Advice from the conference organizers was to take the train from the airport to the area of Tokyo we were staying in. Some parts were fairly rural.
Once I reached the station, it was more like the Tokyo I'd expected. Lots of people. Lots of signs.
I wasn't really expecting this, however!
I didn't do a whole lot the first day there, since I got in in the afternoon and was pretty wiped out. My first full day, I ventured up to Asakusa on the advice of a couple of friends. There are some temples and whatnot there, along with a bunch of street vendors. This is the gate to the road leading to the temple.
While editing that photo, I noticed something I'd totally missed before - the roof of the gate was adorned with Buddhist swastikas.
Asakusa had some smaller shrines around. You eventually get used to Kanji being used everywhere, but it was still new and cool when I shot this.
This is a big spot for tourists, both and Japanese. So many people.
The entire street is lined with vendors on both sides. A lot of it was obviously cheap stuff to sell to tourists. Almost had a Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge feel at times. There are also vendors offering lots of fresh-made and prepared foods, such as this woman.
Being my first day, I opted for some ice cream. I expected it to be ejected from the typical soft-serve style ice cream machine we have here in the states. Instead, the woman pulled a small styrofoam cup from the freezer and inserted it into some other machine, which then ejected the contents of the cup into the cone. Very confusing. Here's part of their display.
In addition to the outdoor marketplace, there are large indoor areas as well. It felt like this one was a mile long.
Also lots of food inside. Apologies for the reflection, most of the indoor folks worked behind glass.
More photos as I edit them.
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