One of the Biggest metropplises in the world, Tokyo holds myraids of fascinating charms. this huge, wealthy and gorgeus advanced city brings high-tech vision of the future and place them side by side with glimpses of old Japan. It certainly has something to please everyone.
Dabbled both as ‘the city of Shogun and Sci-Fi’, Tokyo differs themselves from any other major living space on earth. The city prides itself on constant renewal and reinvention in term of technology whilst constantly pays homage to its glorious era of Meiji, where samurai and geisha roam the street and authority contested between major Feudal clans.
My first stop during my holiday in Tokyo was Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa district. It is the oldest temple in the city formerly associated with the Tendai Buddhism sect. It only took me around 5 minutes to find the temple from Asakusa Station. I was greeted with the sight of a decorative temple beyond a massive
sized gate called ‘Kaminarimon’—or thunder gate. I found myself standing in awe and just admiring the sturdy and gallant design of the gate, and of course, take a snap or two selfies in front of it.
Upon entering the Kaminarimon gate, I walked along the road to reach the main hall of Senso-ji. Later I found out that the road I was walking on is called Nakamise Douri, and it marks as one of the most important road in Japan during feudal era of Meiji. Nowadays, the road has become the center of gift shops in Tokyo, filled with stalls and booths on each of it sides, selling Japanese goodies to take home.
My next destination in Tokyo is the district of Ginza. This area is considered as the high fashion center of the city and contains many upscale shops and restaurants to please both shopping and culinary enthusiast. To satisfy my curiosity even more, I entered the Shibuya district and went to Harajuku. The world-wide well known center of Japan fashion flingers, filled with expressive youth (and some senior citizens) wearing over-the-top peculiar outfits which are both visually catchy and endearing. The area also boasts impressive contemporary architecture with elements taken from Japanese traditional and pop culture aspect, mish-mashed to create elaborate structures.
As an avid anime lover, it would be a mistake if I pass a chance to visit Odaiba. A large manmade island off the shore of Tokyo Bay, this place was initially built for defensive measure during the 18th century era, and now has turned into a haven for anime lovers. Large replicas taken from popular anime can be found scattered in this colorful island, including a life-sized Gundam statue and a real scale replica of Sunny pirate ship from One Piece.