Ameyayokocho, Electric Town, and Asakusa

We started the day in this shopping district called Ameyayokocho.



I guess I won't buy this.




We stopped for lunch at a Chinese Izakaya, which is a type of Japanese drinking establishment that also serves food. I would not have been able to order with out Rika-chan, as there were few pictures, and nothing was written in English. I feel lucky. If I were visiting Japan alone, I would be confined to the tourist areas.


We ordered Chinese Caesar Salad, it had shrimp and red bell peppers...



...and Tantan Men (Chinese spicy ramen noodle with pork), and Shochu with ice.



Then we visited the Electric District. I would like to return here at night, when all the lights are visible.



Asakusa neighborhood in Tokyo. This is the Kaminarimon Gate, which is the entrance to the Yogodo Hall of the Senso-ji Temple.


This is the Temple with Pagoda on the left. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves.



You pay 100 Yen to get your fortune.





This is my fortune. It is neither the best, nor the worst. It is somewhere in the middle.



After you read it, you tie it to this stand.


When we returned to the Nodas, we celebrated Dorito-sans birthday. Dinner was called Sukiyaki, which is beef and veggetables simmered on a hot plate on the dinner table. It was very tasty.


You choose what you want to eat from the plate on the left, and place it in the pan on the right, and drink Sake while you wait for it to cook.


Dorito-san, Otanjo bi omedeto. (Happy Birthday Dorit.)




After Dorito-san blew out the candles, Noda Sensei presented me with a special dessert that he insited was only for me. Everyone agreed that I should indulge in it alone. I felt funny about this gesture, and wanted to share, but they insisted that I have it all by myself. When I tried to cut into this cake I realized that it was as hard as a rock.


In an unusual display, Noda Sensei laughed so hard that tea came out of his mouth. The cake was made of wax, and I fell for his trick hook, line, and sink!