Sami in Japan- From the Traditional to the Technological!

Jul 31, 2010 by Sami

It seems like the ability to sleep past 7AM haunts me in Japan too, regardless of the much walking that’s being done during the day. On the upside I get to watch commercials that make no sense to me whatsoever!  Yesterday, I finally got to take the train alone without any assistance and did NOT get lost. I repeat I was able to reach my destination without any problems! Granted I only exchanged trains once…but I’m rather proud of my accomplishment.The weather is still not as bad as I had imagined it. I think I was well prepared coming from Chicago.

The destination was Asakusa, a district most famous for The Sensoji Temple. I got to enjoy a stroll down a street that has small shops on both sides selling everything from fans, chopsticks, miniature figures to bean bread and Manju. Before the Senjoji temple I went to the oldest Tempura restaurant in Tokyo. It was extremely delicious friedness! At Senjoji shrine I was able to get my fortune predicted (it turned out to be a good one!), light incense and have their smoke purify my body and observe a prayer.

After I made sure I got my religion on we head over to Akihibara, or as I’d like to call it, every nerd’s wet dream! Not sure where to even being with this one. First stop was a Maid Cafe a food establishment where girls dress as various characters, mostly servants and role-play. Depending on the theme the Maid Cafe can be little different from each other. I went to one called “The Rabbit’s Forest”. As the name might allude, you enter and you are in a forest where the servers are dressed in servant costumes with rabbit ears. It was a really fun experience. You are called “master” or “mistress” and items on the menu are named after items typically found at the forest. Each time you order something the “rabbit” hops to behind the “tree” to make your “parrot juice”. They have a very bubbly personality and when you leave they tell you that “we rabbits get very lonely so please come again and play with us”.  You are not allowed to take pictures of the rabbits and they have several rules to make sure the creepy men are kept out. Yikes! If you don’t like rabbits you can head few doors down to a maid cafe where you are treated like an older brother or an older sister and play games with each other. Whatever it may be, there’s something for everyone here in Tokyo. I plan on going to the male counterpart called the Butler Cafe…hehehe.

Related posts:

1. Sami in Japan- Part 1