This blog is a continuation from Japan Day 5
We met with a family friend who came to meet us at the Prince Hotel. We talked at the Cafe 24 in the lobby of Shinagawa Prince where we had coffee and tea.
He then graciously took us on a guided tour of Tokyo. Our first stop was Sengakuji in Minato-ku. It is a famous Buddhist temple that was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Edo era. It is also the final resting place of 47 loyal samurai of Asano Takuminokami, feudal Lord of Ako. The famous story is as follows: The official advisor of Asano Takuminokami, Kira Kozukenosuke despised Asano and often insulted him. Finally Asano was not able to tolerate the humiliation and drew a sword injuring Kira. Under the Edo law, when there is a quarrel between samurais, both samurais involved are to be punished. However, Kira was not punished and Asano was sentenced to death by Seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment). The 47 loyal retainers of Lord of Ako pleaded for an amendment of the order, but was declined. Almost two years later they attacked and killed Kira at his residence and marched to Sengakuji to present Kira’s head to Asano’s grave. They then turned themselves into the shogunate and were sentenced to seppuku.
After leaving this historic site, we boarded the train once more and went to Asakusa. This time we arrived in front of Kaminarimon (“thunder gate”) known for its huge great red lantern and the two shinto gods Raijin and Fujin displayed next to it. There are also many little stores and it is a huge tourist attraction. Near the area, there is an restaurant called Chinya. This is a tiny restaurant which probably seats about 15, but it has wonderful sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot) dishes.
We visited the Miyamoto Taiko Shoten. They are generally known as the best taiko (drum) makers. They are even the official drummakers for the Emperor of Japan.
We left Asakusa and boarded the train once more, but this time towards Ginza. It is a major fashion district with many tall rise buildings consisting of brands which include Sony, Gucci, etc. We walked down the Chuo Dori, which had major department stores such as Mitsukoshi , Matsuya http://www.matsuya.com/, and Matsuzakaya .
We also visited Nihonbashi (“Japanese bridge”), which was built in 1603 by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was originally a wooden bridge, that was a symbol of the Edo Period’s prosperity.
We met with our family friend again and went to an Italian restaurant called Piatto-Unico in Sengawa. Their food is delicious. I had an Seafood risotto which was flavorful. I sampled the other’s clam spaghetti and fish dishes which were equally delicious.
Finally we made our way back to the train station once more to return to Shinagawa Prince for the last night.
