We got almost as early as start today as we did yesterday. When we headed down for breakfast, we ran into Kyee not long after we arrived. This gave us a chance to chat and make a bit of a plan for the morning. We were hoping to eat breakfast early, then make our way to the starting point of the walking tour. After we finished eating, we used the Welcome Suica card to travel just a few stops over to Akihabara. As I noted yesterday, I got off the train too early yesterday, so I was already a little bit familiar with this stop. After we got off the train, it was a short walk from the Tsukaba Express train line to the Akihabara JR Rail station. Passing through the station, we found this stop to be much more lively than the other ones we had visited. Though it was still early in the morning, there were plenty of people getting off of the train and the stop and station were busy. Akihabara is a Mecca for anime, manga, and J-pop culture. It was clearly evidenced in the billboards, signs, and other adverts all over the area.
We found our guide, Yuki, right where we expected. Our tour got underway pretty quickly, and we began our Trek across akihabara.
Our first lengthy stop on the trip, was the temple Yushima Seido. Among other things, this Temple features a statue of confucius. This is also the largest statue of Confucius in the world. It was interesting hearing a little bit about confucianism, and it's contribution to other schools of thought.
Our next stop took us to Kanda Myojin temple. This famous temple has been featured in a number of recent anime. At the temple, Yuki taught us a bit about proper hand-washing techniques before entering the temple. We also learned a bit about the offering of prayers. As with the temple yesterday, we learned we could put our hopes for the future on a wooden placard and offer them up. We also learned about receiving fortunes. While good fortunes that you choose are meant to be saved, bad fortunes could be tied to a board in the shrine, and they would be left there and forgotten about! What a concept!
We stopped just long enough to buy a few souvenirs at this stop, and eat ice cream, before we moved on. We continued a bit further, and soon entered the Ameyoko shopping street. This Lively Street was full of merchant stands, selling food, drinks, and literally every manner of consumer good.
Continuing the tour, we headed towards our last stop, Ueno Park. The park features and influential samurai, who was responsible for brokering peace just before the Meiji restoration, and for helping contribute to stability after the elimination of the Samurai class.
With the conclusion of the tour, our small group disbanded. We were now left on our own for the remainder of the day. The first order of business, was to go and get something to eat. We headed back through ameyoko shopping Street, and stopped at a stand to get some food. We headed back through the park, on our towards Akihabara station.
However, something called Kylie's eye. She noticed a sign for sanrio. Sure enough, Sanrio Garden Cafe was right nearby. As we entered the shop, we were overwhelmed with the culture of "cute" within. The cafe charges a small fee, to occupy a table, but it gives us a chance to experience Hello Kitty. The cafe offers free soft drinks and coffee, as part of the entrance fee, and a small menu with a variety of dishes. We took an opportunity to rest and recover a bit from the three-hour walk, and take in the atmosphere. After a time in the cafe, the need for more substantial food back into period we return to the Ameyoko shopping street, and found a small stand to get a quick lunch.
The afternoon's adventures were rounded out with a bit more shopping. We split up and did a little shopping around the area. Mona and I took an opportunity to visit a video arcade nearby. On the top floor, I managed to find a DDR game, and managed to stagger through a couple of games without looking too unsteady. However, at my age, it was clear that this is a young man's game.
The days walking and afternoon of footstopping weighed heavily on my feet. Every step took more and more effort. I was lucky to be able to sit for a portion of the ride back on the trains.
Tomorrow includes a trip to Sanrio Puroland - what should be the highlight of this trip for Kylee!
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