Asakusa and Sumida River Boat Cruise

Nakamise Street

Nakamise Street

Pat is selecting a stick

Pat and Gary tying their fortune paper on the rods

Pat, Gary, and Bill

On March 27th with our guests, Pat and Gary, we planned a full day of sightseeing.  We first went to Sensoji, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa.  The approach to the temple is down Nakamise Street which is lined with open air shops to buy food and souvenirs.  At most temples and shrines you can "buy" your fortune for 100 yen.  There is a metal canister with a small opening in the lid.  You gently shake the canister until you can retrieve a stick from the opening.  On the stick is a Japanese number that you match up with numbers on  nearby drawers.  You would then open the corresponding drawer and remove a slip of paper with your fortune.  Bad or good, the fortune should be tied to nearby rods.

Ready for our cruise

At Odaiba

The Himiko

From Asakusa we boarded a futuristic boat called the Himiko.  We enjoyed a leisurely ride down the Sumida River.  The interesting part of the cruise is passing under the many styles of bridges.  The cruise ended at Odaiba.