Asakusa

I've decided to start each post with a haiku:

Tokyo is so great.
A small guy like me fits in;
They are not that tall.


First let me say it was really hot in Tokyo today. I went to the school building to meet up with a fellow program member. The walk to the school is an hour, and the sweating was underway when I got there. I have a feeling this is going to be Sweating 2008 (Mark, that one was for you).

The person I met is really cool. He's here for the same reasons as me, just to experience something completely different, and he also speaks no Japanese. So it's encouraging to have somebody in the same boat as me. We grabbed some sushi at a place right near the school and it was easily the best sushi I've ever had (sorry Ten). And the sushi chef was very nice and personable. After eating we went to the Asakusa neighborhood, which is known for its souvenir shops. There were a ton of shops, and I'm definitely going back to get some stuff. All the shops line a street called Nakamise Dori, so it's a really cool place to walk around and spend an afternoon. Nakamise Dori leads right up to Tokyo's oldest Shinto shrine, Sensoji Temple (completed in 645). Entering into a Shinto shrine is really cool, first you wash your hands at the fountain outside using the ladle that is provided. Then your purify yourself with incense. There is a huge pot with burning incense outside the shrine. You can buy some and put it in there if you want, of you can just waft the smoke over yourself. It's supposed to be especially good if you're sick. So then you go inside the shrine. There's a massive red paper lantern outside the entrance. Inside there is a shrine to the Shinto goddess Kannon, the goddess of mercy.

It's great that I got to go there today. It's June 6, and it's 2 years to the day that Nonna Clelia died. This morning I had a bit of a rough start just thinking about her, so this was a great bonus on the day. Another one of those 'colorful thread in the fabric of humanity' moments that are so great at making us feel connected, even halfway around the world.

Tonight should be a fun night too. I'm meeting up with a bunch of other students from my program to finally explore Tokyo nightlife. I'll be with a couple of native speakers, so I can't wait. I've just got to be sure I'll be able to find my way home tonight after it's all said and done.

Maybe I should put the haiku at the end, sort of as a reward for people who have read this far?