Surprise trip to Asakusa

On Wednesday, I took the train to Shinjuku where I was supposed to meet my father's aunt, Shizuko. We were simply going to have lunch together. At least, that's what I thought.

When I arrive in Shinjuku, guess who is waiting with Shizuko? My grandmother Masako! It's quite a trip from where she lives so I was pleasantly surprised to see her there. I had talked to her the day before but she hadn't mentioned anything. Apparently, my aunt Shizuko told her not to say anything and surprise me.

My aunt asked me if there was a place I wanted to visit (there are quite a few) and finally we decided on Asakusa, a place a few people recommended I visit. We visited the Senso temple, Asakusa's main attraction.

From left: myself, my grandmother Masako, and my aunt Shizuko

We also walked along the Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street, a street filled with little shops that are themselves filled with tons of things you don't need. But if I bought them for their esthetic value, I would buy everything in sight. They have so many beautiful hankerchiefs, vases, keychains, etc.

Enough chopsticks for you?

My grandmother and me also rode in a little cart pulled by a human runner. In Japanese, they're called jinrikisha (jin = human, riki = power or force, and sha = vehicle), meaning "human-powered vehicle". In English, they're called "pulled rickshaw", taking its origin from the Japanese word. Usually it's the other way around, with Japanese borrowing English words such as "hamburger" and "entertainment".

Our human runner

We walked a lot that day. I was tired. My grandmother and aunt must have been twice as tired but they never let it show. I hope I'm as in shape as they are when I'm their age. Senior citizens in Japan are really amazing. Every day, you can see 70, 80 + year olds walking, grocery shopping or riding a bike. After all, Japan is the country with the longest life expectancy.