Asakusa was really nice! It was worth getting confused at the station on the way there. When I stepped out of the station, I immediately thought that it felt more antique compared to the other modern districts. The sun was shining and the sakura flowers (cherry blossoms) were just starting to bloom. It was all stunning and new. The Sumida river lined with lush sakura trees was so pretty. Especially with the view of the Skytree tower. 

I was finally able to fulfill my craving for sushi. We went to Sushizanmai Asakusa Kaminarimon that my dad had heard about. And man, oh, man, the sushi there was exquisite. The fish was very smooth in texture and rich in flavor. I barely had to put shoyu (soy sauce) on it!

After that very pleasurable meal, we decided to go visit the Sensoji temple. Even though it was very crowded, the walk down Nakamise Dori was fun and exciting. There were different types of small shops throughout the whole street. I got to try a lot of new foods like Japanese ice cream sandwiches, freshly made rice crackers, and fried mochi. All of which were scrumptious!

I'll leave it at that for now, but this day is far from over. There is still so much I have to say! Let's call this part one and I will continue on in the next post. I hope you are enjoying reading my blog as I enjoy writing it! So, as cliche as this might sound...

 to be continued... 

☁

I am in disbelief. Even as I walk through the bright streets of Tokyo, I still can't comprehend that I am actually here. It all feels like a dream.
The first night out consisted of walking through Ikebukuro and grabbing some ramen for dinner. Initially, we planned to go to a famous ramen shop in Ikebukuro, but the line was so long that we decided to find somewhere else to eat. We ended up stumbling upon Komen Ramen, a delightful ramen place with decent prices. 




And, holy moly, their regular ramen was sooooo delicious. I'm not sure if it was because I was really hungry or because it was just damn good. It was one of the best ramen's I've had. It had a rich thick both and the noodles were perfectly cooked (in my opinion.) For some reason, the eggs in Japan seem to taste different (in a good way) than the ones in America.
We also ordered some gyoza (pot stickers) and they were yummy as well. I thought they complimented the meal nicely.


All in all, the whole meal was very satisfying, especially since it was a cold night. They even had a special going on where you get a free add-on to your meal. I chose a sweet almond jello with milk and strawberry jelly. (I ate it too fast to take a photo. Haha!) It was a pleasant way to finish off the meal.
After dinner, we explored Ikebukuro a little bit and went to Don Quijote and peeked into a pachinko center. The pachinko place was surprisingly loud. It sounded like people were firing machine guns at each other. The machines were also very colorful and eye-catching.

the pachinko machines

Lastly, we headed back to our hotel in Shinokubo to go to sleep after a very long, tiring, but also exciting and fun day. Of course, I stopped to snap a couple pictures before we turned in.


I can honestly say that, as much as the flight, finding our way through the subway, and the train ride to our hotel were exhausting, the little outing to Ikebukuro really brought my excitement and vitality back. I also feel as though I've been in Japan for a lot longer than one day. I can already tell that this trip is going to be one of the most memorable ones yet.

This is going to be my first time visiting Japan. (As well as my parents'.) My mother made the spontaneous decision to book the trip around June 2013. I don't think I actually realized that we were going to Japan until today. Now, I am excited beyond belief and my whole family has Japan on their minds. 

Packing is one of my least favorite things to do. So, here's a big thank you shout-out to my mother that helped me pack most of my stuff months ago. However, today is the last day to make sure I have EVERYTHING I need. The hardest thing about packing for this trip was finding warm clothes to wear. Since I live in Hawaii, there is rarely a need for long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, thick pants, or scarfs. I went out shopping and (thankfully) managed to find everything in time and stuffed it all into my luggage.

my luggage full of circle-scarfs, candy, and warm clothes

*stomps it closed* haha just kidding!