For the last day of my very first trip to Japan, I spent it in the amazing Asakusa area of Tokyo whilst wearing a beautiful kimono.
Wearing Kimono
To begin my day, I headed to a kimono rental store in Asakusa. It was amazing to see so many beautiful kimonos and it was really difficult to choose which one to wear. I ended up choosing one that was predominately white with different coloured flowers running down it in between some black lines. Getting dressed in kimono is no joke! I don’t remember exactly how long it took, but it was about 30 minutes or longer.
They tied the pink obi I wore into a really beautiful bow as well! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a great picture of the back, but you can still see how pretty it was.
Hair accessories, a bag and geta sandals were included as well. Once I was all dressed up and ready, it was time to explore!
Exploring Asakusa
The Asakusa area is famous for having a Buddhist temple called Sensoji and Skytree, so I set out to see these places!
If you read the previous parts of my first Japan trip, you’ll remember that I began my trip in Tokyo and that I was visiting in the summer. Which means that it was really, really hot. Whilst wearing a kimono was incredible, it definitely didn’t help me in the heat.
Sensoji
I first went and saw the temple and then I began to explore the gardens surrounding it. There were koi fish in the pond and I had lots of fun watching them. I also worked up the courage to ask someone to take a photo of me in the kimono, since I was travelling by myself.
I’ll admit that whilst I love the photos, I was also a bit disappointed. Because of the heat, my face had turned red and my hair had quickly become a sweaty mess. So the photos weren’t as good as I had hoped, but they are still a memory I cherish!
At some point after wandering around, I came across a covered shopping area filled with restaurants selling all kinds of foods. Since it was so hot, I got some kakigoari かき氷, which is shaved ice. One of my favourite foods on this trip was all the kakigoari. It’s super delicious!
Skytree
I slowly made my way over to where Skytree was and was happy to find many cafes and shops around. I took a break and had some food there. After that I considered whether I wanted to go up to the observation deck at the top, however, I was feeling tired and my feet had begun to hurt. So I gave it a miss. To this day I have yet to visit the top of Skytree, but maybe I’ll do it next time I visit Tokyo!
Are the geta sandals cute? Absolutely. Are they the best choice for walking around and exploring? In my experience, definitely not. If I were given a chance to change anything about this day, it would be the shoes. I’d recommend wearing your own comfortable sandals instead. You could even maybe just wear the geta when taking photos and then wear better shoes for walking around in.
The End of my Tokyo Adventure
Since my feet were hurting quite badly, I returned to the kimono rental shop after visiting Skytree. On my way back to the hotel, I couldn’t resist getting a delicious crepe! I spent the rest of the afternoon packing my suitcases ready to fly back to Australia early the next day. For my final dinner in Tokyo, I had some tasty ramen!
By the end of this trip, I was utterly exhausted. But it was so amazing and completely changed the trajectory of my life. Two weeks in Japan wasn’t nearly enough time. Once back in Australia I was looking for any chance I could find to come back to Japan. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long as I was accepted into a volunteer program that took place in December 2018. I’ll tell you about that amazing experience another time!
Have you ever been to Japan? Or do you plan on coming to Japan in the future? Let me know in the comments!
