From Narita to Asakusa 2

Continued from here...

We were staying at a hostel that wasn't near the ultra-convenient Yamanote line (something to consider when you make travel plans; do you mind changing trains and/or walking a bit farther? We didn't, so it worked for us.), so we had to find our connections to Asakusa. We had to go to another station first- I can't remember the name, but that's where I had my first speak-to-a-random-person experience. I will never forget her. *sniff* I asked her if this was the train to Asakusa and she said yes. Pretty hardcore Japanese usage involved there on my part, especially since I started to botch the word Asakusa and had to correct myself mid-word. But she didn't laugh at me or look at me odd or anything, so mission accomplished. Actually, she didn't look at me at all at first until she realized the person speaking to her has a goofy American accent. But she answered me and we got on the train and went to the right place, so she hadn't even tricked me! See? All those fears that people have about traveling to foreign countries are silly. Just do it!! And take me, if you're going to Japan.

So anyway, we took the train to Asakusa and then switched to the newish Tsukuba Express line to get closer to our hostel. (Or something like that. I was really tired and might have some details skewed, but we're looking at the big picture here!) We still had a 15-minute walk ahead of us, with luggage. And it started to rain. Did we care? Nope, not one bit. We were in JAPAN!!

We walked a ways and then saw a landmark that confirmed we had gone the right direction!! Woohoo! And we were getting close to the hostel! Kaminarimon, the outer gate with the big red lantern, which leads to Nakimise-dori, shopping heaven for souvenirs. The street looks like this when the shops are closed:

When the shops are open, the streets teem with life, and are filled with the delicious fragrances of food and incense wafting through the air, as well as the laughter of students visiting on school trips. It is a really great place to visit. At the end of the street (behind me as I took this photo), is the main gate to Senso-ji temple, Hozomon gate:

If you want a "perfect" postcard photo with no people, you might want to start a food fight nearby or something. This is a popular location; many people come here to show their respects and offer their prayers to Kannon. Depending on the day, you might get a little surprise that is worthy of a few photos- even the Japanese schoolgirls were giddy:

I don't pretend to know the difference between geisha and maiko, or any other related term that I haven't heard yet. But I was dumsstruck and awed by this lady's grace and beauty, nonetheless.

We moved through the temple grounds and weren't sure which way to go. A workman who was unloading crates from a van approached us and asked, "Sakura? Sakura?" "Hai!!" He then pointed and gave us what were undoubtedly excellent directions in Japanese. We were tired. Really tired. And grateful that this man spotted us and decided to help us just because. We bowed, thanked him very politely, and off we went. As for bowing, believe me, it doesn't take long to adopt that habit. I still do it here sometimes without thinking, and I was only in Japan for a week. And yes, people really do bow while talking on the phone. You will, too.

As we plodded through a small side street, we saw the most beautiful pink building in the universe. The Sakura Hostel.

I would have slept on the umbrella rack by this point. We checked in and went to our room. Because they were fully booked, we slept in a dorm for the first night. We were headed to Hokkaido for a couple of days, so it didn't bother us at all. And have I mentioned that we were tired? After our return from Hokkaido, we had a private room, which I photographed, so here it is:

Yep. Two beds, an air conditioner and a window. What else do you need, really, for 80 yen per night? We had a restroom + shower on the floor, and it was very clean and never a line for the shower, so it was great. The staff at this hostel is fantastic. They gave us lots of recommendations and directions and even helped me write a letter in hiragana.

I will leave you with one last photo from Asakusa. Remember when I said you won't miss your train? Well, I was caught up in the moment. If you're out drinking late at night and you miss the last train home, you'll have to make other arrangements for the night: