Spread Some Awesome

I was already halfway through my 10-day vacation in Japan and I still haven’t been into a single temple or shrine yet. I have visited some of the popular modern attractions such as the Tokyo DisneySea and Fujiko F. Fujio Museum (Doraemon Museum), and been to well-known districts in Tokyo such as Shibuya, Ginza, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Akihabara, and Odaiba. So, I decided to spend the day in one of Tokyo’s olden districts, Asakusa, and see the majestic Sensō-ji temple.

When I got out of Asakusa station, I was immediately welcomed by a rickshaw guy who offers services to tour the district via this ride. After reading several travel blogs telling stories of mishaps with rickshaw tours that has happened in a few countries, I was a bit hesitant at first to give it a try. But I realized that this is Japan, where people are genuinely friendly and getting ripped off is rare.  With quick contemplation, I decided to give it a go.

The Awesome Rickshaw Driver and Tour Guide

Right outside Asukasa station, the Asahi Beer Hall is already visible and it stands confidently beside the Tokyo Sky Tree. The Asahi Beer Hall looks like an enormous beer glass that is topped with a horizontal Asahi golden flame. The tour guide said that it was made in this orientation because Japan often experiences earthquakes and making the fire burn this way allow it to be more stable and less dangerous. Some locals call it the golden turd since it resembles it in a certain way.

Tokyo Sky Tree and Asahi Beer Hall

Meanwhile, with a height of 634 meters, the Tokyo Sky Tree is said be the tallest tower in the whole world and the second tallest structure in the whole world behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (as of December, 2012).

After telling me a quick story about the Asahi Beer Hall and the Tokyo Sky Tree, the rickshaw tour began.

Rickshaw Tour Started

Our first stop in the tour is the Dempoin Temple. But before we could go there, we passed by many shops that sell clothes, food, and trinkets. Asakusa may be known for its temples and shrines but it also offers a wealth of stores where you can buy almost anything that is Japan. I have seen many traditional Japanese clothing, replicas of swords, and authentic Japanese food on these streets.

One of the Streets in Asakusa Filled with Shops

Japanese Clothing Shops

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Tags: asakusa, geisha house, geisha town, geishas, japan, lanterns, rickshaw, sensoji temple, shrines, temples, tokyo

I really love play on words and playing with words, hence the title. But really, there are a few minutes of Eureka moments riding one of Japan’s driverless trains, the Yurikamome train more known as the New Transit Yurikamome. See, most of you probably haven’t tried it yet but still you might already have felt a split second of Eureka moment. Driverless train, oh c’mon.

New Transit Yurikamome

Since I have traveled quite a lot in the past year, I also began loving trains. I think they are efficient, consistent, and designed charmingly to easily fall in love with. Making it driverless is a definite plus to me.

Shimbashi Station of New Transit Yurikamome

Outside Shimbashi station, a simple exhibit on one side showing a replica of the wheels used for this driverless train can be seen. The wheels are said to be rubber-tired and guided by the side walls when traveling on an elevated track. This usually causes the incorrect connotation that this train is a monorail. Upon reading a lot of train-related stuff online, it is made clear in them that the Yurikamome train is simply an automated line and not a monorail. But I wouldn’t know for sure since the description on the exhibit are written in Japanese.

Exhibit Outside Shimbashi Station

If someone out there would be nice enough to translate the excerpts, please feel free to do so on the comments section below. Thanks in advance!

Brief Description of the Exhibit

One of the many Eureka moments traveling on this train is experiencing the 270-degree loop that gives an almost full view of Odaiba and Tokyo. One time you are looking at Tokyo then the next thing you know is that you are facing Odaiba. It is a super cool experience and certainly visually satisfying.

A View of Odaiba and Rainbow Bridge on the 270-Degree Turn

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Tags: aqua city, gundam, japan, odaiba, rainbow bridge, statue of liberty, tokyo