Day 3 (2nd stop):
Ameyayokocho. May 13, 2015.
From Yamashiroya that morning, it's finally shopping time! Ameyayokocho is a street market located alongside the Yamanote Railway Line. Ameyayokocho (Ameya Alley) is a long street selling all kinds of goods from bags, shoes, and food!
The name "Ameyayokocho" stems from two origins, the first one is that it means "candy alley" for the rows of shops selling traditional candies in the past. Secondly, the "Ame" comes from "America" because it used to famous for selling American products when World War II ended in 1945 and the United States earned rulership over Japan after the horrific Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For Day 1 (Arrival) click here
For Day 2 (Ueno Park & Zoo) click here
For Day 2 (Sensoji Temple) click here
For Day 2 (Tokyo Skytree) click here
For Day 3 (Yamashiroya) click here
The first thing we noticed when we entered the area was food! Notably, ramen!
The Japanese words on the red cloth above, reads, "ramen". I see it all the time in anime.
This beauty is up for grabs! It would've been a lovely kimono!
An arcade.
At that point, we encountered a split that lead to two different roads. The other side can be seen in the next photo. Both bustling with local life and offering good shopping options that are not as expensive as the prices offered in shopping malls. Some stores even sell second-hand items so you definitely need to go through each rack of clothes because you just might find a good deal.
What's a market without raw, exotic seafood?
The octopi are looking good.
Then came the clothes and shoes.
Pretty (and expensive too)! These are tailor-made.
I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE.
I have a crush on this guy since way before.
Introducing Yuzuru Hanyu, world champion in more than once occasion in figure skating. He has broken ten world records already at the tender age of 22. I freaked out a bit when I saw this ad at a grocery store and I just had to take a photo of it.
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| Photo taken during 2015 Skate Canada from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFU-Rc3APuU |
I mean, look at him :3
Photo is not mine ^
Kawaii desu ne?
Korean pop music translated into Japanese was actually playing in one of the shops selling backpacks and I got delighted that I recognised the music. So when one of the store clerks approached me, I pointed up to the stereo and said, "K-pop?", to which she nodded. She then told me that it's very popular and that her favourite groups consisted of ShiNee, Big Bang, and EXO.
Somewhere in the middle of the market, the shopping area got really lively with racks and racks of shoes, cellphone cases, and clothes with vendors screaming in Japanese to gain more customers.
My bro in search for food.
And ta-da!
We found this ramen place.
It's a vending machine restaurant where you choose your order and pay for it through this. A receipt comes out and the chef is automatically informed. It's very hygienic since the cashier/server won't need to handle any money and also helps the store lessen the number of employees to hire. There were only two people working for the store at the time we arrived there. He quickly whips out our lunch:
Yum!
In fairness, the ramen is good and it costs a lot cheaper than in ramen houses back home in Manila. The soup is thick and rich. The ingredients are plenty and the noodles are good.
Thumbs up!
My parents.
Apparently, my dad wasn't satisfied with the ramen and went to the sushi place right next it. It was served on a conveyor belt and the Japanese people inside were very lively and friendly.
Bro in front of the sushi place.
The cost of each sushi plate.
Meanwhile...
Me, Mom, and Bro targeted McDonald's to taste the difference.
Ordered a sakura-flavoured drink. It's just like how I imagined it to be!
The Japanese clerks observed cleanliness each time they served the food, making sure that their bare fingers don't touch the straw at all.
Eventually the two roads end up here to more shopping options.
An entire building dedicated to Uniqlo, one of Japan's biggest brands.
Dessert!
Strangely, sweets are more expensive here as compared to a meal with rice. Perhaps they're trying to discourage too much consumption of sweets which are detrimental to health?
After a good late morning to mid-noon shopping, we decided to head back home to the hotel to freshen up and get some rest. The hotel isn't so far from the market so we could afford the luxury of going back and forth from there.
Dad said that this was one of the reasons why he chose Ueno Hotel. It was near to Ameyayokocho, Ueno Park & Zoo, plus, the area is also the known as the "Old Tokyo" and is the home of Tokyo's finest cultural sites. A working class residential area rather than the glitzy, more populous areas, it offers food and shops that are more affordable to the usual traveller.
Train stations can have the cutest things...
When in Hong Kong, you have the Octopus card to take away your transportation and purchasing problems, here in Japan, you have the Suica card! It operates in the same manner that Octopus cards do - when entering into a train platform, just swipe it in one of the gates, and you're good. The fare is automatically deducted from your balance.
To reload it, you enter your money in one of these and load the amount into your Suica card. It's very convenient.
We got back to Ueno Station (Iriya Gate) just in time to see the dismissal of a local high school. High school boys are everywhere on their way home from a day at school.
I am one happy girl today.
From Ueno Station (Iriya Gate), we always pass by this quiet, residential area.
It's my favourite route to take when going back to the hotel because we get to see what local life is like. It's pretty peaceful. The houses are compact.
After having some rest, the fam bam is off again to go see the entire city of Tokyo from above. I'm fond of it the most out of all the places we went to in Tokyo for the magnificent view.
...
faith
#ilovetokyo
All photos during this trip are unedited to retain its authenticity.
All photos are mine unless stated otherwise.
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