Tokyo, day 4

We visited Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. It was quite the tourist destination for many, and it was the first large shrine that we saw in Japan. Having been in Kyoto now for a few days, we've seen some incredible shrines. My favorite thing about this all the little touristy shops nearby had gachapon machines outside of them! Gachapon machines are like little gumball machines, but you get little toys and keychains out of them instead of candy. I've been on the hunt to collect all of the Gudetama ones. He's a lazy egg from Sanrio, what's not to love!

There's a ton of street food in Japan, not just in Tokyo. We make it a habit of trying anything that we've never had before if it looks good. These were dango - a little, sweet dumpling made with rice flour and topped with black honey and sesame flour. The black honey can be smelled from a block away! 

We explored Asakusa a little bit and found a small, cramped antique shop. It had a lot of great little pieces, like the chest of drawers. I opened one drawer and it came so far out that I kept finding little treasures deeper and deeper in the drawer. 

For lunch, we attempted to find a well-known tempura restaurant, but of course, there was a long wait for a table. We were hungry, so instead we sat down at one of the outside restaurants, with a tent as the only covering. It was also packed with people, only two stools left, so that was a good sign for us that it would be a good meal. It was midday on a weekday, and everyone was drinking. It was a lively atmosphere. 

We're still in Kyoto, visiting temples and shrines. We found an outdoor market at a shrine yesterday and bought so many goodies for home! I found the perfect handmade ceramic bowls to serve matcha tea in at home. It was hard to only bring two pieces home, when his entire collection was gorgeous and affordable! He doesn't have a website, but I have his email address is anyone is interested. We also found sheer panels that you hang in the doorway. Every restaurant and bar has them here, and we want to hang one in our house. It was a great shopping day for us, and normally I avoid shopping at all costs on Black Friday in America!