After such a huge travel day we had a slower start to the morning. Braino went out to purchase local SIM cards and food for breakfast. Yoghurt, fruit and croissants were an easy solution from the local Family Mart.
We first travelled from where we were staying in Akasaka-Mitsuke to Asakusa via the metro system. Navigating the underground rail system of Tokyo was surprisingly easy with the help of google maps, there are also english translation on all the signage which was extremely helpful.
Senso-Ji Temple, Asakusa
Senso-Ji Temple was only a short walk from Asakusa Station. This huge Buddhist temple complex is devoted to the deity Kannon and is one of the most significant religious sites in Tokyo. At 11am it was extremely crowded, so we only did a quick walk through. Nakamise-Dori, the long shopping promenade, was full with interesting stalls, filled with souveniers, crafts and an assortment of different foods. It would have been interesting to linger long at some of the stalls but the crowds were intense. It’s free to enter the grounds of the temple and the stunning architecture was an excellent introduction to Japanese culture.
We found a beautiful little playground a few blocks over from Senso-Ji Temple in Hanakawando Park. The girls had a great time climbing on the fort like structure under a beautiful big tree.
Workshop at Taro’s Origami Studio, Asakusa
We had pre-booked an origami workshop in Asakusa at Taro’s Origami Studio so we continued on to find the quaint little studio gallery. I have fond memories of learning origami when I was around the age of 9, so it was really quite special to introduce the girls to origami, the art of paper folding, whilst in Japan. The little gallery is the home to stunning origami creations by the artist Taro and a workshop table for up to six people. The table had six different small iPads with a variety of different instructional videos. Braino helped Rooney while I helped Hallie and we managed to get through five different beginner origami patterns. Our host was fantastic, he spoke english with a North American accent and he often helped Farley, although she was fairly confident on her own.
TeamLabs Planets
Next we headed towards Toyosu, with a quick stop off in Ginza to change trains, as we had pre-booked tickets for TeamLabs Planets. TeamLab Planets is best described as a huge interactive digital art gallery. It has a number of different galleries that use water, lights, mirrors and colours to create a fully immersive sensory experiences.
I had actually experienced a taste of TeamLabs Borderless when it was at the Sydney Powerhouse museum in 2018, but the girls were just babies and toddlers at that point. It’s certainly one of the most talked about things to do in Tokyo and I’m pleased to say that the girls loved it! Our favourite was the dark room with knee deep water that has digitally projected fish swimming around that actually react to the movement of the people walking through. I also loved the colourful room filled with huge spheres. It was pretty busy but I have a feeling that it’s wasn’t as busy as it could be, judging by how long the line barriers were outside. We only had to wait 10 or so minutes to get in but it looked like lines could get much longer.
Despite the crowds it was still an experience that the whole family enjoyed. Honestly, the kids asked to do it again and we almost considered buying tickets for the other TeamLabs ‘Borderless’ experience that is in Tokyo.
