Pandas in Ueno

The pandas are back at Ueno.  Ri Ri and Shin Shin arrived at Ueno Zoo in February 2011.  Shin Shin was a little shy and kept her back to the crowd.  Ri Ri was a little more accommodating, but slept soundly in the January afternoon sun.

A more accommodating and slightly more photogenic panda was on display outside the main entrance to the zoo.

A short distance away from this mail box, you'll find the famous panda yaki.

Kadomatsu and other decorations...

I'm trying to catch up on some random end of year photos.  Things I should have posted and didn't get around too.  I'll start with the end of the year and see how much I can catch up on...

This set of  photographs is of New Year's decorations in Japan.  These are not by any means comprehensive, but just a few of the ones that I saw out and about town.

The first and last photos in this set I am sort of confused by.  It seems that the first is some sort of shimekazari, but I am just not sure.  It has the paper lightning, and the wreath like rope but, doesn't have the other decorations I have seen on other shimekazari.  Hmmm...

The next two photos are of a pair kadomatsu that I spotted outside a large house in the Motoazaubu area of Tokyo. I thought the pair looked like a grand decoration for a private residence.

The last photo is some sort of odd mini kodamatsu. It had many elements of a "traditional" kadomatsu, bamboo, pine branches and a plum sprig.  However, it was missing the staw.  I don't know enough about Japanese culture to be sure what it means, but it was pretty. I'll have to do more research or perhaps someone more enlightened can share their knowledge.

Deep fried ayu... Delicious!!!

As a treat, for lunch on Friday I joined a Japanese co-worker for lunch at a restaurant called 飄禄玉 near the Sagami River that serves exceptional trout and ayu (sweetfish).

You are given plenty of daikon (grated Japanese radish) to garnish the fish. I split open my fish and spread liberal amounts of daikon and shoyu (soy sauce).

The restaurant has a great view of the surrounding rice paddies.

The other room has a view is of Japanese garden.

Year of the Dragon (part four)

Seems that there are lots of dragons hiding in plane sight here in Tokyo. Here are some more random dragons that were spotted at the Gojo Shrine in Ueno Park.

There was a selection of wooden boards or plates called ema, to write your prayers on an leave at the shrine that had dragon designs celebrating the new year.

At ¥2,000 or about $30 USD, the ema do not come cheaply at this shrine. I am used to seeing them cost about ¥500 at most shrines and find this very over priced.

There were also several dragons that formed the boarder of a large signboard on the shrine grounds.

Shinjuku Street Hawkers

Street hawkers in Tokyo come in two basic types, loud or pretty. Which do you prefer?

This hawker for SoftBank phones is all about attracting attention and making people stop. She even posed for me as I walked by. All in a very silent and beguiling manner.

At Bic Camera, the hawkers follow the more traditional fish monger style of calling out, welcoming customers (Irashaimase!!!) and announcing the daily specials.

First Shrine Visit 2012 at Zōjō-ji

Although I was at Sensō-ji at midnight for New Years, we did not join the queue to make our first shrine or temple visit of the year there.  For hatsumōde, we drove south to Zōjō-ji Temple at the base of Tokyo Tower.

By the time we got there after 1 a.m.  the crowd was already thinning, and we were able to join the queue and enter the shrine in about 15-minutes.

Asakusa on New Year's Eve

This was the scene in Asakusa at Sensō-ji Temple on New Year's eve. This is the Hōzōmon or "Treasure House Gate".

There were many food and souvenir stalls were scattered around the shrine grounds giving the temple grounds a festive atmosphere.

The faint blue LED lights in the distance are from the Tokyo Skytree.

One of the many takoyaki vendors located in tents around the shrine.

One of the various New Year's decorations that are sold around the temple. I think these are called kumade.  They are used to rake in good luck.

One last look at the crowd in front of the temple. My friend and I decided not to wait in the line that went through the Hōzōmon or "Treasure House Gate", Nakamise-dōri (shopping street), Kaminarimon or "Thunder Gate", spilled out on Kaminarimon Dori and and U-turned back to Kaminarimon. The line moved fast, but we guessed that it would take several hours to get to the temple. We decided to drive to another shrine and get in a shorter line.

Year of the Dragon (part three)

Did you know that there is a dragon hiding under the Kaminarimon lantern that marks the entrance to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa?