Cafe Renoir

I went to Akihabara on my way back from Asakusa, and dropped in at this cafe called "Cafe Renoir". It has been in business for more than 45 years, and I think almost all people in Tokyo know this expensive cafe. The cheapest coffee that Doutor serves is about 2 us dollars, but you have to pay about 5 us dollars for the least expensive coffee at this cafe.

The official name of the company that operates this chain is called "Ginza Renoir", and Ginza is an area in Tokyo where everything is expensive. You wouldn't see many very young people in Ginza since they couldn't afford things sold there. And the name "Ginza Renoir" reminds us of something luxurious.

There are three Renoir's in Akihabara, and this one is just in front of Yodobashi Akiba, which is a huge complex where you can buy any electric appliances from TVs to computers.

Usually you'd see many salarymen in their 30s or over, since they often have enough money to buy expensive coffees and cake. But in return for the high prices, you can recharge your cellphone by plugging in, and also wi-fi connection is available at every outlet.

I was going to show you an iced coffee, but I ordered this iced Matcha milk for a change. As you can see the chair has very soft cushions, so you might want to stay here for a very long time.

After you finish having your drink, the waitress would serve you a green tea for free. You might think this is included in the price, but let's think this was given out of their wholeheartedness. 

Please visit a Renoir when you come to Tokyo. The taste should be beyond your expectation. =)

Asakusa -3-

---continued from the posting Asakusa -2-

This is the premises of Sensouji (temple), which is in Asakusa. I showed before the gate with the two statues you see over there that is called "Houzou mon". It takes about 10 minutes on foot from the station Asakusa on the TX line to reach here.

You're supposed to put sticks of incense here. In Buddhism, the dead are said to have these sticks of incense to nourish themselves before they are born again.

And this is the place where you should wash your hands and mouth before you pray. The statue you see in the center is called "Shararyuuou zou", and it was made by a sculptor "Takamura Kouun". Here is a pic of the sculptor.

This is the main hall of Sensouji. This was designated as a national treasure in 1649, but was also destroyed by Great Tokyo Air Raids, and then built again in 1958. In this pic the interior seems bright, but in fact it was very dark.

There were these two statues of Buddha, which are often called "Nisonbutsu". Please read the English sentence on the plate to see the details.

An overall pic of the Nisonbutsu. They have an alias "Nure botoke", and the "Nure" means "to get wet" and "botoke" means Buddha. They are made of copper and were dedicated to this temple in 1687.

For the first time in my life I saw the real "Rickshaw", which is a two-wheeled car drawn by a man. It originated in the Meiji period(1868-1912), but you can't see them except in some tourist sites like Hokkaido, Kanagawa. The red kanji you see on their backs say "Hi no Youjin" or "Be careful of fire".

I laughed at this mask sold on the Nakamise street. This is the mask of the protagonist of a film "Detroit Metal City", which is about a guy who performs as a charismatic heavy metal vocalist. You can visit its official website by clicking this.

Though this area Asakusa is just 1 hour's train ride from where I live, I haven't visited it since I was so small. But as an adult I saw it differently than I did before, and enjoyed seeing all those Japanese things. =) Asakusa is also the 19th station on the Ginza Line, and people often come here by way of that line. Please take a look at this for more information on the Ginza Line.  

Plus 1 Cafe Garden

I've shown many "Japanese" restaurants so far, but what makes my city look modern is not those Japanese restaurants, but new cafes that got in business recently. I really feel peaceful when I have a meal at a tranquil Japanese restaurant, but what is really appetizing for me is often western dishes. And people in my city seem to favor western dishes served at western-styled cafes.

This cafe is called "Plus 1 Cafe Garden", and is in the northern part of my city. I have to drive for 45 minutes to reach this cafe, but nonetheless it is always worth driving.

As the name of the cafe suggests, it has a garden, and a terrace where you can relax to your heart's content. It was so hot and humid on the day, but my friend and I chose the table over there to take in fresh air and appreciate the garden. This cafe was playing Norah Jones while I was waiting.

I prefer cats over dogs, but I like to see very cute dogs like this. This dog is named Leon, and he was adopted by the owner of this cafe when he was just 4 months old. There was a piece of paper that said "You'd get bitten if you ever touch him".

While I was looking at the garden and listening to Norah Jones (the album "not too late"), my dish was served. This is a hamburger with pieces of mushroom and some cheese. We often see all the foods put on the same dish at cafes like this. The hamburger tasted a bit of vinegar and the bitterness of the minced onion went well with the soft beef..

When it's too hot, I can't resist having an iced coffee. But this coffee was included in the price of the hamburger set. The taste? A bit bitter, but better with a little milk. I'd have given a B grade out of 5(A-E).

This paper said, "A commercial for a Toyota car 'Passo' was shot at this cafe. And an actress called Rosa Kato was the one who was advertising the car". She's a half-Italian, btw.

And here's the video of the commercial (the name of the cafe was changed to "Cafe Cua" in this vid). The other "less pretty" woman is a comedian Ayako Imoto.

Asakusa -2-

---continued from the previous posting.

I was on my way back from Thunder gate. And I saw some shops that were lining up on the Nakamise street. At this shop I could see so many kitty dolls. As you can see many of them look like Hello Kitty, and the others should be "Maneki Neko", which I introduced in this posting.

The biggest mask you see in the center is called "Hyottoko". The mask is basically worn by a clown, and the expression of the mask is said to be made when he blows fire with a bamboo.

That tower is called "Gojyuu no Tou" or five-story pagoda. It is said the remain of Buddha is enshrined in the top story, and the reason why the tower is so high was to enable people who weren't allowed to get on the premises of the temple to pray by looking at this tower from far away. This tower was destroyed during Great Tokyo Air Raids in '45, and then reconstructed in '73.

This gate to the inner temple is called "Houzou mon", and it has two stories. This was once called "Niou mon", just because it has been guarded by the two Niou statues on both sides.

And the one on the left is called "Agyou." You know when we say "A", we open the mouth like he does. This is the reason why this statue is called "A" gyou.　"gyou" means a form of something. In this case a facial expression.

And on the opposite side there is this "Ungyou". You know, when we say "Un", we close our mouths like him (sorry, it is barely visible). When two person are in sync with each other, we say they have the "AUn" combination, meaning the two are like these inextricable guardians.

The main hall was under construction. This refurbishing is now under the supervision of the renowned artist "Kansai Yamamoto".Here is a link to his official website.

I found these interesting dolls on the Nakamise street. Perhaps the owner of this shop put these dolls in front of the shop since foreign people visit here and often like to wear kimonos. The red kimono costs as much as 60 us $. The white boy on the far right is wearing the bandanna that says "Ninja".

Do you know Tokyo is now building a tower called "Tokyo Sky Tree"? It is now as high as 398m, and the final height will almost double the current height to be 634m. It is going to transmit digital signals for terrestrial digital media broadcasting. Such a way of broadcasting is already under way, but with this tower, the digital signals will be less hindered by very tall buildings. For more information on this "Tokyo Sky Tree", visit this official website.

---to be continued---