Day 4 - Travelogue - Sensoji Shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo Midtown Christmas Illuminations, and Pokemon Store and Cafe Nihonbashi

March 19, 2023

Day 4 - Travelogue - Sensoji Shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo Midtown Christmas Illuminations, and Pokemon Store and Cafe Nihonbashi

Back to Day 4 - Nezu Shrine, Ameyoko, Ni No Kashi Candy Store, Yamashiroya Toy Store, and Ichiran Ramen in Ueno

After having lunch, I was off to Asakusa and Sensoji Temple which was already packed with tourists. I had not run into hordes of tourists on my trip so far as I had been visiting things that were a little off the beaten path. Shibuya had lots of people when I visited earlier, but not the huge throng I saw here just to see the temple and its shopping street. Everyone wants a picture in front of the thunder gate. The mass of tourists had formed here only one month after Japan reopened to the world.

Train station mural.

I was amazed at how many people were here. Sensoji is a tourist power spot. You can visit it during the day and at night for a totally different experience. "Sensoji Temple is Tokyo's oldest temple and the major attraction in the Asakusa area. This large Buddhist temple dates back to 645 AD and is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are also Shinto Shrines adjacent to the temple and the very popular Nakamise shopping street for traditional goods and souvenirs. This shrine has over 30 million visitors every year and hosts Tokyo's most popular festival, the Sanja Matsuri in late spring." Quoted from my post on Sensoji.

Everyone wants a picture of themselves in front of the Kaminarimon Gate and once you pass through, you are on the crowded Nakamise Dori shopping street.

The second gate is even more impressive than the first and there are giant sandals on the back side. In front of the honten, the main temple building, people burn incense.

The impressive 5 storey pagoda here.

Ceiling of the recently restored honten.

The pagoda.

Dragon fountain.

An impressive wooden dragon carving.

There are many food stalls on Nakamise Dori, but to the left of the second gate, there is another shopping street with even more food stalls. I was wandering through here, saw a line, and just joined in, as the meat croquette at the end was proabably going to be pretty tasty.

Meat croquette shop.

Yes, the meat croquette was tasty!

These fruit decorated skewers of flavoured mochi seemed to be popular here.

Light dinner from Lawson.

After visiting Sensoji, it was time to head back to the hotel in late afternoon. I needed to rest for a bit. I stopped at a Lawson and got myself a light dinner of chicken nuggets, a tasty egg salad sandwich (these are so good from almost any konbini), and a green tea. My break lasted a couple of hours and then I headed back out at dusk to Tokyo Midtown to see the Christmas Illuminations and light show (sponsored by Netflix). There was a nice crowd of people waiting for the illuminations to start and the place was nicely lit up in a festive manner. The light display was not as big as it was the last time I came at this time of year, but it was still impressive. The entire light show of shifting lights on poles and the magic snowglobe at the centre was choreographed to music and smoke machines. Tons of LEDs here that made for a big colour-shifting show. I watched for a good half-hour then had to head back to Nihonbashi to make my Pokemon Cafe reservation.

Tokyo Midtown.

Christmas lights!

Massive LED display on poles with shifting colours to music.

Colour shift to purple.

Fancy snowglobe all lit up.

Colour shift snowglobe.

Tokyo Midtown Christmas snowflake decorations.

It was pretty easy to find the Nihonbashi Pokemon Center DX. The Pokemon Cafe is basically right next to it, accessed via the same lobby. I've wanted to see this giant Snorlax statue here for like five years and enjoyed the heck out of it! Every Pokemon Center has most of the same merchandise, but each one also has unique items!

Giant Snorlax, Pikachu, and Mew.

The new starters when I was there.

The starters from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

I think almost every pokemon is available as a plushy.

Pokemon Cafe Sign

Getting into the Pokemon Cafe without a reservation made a month in advance is almost impossible. You can see the red tags on the board above to see that it is all FULL. My sister was trying to book the cafe for 2023 and it fills up pretty quick as soon as they release a new day. It wasn't too bad when I went, but it has gotten even busier now. You get to order some Pokemon themed meals and they come nicely plated with Pokemon themes! Very pretty and unique, but it is definitely a thing for Pokemon fans. I'm a Pokemon fan too, but I'm not sure I'd do this cafe thing again as much of it is really for the kids, including the Pikachu song and dance show. My food and dessert were pretty tasty, but remember you're paying for the experience rather than the food.