Back in Tokyo - 24 to 26 September: Next day we again checked out of
the Fujia Hotel, took a bus to Odawara, then a train to Tokyo’s main station.
Then two subways to the Asakusa area of Tokyo, were we checked into the
Asakusa Plaza Hotel. This “business man’s hotel” building has offices and
shops on about the first four floors, the hotel lobby on about the fifth floor,
and hotel rooms on several floors above. Our room was immaculate, very
small and adjoined the smallest full bath we had ever seen; amazingly and
cleverly compact! The bath tub was a sits-bath, and the faucet from the
adjoining sink could be swung over to fill the tub. The whole bathroom was
almost the same size as the typical American shower stall.
The Asakusa Plaza Hotel is in a nice area just two or three blocks from “our”
sushi restaurant, also close to subway and train stations, a large department
store, and the Asakusa Kannon temple complex. A very convenient location!
We had dinner in “our” sushi restaurant. During our sushi dinner there was
an earthquake which swung the menus hanging on the wall, shook us up, but
was taken very much in stride by the other occupants of the small
restaurant. After dinner we shopped for food in the department store and
then again took a walk through the arcade for another visit to the Asakusa
Kannon Temple.
The next day we took a long walk through the Asakusa neighborhood, viewing
several shrines, an amusement park, pachinko parlors, several “adult”
theaters, and hundreds of shops, some streets specializing in religious items,
other streets with shops selling restaurant supplies.
On the last day in Japan we were awakened at about 5:00am by another
earthquake. We left the Asakusa Plaza Hotel at about the 10:00am checkout
time, leaving our bags at the hotel. We walked to the Ueno area a couple of
miles away, enjoying the sights, walked through the Ameyoko Shopping
Arcade, explored the Keisei Railroad Station, and then walked back to the
Asakusa area for lunch and to pick up the bags we had left at the hotel. We
took the subway to the Keisei Railroad Station in Ueno at about 3:00pm and
then took the train to Narita Airport. At 6:50pm our flight left for Beijing,
China.
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