sakura walk (sumida river & asakusa)

Saturday was forecast for sun, so we made sure to get out and about early

Our first stop was Chomeiji Sakuramochi, which has been in business since 1717!

Apparently Hokusai enjoyed their sakuramochi too.

It is quite large, with large salted sakura leaves, the thin mochi and a round "roll" of sweet bean paste...250 yen (tax included)

I loved this, and appreciated that they sold these separately.

I had read somewhere that during this time of year they only sell boxes of 5 pieces and up…

We then walked along the Sumida River.

And across the Sumida River Walk.

If I'm not mistaken this walkway was built during the pandemic.

You are literally alongside the Tobu train line, it is a bit noisy but you can see nice views of the Sumida river.

We made sure we were first in line for Daikokuya.

They have been in business since 1887!

I had their 2 shrimp, 1 kakiage donburi, this also came with a shishito…2400 yen (tax included)

Satoshi ordered the 4 shrimp donburi…2700 yen (tax included)

Kanto (East Japan) style tempura's coating is thicker because they use egg and flour.

Kanto style kakiage is mainly shrimp or squid, I was surprised because I was envisioning onion, carrots and other veggies.

Still this was delicious and I'm glad we got to try it.

Then we walked through the Sensoji area

Lots of tourists taking photos.

And then we checked out Andesu Matoba, this shop makes all sorts of anpan

Even if we were full from lunch, we had to eat this since it had just come out of the oven!

So soft and delicious! 210 yen (tax included)

A little up the street is Marusen.

Arare outlet! we went a little krazy here...1076 yen (tax included)

And then a little more up the street is Rusurusu, which I've been wanting to check out, but they open at 12, and I like to be going home around lunchtime...

Loved their brownie and biscotti….1091 yen (tax included)

so fun to see different buildings

One shrine that Satoshi was interested in seeing was Yoshiwara Benten

The weather was so nice and it was nice to see different parts of Asakusa.

We'll be back to the places we tried 

Chomeiji Sakuramochi

5-1-14 Mukojima

Sumida, Tokyo

Closed: Mondays

Hours: 8:30-18:00

Daikokuya

1-38-10 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Open daily: 11:00-20:00

*cash only

Andesu Matoba

3-3-2 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Closed: Sundays

Hours: 7:30-18:30

Marusen

3-24-1 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Hours:7:00-18:00 (Mondays-Saturdays) 9:00-17:00 (Sundays)

Rusurusu

3-31-7 Asakusa

Taito, Tokyo

Closed: Sundays & Mondays

Hours: 12:00-19:00

ps my pedometer was wonky so my steps were 0 (again) boo!

spice cafe

Finally got to check out Spice Cafe.

I've had their recipe book since 2016 and have tried making their crispy spice oil and their aaloo masala

This cafe has been in business since 2003 and has been on Michelin's Bib Gourmand list twice.

Just look for the house with the jungle around it...

This time of year there are lots of mosquitos

But I love how you step into another world

On this day, there were 8 different curries to choose from: rasam (south India moong dal (mung bean) curry), lamb keema, shrimp (sri lankan curry), sambal (vegetarian curry), garlic chicken, coconut, pork vindaloo and dry curry

You can order 1 (1300 yen (tax included) or 2 (1600 yen (tax included)

This also comes with a small dessert and coffee or tea afterwards.

I chose the lamb keema, it came with dal mash, aaloo masala (mashed potatoes), not sure what type of minced greens this was and some marinated cabbage.

A lot of what was served is in their recipe book.

You can also have more rice and sides if you wish.

The lamb keema was super flavorful, lots of spices and not spicy.

Loved the sides too.

The dessert was a caramel mousse, the caramel drizzle was a little bitter, but I loved this too.

And the iced coffee hit the spot

I'm glad I got to try this place, next time I will try to bring Satoshi so we can try more curries...I'll be back

Spice Cafe

1-6-10 Bunka

Sumida, Tokyo

Closed: Mondays & Tuesdays

Hours: 11:30-15:00 (lunch), 18:00-22:30 (dinner)

*cash only

kameido & kinshicho

Tokyo People: look at his large lens!

Yesterday got out early to check out the wisteria at Kameido Tenjinsha.

The news had mentioned that the wisteria was in full bloom.

It was beautiful.

Be careful: large scary bees buzzing around

Afterwards was planning to walk to Asakusabashi, but it was too blazing.

Instead I walked through Olinas Mall and Kinshi Park,

Then I caught the train home from JR Kinshicho Station.

Please look here for a few more photos and videos.