We had a wonderful breakfast buffet at the Keio Plaza Hotel Premier Grand, where we are staying, which we highly recommend, by the way, for its superior room and amenities, thoughtful service, and, most important of all, close proximity to the metro station. After all, being right next door to the Tochomae station meant we spared ourselves some headache trying to navigate the way to and from our hotel.

We found ourselves in Asakusa in the late morning, the home of Tokyo’s oldest temple, “Senso-ji,” and a place where people come for a dose of the City’s past. To get to Senso-ji, one must walk through Nakamise Dori — a shopaholic’s heaven for local souvenirs and snacks. Our eyes were on the temple, however, and we were quite relieved when we finally saw the famous Hozomon Gate and it’s iconic red lantern. We strolled through the temple ground and its surrounding neighborhood, bought our first omikuji (fortune-telling paper), and ruminated on what life must had been like in the Endo era.

Hozomon Gate

Shops around Senso-ji

Two happy tourists

My “fortune” wasn’t great, so I decided to “leave it behind” at the temple.

One of our most (if not the most) memorable meals in Tokyo took place at Jomon Ropponji. The best thing is it was unplanned. Neither Drew nor I are enough of a foodie to research and make reservation for restaurants ahead of time, even though it can be quite stressful as we end up spending a lot of time maximizing our options. However, Wednesday night was NOT such a night. We decided on Jomon after a quick Google search while on the train heading to Ropponji. Our last-minute decision paid off; Jimon was intimate and cozy, and we had the good fortune of sitting at the counter, where we watched the chef meticulously and artfully grilling each skewer to mouth-watering perfection. The only regret of the night was that the human stomach isn’t bottomless!

Meanwhile in Taipei… Matthew enjoys time with his great grandpa.