Praying to the Kami!

Addicted to grapefruit, I have become! We had this for breakfast and scurried out the door for a fun field day of sight seeing.

Hidden behind the main streets, a large splendid Shinto shrine, Kanda Myojin, lies in a beautiful courtyard. The kami (gods) enshrined here are said to bring luck in business and finding a spouse. Many worshippers surrounded this shrine to provide an offering, pray, and bow as a sign of respect. We came here to pray to the gods for Jay's luck within the trading industry. We hope the gods answered our prayers!

Remember the Tsukiji Central Fish Market? Well, Akihabara is to Japan's legendary electronics industry. Its bustling, busy, and fun to watch. Here, big box retailers, wholesale shops, and tiny stalls compete to sell you everything from big appliances to mouse pads. We roamed in and out of the shops in search for a Sony Viao laptop, Type T. However, this laptop appeared to be twice as much with the English OS system. Jay quickly determined that he was going to learn Japanese, so that he is able to by the computer at half the price. We stopped at the Sega Club and played a couple of arcade games, feeling like kids again.

We approached Asakusa to the Senso-ji shrine. Walking to the shrine, we were surrounded by numerous vendors overtaking the streets attempting to sell everything from bean curd filled cookies to kimonos. Senso-ji enshirnes a golden statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. Legend has it this goddess was miraculously fished out of the nearby Sumida River by two fisherman in AD 628. A steady stream of worshippers made their way up to the stairs to the temple, where they casted coins, prayed, and bowed. In front of the temple, a huge incense cauldron stood. People surrounded this wafting the smoke and scent to their bodies and over their heads to ensure good health. Today, we worshiped the gods as Japanese women and men do.

Later that evening, we roamed the streets and winding alleyways of Asakusa and found our way to our local sushi shop.