Asakusa

The next day we took the train to Asakusa, a lovely place where we can buy all kinds of traditional craft as souvenirs. Its also a shrine. The entrance to the shrine is this huge lantern like structure - in fact it is a genuine lantern I think. The shrine itself is further in. There are rows of little shops on both sides - mostly selling traditinal Japanese craft. We bought lots of fans, little trinket boxes, bevelled mirrors, pictures and so on to give as souvenirs. The place is bustling with people, both tourists and locals. The weather is cool with a slight breeze - perfect weather for a little walk. After visiting the temple and taking pictures we walked to the park, which is about 200 metres away from the shopping area. It is a large park. Outside there is a statue of a hunter and his dog, beautifully carved in bronze. The story is that the hunter died and after his burial, his dog refused to leave his grave and sat there waiting for his master to come back to him. Since the master was dead, the dog waitied for a long time and finally died of a broken heart. The story was sad and touched our heartstrings. If man can be as faithful, life would be easier I think.

The park would be lovely in the spring I think. I hope to be able to visit Japan in Spring one day - I'll come back to the park and see the cherry blossoms bloom.