A rainy morning at Asakusa Sensoji temple

After having our breakfast from the Toyoko inn, we started our Sunday at Tokyo aiming the Asakusa Sensoji temple. It was slightly raining from the morning itself. It was not much disturbing since the rain is showering slightly. Taking a one day pass for JR from the station, we reached Ueno station with the hope that rain will stop. But the rain still continued with more force so that we turned towards Asakusa and reached the Sensoji temple. It was heavily raining. 

ASAKUSA temple

The reddish temple building and the five storeyed pagoda of Asakusa were awesome for making us enough snaps even in the rain. We could see the sky tower from there, but the rain clouds sometimes seems to cover the tower head masking its beauty.

The five storeyed pagoda of Asakusa

There were three or more small and large temple buildings with in Asakusa. Infront of one of them, there was a pond with blue colored water and colorful fishes inside it. Buddha statues were situated on both sides of the main temple building.

There are a lot of shops for souvaneirs near the Asakusa temple. Even though it was heavily raining, it is rush at every shops.Since it is the Japanese tradition to buy  Omiyage from the places they visit, it seems crowdy at the shopping area.

A view of skytower from Asakusa

Another trip to Tokyo`s Odaiba

              This is my second trip to Tokyo, Japan's  largest city, after exactly 2 years. This time with my parents-in-laws and hubby. We reserved bus for Shinjuku station and upon reaching there at  1:30 pm, it was highly crowded. After spending 15 minutes over there, we decided to go to Odaiba and hence reached the Yurikamome line to reach Shimbashi, from where we took a one day open pass worth 820 yen/person. And this pass is sufficient for us to make our train journeys all around Odaiba for the entire day. By the Yurikamome`s rubber-tyred train, we reached Daiba station of Odaiba.

Shimbashi station

Odaiba

              Once we reached Odaiba, we had our lunch over there. And then we walked through the shore where we could see some programs being conducted for children and there were people enjoying surfing in the waves. I am seeing surfing for the first time in my life in real. It seems so interesting to me. Then we walked towards the replica of The Statue of Liberty where we clicked enough snaps. 

The replica of Statue of Liberty

             From there we could see the Fuji TV building also. Odaiba as a whole had so many changes in two years. The gardens adorned with Tulips when we visited last time here had some other small flowering plants creeping all over the ground still with artistic elegance. 

              The Diver City which was under construction during our last visit had now being completed and the Gundan statue over there is now heading up with more pride infront of it. There was a circus group over there opposite to the Diver City building which was a temporary arrangement beautifully constructed. 

The Gundan statue infront of the Divercity building.

Circus tent

Cycle parking area

          After spending some time in the park around there, we walked towards the Venus fort, inside which there was a display of cars of ancient Japan , which sounds very interesting and it reflected the great status of Japan before some 50 years back. The arrangement of buildings and shops recreated there also reflected the social setup of ancient Nippon which all tells the story of an advanced society before ages.

A car displayed in the Venus fort

Replia of a fruit stall of ancient Japan

           
                   One of the very interesting things we could found there was the marble statues at the middle of the building and the roof made like sky and clouds that exactly made us to feel like we are standing just beneath the clear sky and it felt to me like it was inside the planetarium.The entire view inside the fort exactly resembles the so-called heaven in our fairy tales as it is seen from my snap below. So amazing.

Marble statues inside the Venus fort.

View inside Venus fort.

Play area at the center of the Venus fort.

         

               Then, we walked towards the Ferris wheel and entered it, from where we could see the entire Odaiba island's beauty. After that we just made a round through Odaiba by train since my in-laws found it difficult to walk any more. Within the train we could see the entire Odaiba when all the lights lit, on the rainbow bridge and the Ferris wheel along with the parks and the buildings.

Rail of Yurikamome line

Ferris wheel

Rainbow bridge

          When we said Sayonara to Odaiba once again, I feels like there will come another chance to visit here.

Some flower snaps...:)

I love the flowers and I felt so happy to saw such a variety of spring flowers in this land...

These are some random snaps taken by us ....

Kinkakuji, kyoto.....

After visiting the Nijo castle, we went to the 'golden temple of Kyoto'(Kinkakuji). Crossing the Kuromon gate, we reached the ticketing office.From there we took the entrance tickets and walked towards the gate. Along with the tickets, we got a talisman too. We couldn't make out what is written in that piece of paper. 

Talisman.

When we crossed the Somon gate, we saw the Shoro bell tower. Also there were some other buildings on the other side where entry is not allowed.

Shoro bell tower.

 After crossing the next gate, we reached the pond with the golden pavilion at its center. It is a Zen temple at northern Kyoto and is covered with gold leaves at its roofs.   It has three-storeys with its first floor built in an aristocratic style and the second one in Samurai style. The first storey is made of wood while the upper two are covered with golden plates outside. There is a statue of Phoenix bird at the top of the roof. It  seems so beautiful in the middle of Kyokochi pond surrounded by trees and plants and in the center located the golden pavilion. The water reflected the pavilion, the rocks and the surrounding garden trees just like a clear mirror.  It was really amazing.

KINKAKUJI.

 But the rain doesn't allow us to stay there for long.  We walked forward through the path passing along the pond. There were stone steps along the path which lead us to a garden with a waterfall named  Ryumon Taki.

A crane in the pond.

After walking some more steps we reached a place where kept some statues on the ground along with a bowl to put coins. There were a lot of coins thrown surrounding the statues. It resembled the practice that we have in our temples of India to put coins into boxes kept infront of the Lord's statues.

Statues of Lords.

After walking some more , we reached a teahouse built in Edo period and then we walked some more to reach the exit of the temple area.