Asakusa Shopping Expedition

Ah so. After a wonderful tempura and miso soup lunch seated on tatami mats, a gaggle of girls and I rushed out into the Asakusa Shopping area a few steps away from the restaurant. Being mindful that we had only a little over an hour – (Ishi -san our guide emphasized to our group the departure time and location three times, using written placards and asking us to repeat after her – yes Ishi-san, we will meet you promptly at 1:20 at HOLY SMOKE!), we quickly dispersed down the crowded stalls that lined the pedistrian street. The street itself decorated with red and white banners and punctuated at either end by Kaminata-mon gate, which means thunder gate and Hozomon Gate, which I think means Holy Smoke. The reference to Holy Smoke lies in the fact that at this gate there is a large incense-burning structure. The Japanese believe that if you bathe yourself in the smoke of the incense, the smoke will encourage hair where you are bald, brain cells to multiple where they are scarce or melt away the aches and pains that might plague you. The Akusaka shopping area is quite touristy, but I discovered a very important shopping tip. Go down the side alleys and get off the main drag. Not only are there fewer people to navigate through, but the items for sale are less expensive and don’t give you the feeling that it was all recently shipped over from China. I was in the market to buy a kimono for my Recycling Festival. I was discouraged and a lot overwhelmed at first. Although the prices didn’t freak me out, the quality certainly did. The polyester and cotton Kimono looked so cheesy for a lack of a better word. I wonder if there is a similar Japanese expression that means cheap and tacky. Lucky for me I took a few deep breathes – learning to remember to breathe is key for this spinny girl, and hooked up with a more centered gal by the name of Kendra from Boston. She and I wandered down a less traveled alley and chatted and marveled at the more sedate and Japanese consumer products. Check out the Sushi sign I have posted. In a dimly lit shop with no plastic wrappings I found a rack of woolen Kimono – brightly colored but not glitzy – I thought perhaps I was misreading the numbers because these Kimono were almost half the price of the cheaper looking ones I had previously seen. I picked out two Kimono and decided to get them both. A lovely older woman helped me find matching obi’s and then mimed to me would I like to try them on? Inside the shop, I stood in front of a full length mirror on a tatami mat – of course with my shoes off – while she wrapped me up in the kimono. She even gave me an English language instruction guide to teach me how to properly dress myself in Kimono. The guide is illustrated with charming little Japanese people. (This guide idea would make a great lesson plan for my students – design and create instructions using pictures and words to teach someone to …..perhaps I could use this idea in my Recycling Festival. ) After she removed the Kimono the woman then wrapped each one carefully and beautifully in paper, attached a small origami paper kimono doll to the package and I glided out of the shop on cloud nine. This shopping experience may be one of the highlights of my life. Hard to imagine since shopping is not my fortay and goes against my religious belief, ecology worship.