Ought to be slapping myself upside the back of my head like the Gibbs Slap since I totally omitted this part of my visit to Tokyo last month. I got my reminder after just reading about Noelle's own return to Asakusa.
As with Noelle, my visit to Asakusa was a homecoming of sorts since between 1995 and 1997, that was where I used to work as an English teacher at the local branch of NOVA, on the 3rd floor over the neighbourhood KFC (on Xmas Day, I could work and have my special dinner all in the same building!) just across from Asakusa Station.
It was good seeing the old streets again filled with a whole lot of overseas and Japanese tourists.
Again, my friend Danny and I were exploring the area. One of my old friends from Tokyo suggested that I try a place called Asakusa Menchi（浅草メンチ） which served small versions of menchikatsu, which is a deep-fried loose hamburger (the ultimate comfort food). So we dropped by and ordered one for 200 yen each. Once again, my friend was spot-on. Asakusa Menchi is just a stand so we just ate standing in front of the place, and it looks like our presence didn't go unnoticed by some other tourists so they started to take interest and buying some of the mini-menchi. Hey, anything to help a small business make some income, eh?
Of course, a visit to Sensoji Temple was a requirement.
Of course, as has been the nature of Tokyo as a whole especially in the last three years, there have been some changes. A huge Richmond Hotel has been plunked down into Asakusa, and then there has been the rise of a massive Don Quixote (think a Dollarama on acid) at one edge of the neighbourhood. It was about as glitzy as Las Vegas but then again, it would be difficult to imagine buying some of those special Japan-only bags of Kit Kat in a casino.
When it comes to Asakusa, though, I can think of one song that is about the area, "Asakusa Shimai"（浅草姉妹）by the Komadori Shimai（こまどり姉妹）.
Ah, the Asakusa menchi. I did notice the shop after seeing pigeons pecking at the ground near it, but for some reason I wasn't keen on grabbing one. Probably I was being put off by a bunch of noisy tourists standing at the store front. On hindsight, I should've just went for it.
ReplyDeleteI remember walking by that Don Quixote. Kinda looks like a pachinko parlor, especially at night with those lights.
Looking at your photos, the crowd around the gate seemed quite sparse. I suppose most tourists (including me and my own family) would rather visit the place during the day. Also, one wouldn't have to contend with busloads of high school kids on excursions when it gets dark.
Hi Noelle.
DeleteAsakusa Menchi made for a nice snack stopover since we were a couple of hours early for our dinner date with our friends.
It was a pretty cold night when we went to Asakusa. I guess in Tokyo terms, it must have been bitterly freezing for the natives there so I gather that folks must have headed for the cafes and restaurants and hotels by the time we arrived. Still, it was a good crowd as we went down Nakamise Dori.