Tour guide-ing in Asakusa

For my best friend who was visiting from Hawaii, who brought her bf whose visit to Tokyo was his first time, I organized a half day tour of Asakusa.

(I had the honor to be selected as the 2003 good will ambassador for the Asakusa Shitamachi area. So I know the basic history of the ward, as well as many of the famous attractions and gourmet.)

Asakusa is a very traditional part of Tokyo.

Festivals are held each month, and it's where the biggest festival in Tokyo, Sanja Matsuri, is held.

First I guided them around the Sensouji temple and shrine.

The Sensouji temple prouds the most annual visitors (30million ppl) in Japan.

Also famous for the huge red lantern hanging from the entrance gate called Kaminari-mon (Thunder gate).

This is where I took them for lunch:

http://www.sometaro.com/ Sometaro has been opened since 1938, and has never changed the tradtional inter-decor nor the taste.

Their okonomi-yaki (Jp pancake) is exquisite, in the way that it's so nostalgic...

It's a beautiful ooooold Japanese architect, which is almost dangerous to walk around in cuz the floor is slanted in many different ways, and they make squeeky sounds.

You'll love the atmosphere.

For dinner, we went back to Roppongi where I had a mini reunion organized for her.

The restaurant Namahage:

http://namahage.hy-system.com/

"Namahage is Japanese traditional folkways which is observed throughoutOga Peninsula,Akita Prefecturein northern Japan. Originally it is said to be a ritual for cleansing people's soul, and praying coming year to be a good one. It is a kind oftoshigami.

On New Year's Eve, a group of young villagermen dressed up as fierce demons orbogeymen, or Namahage, visit each house in the village, interrogating loudly "any misbehaving kids live here?" They then come up to children in the house, to menace them telling not to be lazy or cry, though little children bursting out crying is usually the case. Then parents will assure Namahage there is no bad child in their house, and treat refreshments to the demons.

An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society." -wikipedia

My dad is from Akita prefecture, and I remember I was only 5 when I first encountered Namahage at my grandmother's place when I visited her for New Years.

I cried and cried out loud saying,

"Ok, ok, I promise I won't be bad!!! So please, go away!!! Goooo awaaaaaay!!!!"

Of course, as days passed me by, I forgot about my promise, but they're really scary you know!

See!

ahh...unfortunately, the Namahage loves Japanese sake, so when you offer them they become friendly...haha 

my best friend Alyssa seemed like she enjoyed the first encounter too:

All in all, it's great to take friends on a Tokyo tour once in awhile. 

There's always new discoveries.