Hey Guys! It's me, Perth :)
right now I'm in Asakusa (Tokyo)
today I'll be trying on a kimono for the first time
I've worn a yukata before
but first time trying a kimono
after I've put the kimono on
I'll go out and try some Japanese sweets and fun activities
Let's go!
what's this part of the kimono called? 'kimono'?
staff - "it's kimono"
Okay, I'm going to be choosing the colour of my kimono
I really love the colour black
it feels a bit weird saying myself
but I really think a black kimono would suit me
staff - "I think red might look nice"
nah, I can't do red
sorry my personal colour is a blue base winter (colours that suit my skin tone)
well, that's what I said but in the end I ended up going with...
this one
now that I'd choson the colour of my kimono
the next thing I did was choose the colour of my 'obi' (belt)
are there any colours that you'd recommend?
I think black or white would look good
black looked like this
and white looked like this
I chose to go with
the red and white combo
the staff at the store helped me to put it on
and
here's the finished product!
this was my first ever kimono (rental, I didn't buy it lol)
I'm not wearing any pants underneath (I'm wearing underwear)
so it feels kind of strange
I know that you can't tell by looking
but it's kind of embarassing because I feel like I'm naked underneath
now that my kimono is done
I went to go and try some traditional Japanese sweets
the noise at the cafe was quite loud
so I re-recorded my audio at home
right now I'm at a cafe called 'Funawa Cafe'
and I'm going to be trying 'Anko Dama' (red bean paste balls) for the first time
and also
'Imo Youkan'
honestly this belt is pretty tight
so I'm not sure if I'm going to be okay after eating all these sweets
but I guess they're not that big so I should be fine
staff(me) - what flavour of Anko Dama will you choose?
shiroingen (white kidney beans)
strawberry
and coffee flavour
it looks so good
the imo youkan comes out pretty hot
so I ate it first before it got too cold
I'm actually really bad at eating hot (temperature-wise) food
but I knew it would taste way better hot
so I tried my best
but it was still a little too hot lol
it tastes sooooo good
highly recommend it
before I had the next bite
I made sure to give it a good blow (lol?)
it's still hot
next I tried the anko dama
honestly I have no idea which flavour is which
I'm sure I'll figure it out once I eat them
I'm pretty sure this one's coffee flavour
so let's try a coffee flavoured one first
there's actually a Thai dessert that's quite similar to this
it's called 'Look Choop'
the inside isn't a red bean paste (it's actually mung beans)
but the gelatin coating on the outside is really similar
it's really nice
then I tried another one
and my thoughts were
they're very small but surprisingly heavy
the filling is quite heavy and compact
I think three is the perfect amount to eat
actually no
I'd say around two
but since I ordered three I'll force myself to eat them all
they were also a lot sweeter than I thought
so I had a little coffee break
it's kind of funny
because I can only take really small steps
so I feel like the way I walk looks really funny
now where going to head over to Sensouji (famous temple in Asakusa)
then at Sensouji I'm going to...
how do you say it again?
staff - 'omikuji' (fortune)
I'm going to take an Omikuji
I wonder if I'll get 'good fortune' or not
then I arrived at the 'lightning gate' of Sensouji
let's go inside
the first place I went to was the outside shopping stalls
then I found the next traditional Japanese sweet I wanted to try
it's called 'Kibidango' (it's like mochi covered in a peanut-like powder'
hey guys! it's me in English
an interesting thing to point out is
at a lot of stalls where they sell food, especially around shrines and temples
you can't take the food and eat it wherever you want
there's a little area by the side of the stall
where you take the food and eat it
and then also throw your rubbish away
before I try something for the first time I love to smell it
the peanut scent is really strong
let's give it a try
do you eat it in one go?
it's so good!
it's really good! I'm not lying
definitely not acting
usually I'm not that crazy about peanut flavoured things
but this is really good
before I said I was starting to feel full
but it's fine
these are so good I can keep eating
everything I ate earlier was sweet
so eating somthing salty balances it out
let's move on to the next place
it didn't take me long to find the next thing I wanted to eat
it looks soooo good
I found one of my favourite sweets. Strawberry Daifuku.
I'm not always in Japan so...
got to get it while I can
they have banana juice too!
it looks good
I love banana
staff - you have powder all over your mask
there's quite a lot
excuse me
I already ate a lot of anko (red bean paste)
so I'm going to try a custard daifuku for the first time
pigeon spotted!
let's try :)
(my banana/strawberry juice was done)
I got called just as I was taking a bite
it's really good
take a look at the inside
custard and mochi is an A+ combo
this is banana and strawberry juice (I think it's a smoothie)
I give it a score of 100/100
my jaw is kind of tired from all the chewing
I keep eating things covered in powder so now my mask is super dirty
let's take a break from snacks for now
tsukimiji?
tsumijiki?
staff - 'omikuji' (for the second time)
I'm on my way to go and get an omikuji
at Sensouji there's not just food stalls
there's a large variety of stalls selling things such as
clothes, ornaments and other traditional Japanese things
just like the ones you can see here
it's the third time today but let's see if I can remember
I remember it stars with 'o-'
omitsukiji!
nope, that's not it
it's four letters
omi-
otsuki-
omikuji!
(it's written on the sign)
I'm about to take an omikuji
it's your fortune written on a piece of paper
I start by making a monetary offering (usually 100 yen)
then I get a stick with a number on it
then I go to the drawer with the corresponding number
and take my omikuji
100 yen coin
number 83
the problem is it's so hard to read (the Japanese is too difficult)
it's literally the worst possible fortune you can get
isn't this really rare?
actually this temple is known for having the most 'bad luck' omikuji
well, I guess it's fine then
but to be honest I was still pretty shook
after you've read your omikuji
its custom to tie them up on a tree or on these metal wires
In my case I got 'misfortune'
so by tying it up the bad fortune will stay there instead of coming with me
honestly I'm feeling pretty blown away by the misfortune
poor Perth :(
after that I went to pray at the temple
I'm going to go and pray (I'll be back)
so I went up to the temple to make an offering
and also make a wish for the coming year
staff - what did you wish for?
I'm allowed to say?
In other countries they say that if you say what you wished for it won't come true
but despite that I'll tell
I wished for two things
the first thing I wished for
is to have more work opportunities in Japan this year
and the second thing I wish for...
is a secret :)
there's someone peeing over there
is that okay?
staff - it's not okay
I really wanted to ride on the famous rickshaws in Asakusa too
but unfortunately I didn't have enough time
but I was able to take a picture with this cool driver
it's my second time going to Sensouji
but everytime I come I can eat new things
and have new experiences
it's the best
unfortunately I'm all out of time
and I've got to return 'a' lovely kimono (I made a mistake)
not 'a' kimono, 'this' kimono
I'm glad I fixed it in time