Exploring Home Base

This morning we set out to explore the area around our apartment.

We went back to the Sensoji Temple.  It was not the deserted grounds from the evening before, but bustling with locals and tourists alike, saying prayers and taking photos. 

We purchased our fortunes at the temple.  In order to get them, some of us went through the ritual of shaking a container filled with numbered sticks, then tipping the container so that one stick protruded.  This stick had a number that corresponded to a drawer which held our “chosen” future on a slip of paper.  We have the option to tie our fortunes to small stands or burn them, while making a wish or prayer. 

Around the temple were various shrines and a garden with waterfalls and Kio ponds.   It was a quaint patch of nature surrounded by the old city.

The main alleys leading to the temple were lined with markets. We wandered through, ate ice cream burgers, and saw umbrellas with pretty patterns that only appeared when they were wet.  Our mouths watered at fake meals on display outside restaurants, and not-so-much at some not-so-fake eels swimming in an aquarium.

After lunch we wandered along the Sumidagawa River.  It was a little cooler and a change of scenery.  We came across this very cool garden with some interesting foliage. 

Fascinating – some rare buds in there!

The rest of the day was quite uneventful, except for Lukas and Ben’s altercation with a local celebrity on the street.

By evening, we were all pretty exhausted from walking all day and still adjusting to the time change.  We had a nice dinner and headed back to the apartment for an early night.