Jun 13, 2013 |
Kaminarimon Gate at Asakusa
A big reason why I love traveling to Japan is because they are one of the few countries in Asia that keep a priority on maintaining their culture and traditions. The Asakusa district is one perfect example and I went there last year around March. The temperature was still a bit chilly that time but it was still an awesome day!
Normally I stay at the Shinjuku district but if you’re looking for affordable hotels in Asakusa also it’s not a bad choice. There are plenty of train stations in the area and no shortage of good restaurants.
The main attraction in Asakusa is the Sensoji Temple. Followed by the street stalls and shops called Nakamise that line the way up to the temple. And surrounding Asakusa are many traditional styled shops selling food, snacks and of course a whole lot of souvenirs. Pricey souvenirs too especially the hand made items. I didn’t buy any thing because I’m not a real big shopper. I typically buy souvenirs at Narita airports duty free shops to take back as gifts. This way there’s no need to lug extra stuff to the airport.
So I’m not a shopper. But I am an eater. There’s certainly no shortage of Japanese styled sweets and snacks to enjoy on a beautiful day. The temperature was in the low 70’s and I remember that the days before was rainy with light snow throughout the day. But that day in Asakusa was absolutely marvelous.
Though there were many foreign visitors in the area it’s a very special temple for the Japanese. Matter of fact there were more locals than tourists. Because Sensoji is a really popular Buddhist temple. Shintoism is the main national religion of Japan. Buddhism is the second most popular belief in the country. I didn’t know that little fact until I visited Asakusa. See, it’s still possible to learn something new everyday!
Agemanju shop…
So there’s a lot of sweets that I easily recognized from other Asian cultures. Like sweet dough with sweeter bean paste. I was hunkering for something unique. Something Japanese. I came across this little shop and heard the gentle murmurings of fryers going on. Anything that’s fried can’t be bad!
Just $1.50USD for this yummy fried morsel, surprisingly it’s not so greasy…
Plus the place had a line of locals waiting. Which is an even better sign. It’s a shop selling Agemanju with a good variety of flavors and fillings. It’s basically a fried battered soft cake filled with your choice of fillings. Though there were a lot unique flavors, I just went ahead and bought myself a green tea agemanju with green tea infused bean paste. I found a seat nearby and just sat my ass down and scarfed every morsel with the warming sun on my back.
The steps to the entrance of Sensoji Temple…
I really can’t stress how nice the day really was. There were lot’s of people all around enjoying the day too. And they come to Sensoji Temple to make prayers in hopes that their wishes come true. And though the temple is mainly Buddhist there is a touch of Shintoism which involves cleansing. So you’ll find an area where people can cleanse their hands.
Cleansing with incense…
And you’ll find an area right in front of the temple where they can “wash” themselves with incense. It’s a deeply religious site with many devote followers and you get this wonderful sense of peace and joy.
After wandering around the temple area I made my way back down Nakamise to take more photos. It was late afternoon by then and there were still a lot of people streaming in. Asakusa and Sensoji Temple is definitely a must not miss visit when you’re in Tokyo!
This shopping street called Nakamise leads all the way up to the entrance of Sensoji Temple…
Apr 28, 2013 |
Shinjuku lit up at night…
When I first started planning for my trips to Japan the first thing I noticed were the expensive hotels. Sure there are cheaper hostel and capsule type accommodations for around $50USD. But I’m too old for hostels and too big for capsule styled hotels.
I think a lot of people are scared off from visiting Tokyo because of expensive hotel prices. It’s no surprise after all since Tokyo is ranked as the #1 most expensive city in the world according to the Economist.
But even without that mention from a published magazine, I think everyone knows that Japan is an expensive country to visit. It’s a reputation Japan has held for the longest time.
However, if you can afford to spend in the neighborhood of $100USD per night you can find a good place to stay which is what I did in Shinjuku Tokyo. And the price for eating out is quite reasonable too. To me, it’s not much more than having meals out in NYC.
In Shinjuku facing Kabuchiko a tame red light district…
After looking through Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet I finally decided on Shinjuku, one of 23 wards in western Tokyo. Besides being one of the areas where I found affordable accommodations, Shinjuku is a good travel hub with plenty of train stations nearby to get to other parts of exciting Tokyo. You can catch the train to nearby Akihabara, Asakusa or Rappongi Hill in south Tokyo.
From Shinjuku station you can always make a side trip as well outside of Tokyo like I did to Kamakura. The NEX (Narita Express) airport train is a great way to get to the airport fast and easy and you can catch one at Shinjuku station.
Hanazono Shrine near Meiji Dori Avenue…
For anyone who loves to explore on foot like me, you can easily visit popular parts of Tokyo like trendy Harajuku, the serene Yoyogi Park and even to the magnificent Meiji Shrine. I’ve stayed at a few hotels right on Meiji Dori Avenue. And if you walk straight down you’ll come up upon those 3 areas of Tokyo I mentioned. As I recall the walk from my hotel at Meiji Dori Ave to Harajuku took about 30 or 40 minutes. It was a slow stroll because it was a beautiful sunny day at the time. Forgot to add that Shinjuku Gyoen National Park is a wonderful place to chill out and take in the fresh air and it’s not far from the heart of the district.
I’ve stayed in 2 hotels in Shinjuku district of Tokyo and both are on Meiji Dori Avenue so the hotels are easy to find.
My room at Sunlite Shinjuku Hotel…
The first is called Sunlite Shinjuku Hotel and it’s a 2 star business hotel. It’s a bit old and the rooms decor is grey colored so it’s a bit depressing. But you know what? From my experience, the best thing about Japanese Hotels is that they are always clean.
And the hotel staff always try their best to make their guests happy no matter how many stars are pinned to the hotel’s name. Goes without saying that most budget hotels in Japan have small rooms.
But I didn’t mind because I paid around $80USD per night for a room at the Sunlite in a city where it’s normal to find rates 3 times as much.
My room at Hotel Sunroute – I’m so embarrassed I forgot to put away my underwear…
The second hotel I had stayed at is not far from the first. It’s called the Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku, a 3 star business hotel. Its newer and shinier with bright and cheerful designed rooms.
The price for a standard room isn’t so bad, only $120USD was what I paid. And the room was slightly bigger and much more modern than the Sunlite Shinjuku.
If you have the money to spare, I would definitely choose the Sunroute which also has a Tokyo Metro train station directly beneath the hotel. Other points of interest near the hotel are Korea Town, Golden Gai (popular for bars) and Kabukicho the red light district. Bear in mind the rates for both hotels do fluctuate with the season and are priced as of writing.
Korea Town in Shinjuku Tokyo…
Though Kabukicho is rather tamed as a red light district because there are plenty of locals even families strolling around. Funny thing happened though while I was walking around that area. Some guy comes up to me and spoke to me in Mandarin.
The entrance of Kabuchiko red light district…
I can’t understand Mandarin and I don’t make a habit of speaking to strangers so I just ignored him, even though Japan is one of the safest countries to visit. Then he switched to Cantonese which I can understand. He mentioned something about going somewhere to see girls.
Well he’s a pimp. I just smiled and kept walking away wondering how of all the hundreds of Asian faces surrounding me he could pick me out as a China Man??
I noticed that food prices in Shinjuku are reasonable. Most restaurants though with the best prices are geared to people eating in groups. As a solo traveler my best best to score a tasty yet affordable meal were these Japanese styled fast food restaurants. The type of places where there big pictures of dishes of food with numbers. You punch in the number of the menu item you want into a vending machine, pay the amount and voilá a ticket pops out.
These fast food restaurants are all over Tokyo and a real life saver in an expensive city…
You hand the ticket to a cook and if your order has soba noodles they’ll ask if you want hot or cold. Don’t worry. These guys will know that you can’t speak Japanese but they’ll figure out a way to explain it to you.
About every 3 or 4 blocks in Shinjuku you’ll find these type of fast food restaurants though mostly tucked away in small streets. Smaller meals cost about $5USD but you can buy bigger set meals for around $10USD. It’s quick, cheap and quite tasty. I could eat in these restaurants everyday but if I did I’d be 250lbs because the pricier set meal portions are big.
Hot bowl of soba noodles with fried chicken and rice – only $8USD at the time – it was awesome!…
Though if you’re in Japan you might as well eat Sushi too right? And you want the top grade stuff too right? But that would cost an arm and a leg right? To save money on top grade sushi I went to Isetan Department Store. It’s on the corner of Shinjuku Dori and Meiji Dori avenue.
This sushi set cost around $10USD after a big discount after 7pm at Isetan Department Store…
Isetan has an awesome food center in the lower levels featuring Japanese cuisine. Starting around 7pm a lot of the food items go on sale before closing time which I believe is 8pm. So a lot of the stalls want to sell everything out at a discounted price. And that’s where I strike like an eagle spotting a fish in a pond. It get’s really busy around that time as you can imagine. You’ll be up against Japanese housewives who’ve been waiting, watching and jockeying for position to get the best looking sushi and sashimi.
Okay, so it’s really not that cut throat. But you should be ready to grab what you want before it gets taken as the stuff sells quick once the clock hits 7pm.
If you think a visit to Japan is out of your price range, it’s not really. Okay, so you might have to save up a bit more at home by eating ramen noodles every night, just to scrounge enough money for a dream visit to Tokyo. It’s still worth it.
But as you can see, hotels are not as expensive as Hong Kong which are just as expensive but the rooms are not crap. And the cost of food isn’t that bad as you can get by with as little as $5USD per meal. Or head over to Lawson convenience stores and you can load up on a lot of inexpensive food, albeit junk food, but nonetheless still strangely satisfying.
View Larger Map
