asakusa and akihabara, tokyo

asakusa is famous for senso-ji, this huge temple, and was rather close to where we stayed.

the thunder gate

i spotted this in the distance, while staring at the street outside the thunder gate

i have no idea what it is, nor what it's doing there..

rows and rows of souvenir shops

we were there really early cos we took the overnight bus to tokyo and arrived after 7. after dropping our bags at the hotel, breakfast and travelling here, it was just before 10 i think. quite a lot of shops werent open yet, and they all have very pretty metal gates:

the alley behind all the souvenir shops:

the second entrance to the temple's grounds:

this huge slipper was just behind the above gate.. the temple was undergoing some restoration works, and it seemed kinda ugly from certain angles:

it had some interesting stuff though:

peace clock

cute lion carvings...

 

after the temple was akihabara.. there're really a lot of shops selling computer and anime related things, but i think after seeing osaka's den-den town, akihabara didnt seem that stunning. it definitely is bigger and busier, but i think it would have been more exciting if i'd jumped straight from sim lim square to akihabara, without experiencing den-den town.

besides, cos i'm the biggest computer idiot ever and am not a fan of anime, i wasnt too interested in most of what akiba has to offer. instead, it was the sex shop - 6 stories of toys, s&m equipment, outfits, love dolls and dvds - that was most interesting. akiba isnt as seedy as den-den however (the latter has lots of porn shops along the main road), but that shop sold enough things, some of which are frankly HILARIOUS.

 

 

 

take a look at these - WARNING: dont look if you're going to be offended by dildos!!

 

 

 

 

 

the description on this made me LAUGH sooo loudly in the shop!! there were some others that were called "PYTHON POUNDER". haha

they come in various lengths (and widths).. i wonder what exactly one would do with an 18-inch dildo..

they also sold 'THE FIST' (and baton-like penises), for those who like things a bit more rough (which i totally dont get, but apparently people stick lots of weird stuff up their extremities, according to a nurse-acquaintance):

and if you're choosy about colour...:

to be honest, it was my first time in a sex-shop (i dont really think i've been into those at lucky plaza, or if i have, probably was too embarrassed in my youth to have a good look at the stuff on offer haha) and it was quite an eye-opener. the stuff they sell is just interesting lah. plus the fact that they sell love dolls here in japan was really weird too - the dolls are live-size and have all the appropriate apertures, and there was even a video advertising the fact that the love dolls have joints that move.. it was all very odd. haha.