Tokyo Day 12: Asakusa & Laketown

Last night I fell asleep with damp hair so it looked like it had exploded when I got up this morning. I hadn’t planned on straightening my hair today, but was kind of forced to. For breakfast, I ate the Valentine’s Day cookie I bought myself in Ikebukuro.

The plan was to spend most of the day in Asakusa and then visit the Capcom Café in the evening. Caz still felt rotten and wanted to reserve her strength for the café, so I went to Asakusa on my own. As soon as I got out of the train station, I loved the area – it’s a lot quainter, with more old-fashioned buildings, market streets and stalls, and tiny authentic food places.

The ceremony I was attending was at Shizo Kokoro, a chado (tea ceremony) school. Because Caz had stayed home, I ended up being the only person in that session which turned out to be amazing. I got my own private ceremony, and the teacher all to myself. Speaking of, the teacher/host was the loveliest. Her tea name is Soka, and she’s a master of chado. She answered the sliding door wearing a beautiful pink kimono and welcomed me warmly.

Firstly, I was seated at the table in the downstairs room where there was a TV. Soka got me a sakura tea – it was literally hot water with a single blossom floating in it. It was gently flavoured and so calming and delicious. While I sipped that, a video was played about the history of tea ceremonies and their meaning. It was really interesting – tea ceremonies were originally made up by the samurai, and it was a space for them to be away from any fighting and stress, and to just be calm and social. It’s a tradition that stretches back to the 9^th century in Japan (in China, it’s even older!). I felt more equipped for the ceremony having the background information that the video provided.

In the corner was a small water feature, where Soka instructed me to perform the Temizu hand-washing ritual that I wrote about yesterday. She was impressed that I knew how to do it, but I soon set her straight and let her know it was still fresh in my mind from Meiji-jingu. She was interested to hear about other places we’d visited so far, and gave me two little wrapped sweets to take back to Caz. I found out that these sweets would be part of the ceremony too.

When I took my shoes off to go upstairs to the actual tea room, I asked Soka if she liked my socks. I was wearing the olive green Shiba Inu tabi socks that I bought in Odaiba. She said, “Oh, tabi socks! What’s on them? …Shiba!” and she sounded so delighted that it made me really happy. She mentioned the Shiba café in Harajuku and I revealed that Caz and I had visited it earlier in the trip. We talked about dogs as we climbed the stairs.

The tea room was so beautiful. Small and serene with tatami flooring and a soft olive green paint on the walls. Opposite the door was a small recess, with a  vase of sakura, a small incense container, and a scroll with hand-painted lettering. The first thing Soka taught me was how to walk properly on tatami. Because it’s made of delicate woven reeds, you have to walk very lightly and carefully. You start with your toes and then bring your heel down, and keep your steps small so you’re almost sliding rather than walking. Another rule is not to step on the black edges of the mats. I was really interested to hear that there’s a certain way to walk to preserve the flooring, and Soka was pleased with my form.

Next, she showed me the recess that I mentioned and told me that the first thing a guest does at a tea ceremony is come to this recess and appreciate the things set up in it. You sit on your knees in front of the scroll and have a good look at it, taking in the message itself and the craftsmanship that has gone into the art. Today, the scroll said ‘ichi-go ichi-e’; Soka explained that this was a phrase that can’t really be translated properly, but it means to treasure the unrepeatable nature of each moment in time. She said that, even if we were to meet again, we would never be sitting as we were in that moment, at that time. I really liked the idea of that – a lot of the things I’ve learned today have been steeped in mindfulness and zen Buddhism, and reminded me about staying in the moment and appreciating things around me.

Next, Soka asked me if I knew what the flowers were in the vase. I said, “Sakura! They’re my birth month flower.” She told me that she’d chosen sakura for decoration, as spring is beginning to come to Tokyo. I was invited to contemplate the flowers and appreciate their beauty, before we turned our attention to the little incense container. Soka explained that every single piece of equipment was picked out specifically for a particular ceremony and usually follow some kind of theme chosen by the host. She had chosen a springtime motif in preparation for the end of winter, so the incense container was white with a blue painted pattern of small birds. I was encouraged to pick up the container and have a good look at the design.

I was led to the small table where the host keeps their utensils and had a good look at them too. There was a yellow and blue theme, cheerful spring colours. Everything has a meaning, and is all laid out neatly and deliberately. Before we got started, Soka gave me a little sweet (wagashi) on a plate with a tiny sweet pick (kashikiri) used to cut and skewer it. It was a dusky pink colour and tasted lovely – just the right amount of sweet, with an almost floral aftertaste.

The ceremony itself was relaxing and soothing. The host first makes the ceremonial ‘thick’ matcha called koicha, and serves it in a handmade tea bowl of their choice. This is the really formal bit where you have to be reverent and quiet. She didn’t need to ask me to keep quiet because I was absolutely mesmerised watching her work. Every single action is deliberate and measured, and Soka moved like water. All of the equipment is treated with so much respect and care. I recommend seeing this being done because I’ve never felt so calm and focused.

She taught me how to take the tea from her in the appropriate manner, and instructed me to have small sips. You don’t get served a huge tonne of koicha because it’s purely ceremonial and really strong. I didn’t know if I’d like it, but – once you’re past the initial shock of the strength – it’s really quite pleasant. When you take your last sip, you have to slurp it to show that you’re finished. When Soka told me this, I told her that that would be considered really rude in my country which she was interested to hear.

The final part of the ceremonial bit is to admire the tea bowl selected by the host. Soka told me that that particular one was handmade in Kyoto – I could see grooves from the fingers that had moulded it into shape. The ceremonial tea is always served in a plain bowl, as you’re supposed to be focusing entirely on the tea. Afterwards, though, you are expected to have a good look at it and talk about it, holding the bowl close to the ground so as not to drop and break it. Soka said that the host doesn’t ask for comments, but that it’s appropriate to talk about the tea bowl so that the host can say where it’s from and boast a little bit.

After another sweet – this time it was higashi, which is a drier and lighter confection – it was time for the more casual usucha tea. It’s lighter, thinner and very frothy, and Soka was to teach me how to make it. The photo above shows the equipment I was given to do this. Everything has a special name and position when you’re making tea (see the piece of paper on the floor), and Soka was endlessly patient with explaining how to do things. There isn’t as much ceremonial flair with usucha, but there’s still a lot of respect for the equipment. I also had to pick a tea bowl from a set of six. Soka told me to go for the one that spoke to me most. My eye was immediately drawn by a light bowl with gold trim – the pattern was of fans with plants on them and I really liked the way it fit with the spring theme. I also really appreciated the artwork on it, which was traditionally Japanese and delicate. To make the tea, you add matcha powder to water and then use a bamboo tea whisk (chasen) to whip it up into a froth, ending up with a pale green bubbly drink.

As I enjoyed this cup, which was far less strong than koicha, I had a lovely chat with Soka. She asked about our trip so far and what we had planned for the last couple of days. She complimented my Japanese pronunciation and said she could understand me perfectly – I told her that I’d studied Japanese for a year in university and would love to pick it up again. I said, “I don’t know if this makes any sense, but Japanese tastes nice.” and she understood what I meant (the Japanese is a musical kind of language that rolls off of the tongue nicely). She is seriously the nicest lady, and even when it’s just you and her there isn’t any awkwardness. You’re immediately welcome in the tearoom and find yourself so at ease. If you find yourself in Asakusa, I really really recommend giving Soka a visit and having a lovely lesson in chado.

Here is a beautiful photo of Soka and me in the tea room – despite how tired and round I look, this is a really happy photo and memory:

I came out of there feeling really serene and happy. I was also buzzing a bit from the strong matcha! On the way to Senso-ji temple, there is a shopping street named Nakamise (Orange Street). I wanted to go there first to see if I could find the three more traditional Japanese souvenirs that I was seeking out. Taking my time, I wended my way through the streets and followed the crowds to the huge gate where a gigantic paper lantern hangs.

Browsing the small stores in Nakamise Street was so much fun. I really enjoyed seeing all of the traditional goods, souvenirs, gifts, and snacks. There were so many girls walking around in kimono – there must have been a rental shop nearby, and they all looked so pretty. It was so packed in the street, but it didn’t annoy me too much. I was too busy trying to look at everything at once.

As I suspected, I found two of the three items I was looking for. The first was a Hannya mask. FINALLY! It’s a sort of brushed metal and is a reddish-grey colour. It’s gorgeous. I got it right away, and then had to return to the store later to get Caz one too (I’d sent her a photo and she decided she wanted it) – the shop owners must’ve gotten dej’a’vu.

The other thing I found was a nice yukata! I’ve been looking for one since I wore one in onsen. There was a shop that was selling nothing but yukata, so I went in for a look. I was torn between a red one and a black one. They both had the same pattern – a pretty white, red and gold sakura one. A really cute older lady came over to help me out and was laughing at my indecision. I eventually settled for the black one, sticking with my goth brand. I asked the lady which obi belt she thought would be good with it. We both decided the red matched the flowers on the yukata, so that had to be the one. I paid and left feeling really happy because I finally had my own made-in-Japan yukata!

The last item I wanted was something I didn’t find, but I’m not sure if it even exists. I’m being really picky about it. It’s a doll, kind of in the style of a Hinamatsuri doll, but I want one that appears in Fatal Frame. They’re kneeling dolls in red kimono with long black hair, and their hands cover their eyes (like this). They’re super cute and creepy and I wanted one just like it. Alas, I think it may only exist in the game.

The last little shop of Orange Street is right next to the main gate of Senso-ji. It’s a stunning vermillion-coloured set of halls, with a five-story pagoda right in the middle. It wasn’t as quiet and serene as Meiji was, but it was still worth seeing and wandering around the grounds.

Once I’d had my fill of looking at the temple, I wandered the surrounding streets. There were lots of shops and food stands, and I was just enjoying walking aimlessly and looking at everything. I walked by an ice cream stand and my eye was caught by a tombstone-grey flavour. It was black sesame – I didn’t even know if I’d like it but I had to have it because of the gloomy colour. Luckily it turned out to be really nice.

I got two Gachapon prizes. One was a little bird sitting on a teapot (it looks like this, except the teapot is green with a gold flower design). The other was a little hamster sitting on a plate with a stack of pancakes! It’s the middle-right one in this photo. I was so pleased with my cute little finds.

There’s a lot of interesting art around Asakusa too – on the metal shutters of closed shops, on the pavement in the form of stone slabs, and on signs and walls everywhere. It was really nice to spot new pieces as I wandered around. It made me love Asakusa so much. I think it’s actually one of my favourite areas of Tokyo.

I also saw a freaking huge Hello Kitty on a Sanrio shop:

I went to meet Caz at the Ueno Lotteria so we could get a bite to eat. This time we got a bucket of fries each and another fabulous burger. It was just as good as the one in Shibuya, and we were so pleased. Caz got to see the Wholesome café that I wrote about in day 4, and we had a good look around before choosing a baked good each. I had a panda face-shaped bread filled with cream cheese and Caz had a custard-filled bread cube. So cute!

I want to add a note here about ATMs in Tokyo. Your best bet is to find machines in 7-11 or other konbini, as they’re the only ones that operate 24/7. I found this out the hard way this evening, when I tried to withdraw money and most of the ATMs were closed for the night! Another thing that stung me was specific to WeSwap users – you can only do two ATM transactions per day. And that includes checking your balance, so definitely only check your balance on the app. That’s the only inconvenience I’ve found with this debit card. Other than that, I thoroughly recommend WeSwap; they’ve been perfect the whole time we’ve been in Tokyo, and there was no trouble building up money on there prior to our trip.

We went back over to Akihabara because there were a couple of vintage game places we wanted to look around in. Caz was specifically looking for a retro Tamagotchi, for nostalgic purposes. We first went to a shop called Super Potato – it’s a few floors of stuff, but the floors themselves are small with narrowly-spaced shelves filling up most of the floor space. This added to its charm, though. We were having a blast reliving our youth while looking at all the old consoles and games. I got myself some Pikachu tabi socks because they sort of match my yukata. Unfortunately, on trying them on later, I realised they don’t fit my big fat Western feet which is really sad. I’m still glad I got them though, they’re very cute.

There was another place called Retro Game Camp, when Super Potato proved unhelpful on the Tamagotchi front. It was much of the same, except this time there were some really steep, treacherous wooden stairs at the back of the store which we climbed with much squawking and hollering. We made it upstairs in one piece and were rewarded with a little orange/yellow vintage Tamagotchi! Caz promptly bought it and was happy that the quest had been successful.

We went to another nerdy shop that I can’t remember the name of – what I do know is that there was a cute stuffed Totoro sitting outside of it. Inside was a tonne of merch from lots of fandoms. Caz found loads of Monster Hunter merch, as the 15^th anniversary is currently being celebrated. I bought some socks with No Face on and a cool pen which combined the Great Wave painting with Godzilla. We spent ages wandering around that shop.

Time was getting on, so we made the trek out to Laketown for our booking at the Capcom Café. We took the Keihin-Tōhoku line from Akihabara to Minami-Urawa station, and then the Musashino line to Koshigaya-Laketown. It took about an hour, as it’s a little further out.

The AEON mall that contains the Capcom Café was only a few minutes’ walk from the train station so it was nice and easy to find. It was a bit of a faff trying to find the café, but we asked some friendly staff in a clothing store for help and we muddled through together. In front of the café is a merchandise store, so we immediately had a look around that. It was pretty packed with cool things, and they had a small Ace Attorney section, so I was delighted. Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t a lot of merch left with Edgeworth on it, but I managed to get a mini pillow with him on it, and a little folder with the Capcom Café version of the characters.

I also spotted this tiny, furious Edgeworth sprite in the décor. So kawaii!

We weren’t familiar with the game or characters currently collaborating with the café, but we decided to have a drink and dessert there anyway. We were seated promptly as it wasn’t busy, and the waitress was so brilliant despite not having any English. It’s amazing how much you can communicate without words!

I had a drink made to look like a blue antidote, which looked cool but wasn’t overly tasty. We also got desserts – mine was a parfait which, again, was pretty average. The food and drink was really nothing to write home about. It was kind of disappointing. I wish we’d been here when the Resident Evil remake came out, as apparently one of the menu items was a ‘Jill Sandwich’ which I find hilarious.

We wanted to try out the current collaboration game that the menu was themed around (called Imprisoned Palm Refrain, a through-the-glass visual novel style game), but it was only available to Japanese App Store accounts. The gameplay we saw on the screen looked really cute, and the concept drew us in. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped for a bit at the arcade in the mall.

I had been raving about Soka and the tea ceremony to Caz all afternoon, so she’s booked herself into a session tomorrow morning and is determined to go. She’s definitely on the mend after a few days of cold remedy and taking things a bit easier, so hopefully she can go. She must experience the lovely tranquillity!

I can’t believe we only have two more days in Tokyo. It’s totally flown by and there’s still so much I want to see. I’m absolutely gutted that we’re leaving soon and I can’t wait to come back again someday.