plaza" you can find the life-sized "Gundam" statue.





Inside the shopping mall called "Decks Tokyo Beach", there is a retro amusement arcade (called "game center" ゲームセンター in Japanese) on the 4th floor.


Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom 鉄腕アトム) hanging from the ceiling.


I like this game whack-a-mole the most! In Japanese it's called "mogura-tataki" モグラたたき.

 


Look at these ugly characters! Who wants them?! They are apparently called "kakuremomojiri" カクレモモジリ...


A claw machine where you can catch vegetable key chains... Er, no thanks again! ;)


These polar bears' statue nearby "Aquacity Odaiba" looked so sad that they made me sad, too... When I first saw it, I could imagine why they were crying...
They are brothers - the younger one is called Sora, the older one Bea - living in the North Pole. They are crying because they got separated from their mother when the ice cap melted and the gaps in the ice opened up due to the global warming... Sora and Bea are the characters of a children's book about climate Change.

Sora Bea
 

When I watched this video, I had to cry...

   

It's so sad... And even though the story of Sora and Bea is a fiction, global warming is a serious problem and many polar bears (and other animals...) are suffering and dying. Our earth is in danger because of us human... :'( Only we can help them!

We should be all conscientious about the environment and NEVER waste anything (water, electricity, food, etc.)!!!!



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Mercer Brunch - Tokyo

Finally having vacation and I went to Tokyo from 2 - 9 September, this time with my sweetie. ♥
It was still quite humid and hot not like Zurich where the summer has already ended several weeks ago...
On Saturday, I met up with some of my friends living in Tokyo and had a lovely brunch. "Mercer Brunch" is a very popular café, apparently always crowded on weekends and people lining up since you can't make reservations during lunch time.
However, I was told that they can reserve a separate party room if we are more than 8 people - without extra charge!







Mercer Brunch is popular for their very delicious brioche french toasts which are fluffy and soft. You can chose a main dish with 2 slices of brioche french toast for &yen 1,600 or a main dish with home made breads for &yen 1,500 or 3 slices of brioche french toasts for &yen 1,100. The drinks are not included and the portion of the meal is perfect for Japanese people but a lil dainty for Western people. ;)
I chose the menu with the brioche french toast and salmon tartar with avocado and poached egg with dill sauce as a main dish. Very yummy! The cappuccino was &yen 550 so paid &yen 2,250 in total. A little too pricey for a non-all-you-can-eat brunch in Tokyo and for that portion but we were all satisfied. The place is really nice, the service is superb and the meal delicious!

Address: 4-2-35, Roppongi Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
Phone: +81 (0)3 3470-6551
Mon - Fri: 10:00 - 15:30 (Lunch), 18:00 - 24:00 (Dinner)
Sat, Sun & Holiday: 9:00 - 18:00 (Lunch), 18:00 - 24:00 (Dinner)

                      Service:        ★ ★ ★ ★ ★             Atmosphere:           ★ ★ ★ ★ ★    
                      Food:           ★ ★ ★ ★ ★              Value for money:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩