Tokyo Day 2 with Dave

Our first day in Tokyo was picture perfect...clear blue skies as far as the eye could see!  Our second day...not so much.  The rain started just before we got out of the hotel.  What's on tap for today...the three A's:  Asakusa, Akihabara, and Akasaka.

When we first got to Asakusa and walked to Sensoji Temple it was just barely sprinkling.  By the time we started toward Akihabara it was raining on us.

Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate)...the outer gate of the temple

I don't believe I noticed these two statues on the back of the gate the last time we were here.

Hozomon (Treasure House Gate) is the second gate.  The original was built in 942 and has been burned down, rebuilt and then destroyed in the air raids in 1945 before this gate was built in 1964.

Five story pagoda in the rain.  On the right is a man praying to the statue.  A woman stopped me and pointed him out to me.  She said a lot of things that I did not understand at all.  I assumed she was explaining to me what the man was praying for...first he put money in a bowl, then rubbed the statue's head, shoulders, back, hands, knees, legs and then feet.  Then, he stepped back, put his own hands together and bowed.

A brooding sky behind Sensoji.

The temple was built in 645 and managed to survive the air raids in 1945.  

Inside the temple.

Shelter from the drops while checking out the scenery.

A large gingko tree.

On our way to Akihabara we decided to try and find somewhere to eat where we didn't have to cower under umbrellas.  Our answer...the train station.  I'm not sure how proper it is to eat in the station, but we found a part of the platform that was cut off from the rest of the main area.  Sammies and chips, then off we went to Electronics Town!

We had no clue where we were going.  I found a map online and printed it, then circled the shops that I read as "must sees" for this area.  The first stop was a HUGE electronics store.  There was a floor dedicated to cameras and tvs, a floor for home electronics, an anime floor, toys, so much stuff!  Even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty.

I found this hamster tunnel building quite silly, especially standing there watching the people shuffle up and down the tunnels.

After we bought each kid a toy, we decided to find somewhere to sit, somewhere that was dry.  Off we went in search of a table with five chairs and something to either munch on or sip on while we waited for a 1700 dinner reservation.  Well, turns out that when it's raining most people have that exact same thought.  We decided to head out of Akihabara and just get on the train to Akasaka where we could look for a place to sit.  In one of the train stations we walked past an Auntie Annie's and bought a few pretzels.  We heard the restaurant where we had reservations is one of those places where you go for the experience and leave just as hungry as when you arrive.  So, maybe it wasn't a bad idea to get a few munchies beforehand.

Ghost pastries

We finally arrived at our train station and the rain had slowed down considerably.  Now...off to our awesome reservation!!!  In the next post...