Okay, so I didn’t get up super early today. Failure again. I got trapped in the warm, fluffy cocoon again (fueled by jet lag) and was lazy until around 9am when I finally headed out the door. The first stop was out to Asakusa, to see Senso-ji again. That temple, pagoda, and the Nakamise shopping street in front of it were one of my favorite places in Japan, and it honestly hasn’t changed a bit. Hell, they’re still selling a lot of the same stuff from 15 years ago. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I did pick up a new door curtain and coin purse, and ate what seemed like deep fried mochi with a chocolate center, and then some regular strawberry mochi, and then I stopped for some tempura udon. I have a feeling I’m going to gain back all the weight I lost in Europe at this rate!
Before leaving the temple I picked out a fortune card, which ended up being the second best one you can get. I then stopped by the shrine next door and did it again and got the same prediction, so at least the two are consistent. I got back on the subway to Ueno Park and visited the temples and shrines in that area for a while. I was thinking about going to Shinjuku or Akihabara for a bit, but both of those areas are mostly shopping and I already spent way too much money, so instead I went to the hotel to rest my feet, eat some delicious oden soup, and change my clothes.
Once it was dark, I made my way to MariKar Shibuya, where you put on character onesies and ride around in go-karts throughout the city. I picked out Pikachu for my onesie, and opted for the hour tour. I think an hour was perfect. They have 2 and 3 hour tours that take you on the Rainbow Bridge, but I think the novelty of it would wear off after an hour, 2 tops, and my old back wouldn’t be able to handle it. Besides, they have one in Osaka too so I could try that! It was really just a blast, and my riding partner Godzilla was funny as hell. After the ride I swung by Family Mart for an egg sandwich and headed back to the hotel for the night. I also decided to just eat the kitty cake pop I got in Harajuku the other day, which was delicious too. Tomorrow I leave Tokyo and head out to Kamakura. My fortune said I would have good luck in my travels going south, and that was already my plan so huzzah!
