My first time to go around Tokyo alone and try riding their complicated train system brought me here in my first destination, the Senso-ji Temple or the Asakusa Kannon. The rain and the very cold temperature didn’t stop me from going around.

Here goes… description of photos are below them. Enjoy!

Kaminarimon (雷門)
The entrance gates of the Senso-ji Temple is called the Kaminarimon or the Thunder Gates. Greeting you as you enter this gate is the Chochin or the giant lantern, and various statues of Raijin, the God of Thunder, and Fujin, the God of Wind.

Chochin
Famous landmark of the Senso-ji Temple, made famous by many tourist photographs who came to this place.

Nakamise Shopping Arcade
Right after the Kaminarimon entrance is the Nakamise Shopping arcade. Usually a busy place where a lot of tourists buy traditional Japanese novelties and souveniers. From kimonos to kokeshi dolls and other japanese crafts can be found here.

Nakamise Shopping Arcade
People come and go in this place. Tourist pouring in despite of the rain and the very cold temperature during that day.

Hōzōmon (宝蔵門)
Hōzōmon (宝蔵門) is the second and is also considered as the main gate to the Senso-ji Temple.

Holy Smoke
Smoke coming from the lighted incense in the big ash-filled cauldron being wafted by buddhist believer to himself. A purification ritual usually done before or after praying in the temple.

Sensōji (浅草寺) TempleAlso known as Asakusa Kannon, Senso-ji Temple is Tokyo’s largest Buddhist temple.

Kannondō (観音堂)The main hall of the Senso-ji temple is usually filled by tourists and buddhist worshippers at the same time.

Kannondō (観音堂)
The main hall is filled by tourists and buddhist alike. In this area, worshippers pray and give their donations to the temple.

After watching the Press Preview of I Am Legend the previous day, we’ve got another invitation to watch the press preview of this movie. Honestly, I thought about not coming to this movie since the movie are primarily for kids and may not be enjoyed by an adult like me. I pushed through with watching it since I’ve only been lazing around that saturday.

Fifty years ago, a crazy musician got a crazy idea of producing a crazy story about singing chipmunks, and for all we know, the crazy antiques of these three chipmunks would blend into the coming generations up to this day. I think every generation would recognize the chipmunk voice anytime. I remember having two cassette tapes of their Christmas album with Dave shouting the name Alvin most of the time for his troublesome acts.  With those songs kept playing over and over every Christmas, the songs have been tattooed in my mind.

Surprisingly, the audience gave a very appreciative reaction during the movie. It is seldom that you’d see audience clapping their hands in the middle of the movie, and yes that happened after one of the song and dance performance of the rodent trio. Kid or kid-at-heart you’d enjoy this one especially if you hear the chipmunk rendition of “Bad Day” and Funky Town.

Definitely a movie to watch!

This coming week a new line up of foreign movies are set to be released in the box offices after a long foreign movie holidays to give way for the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. To start the comeback of foreign films to local cinemas, we were invited once again to watch the I Am Legend press preview last Friday night in the I-Max Theater of Mall of Asia. No, the movie wasn’t released in 3-D, I-Max has been a favorite press preview place for its capacity and large screen accomodation.

We’ve seen I Am Legend’s trailer where Will Smith, probably the last man on earth, after a certain catastrophe hit the human kind, hopelessly searches for other possible humans living around the area. What creeps during the night and what caused him to be the only one living in the now deserted New York is the mystery that is to be unveiled when you watch the movie. Surely, the movie will make you hold on your seats during the entire length of the reel.

The movie is silent most of the time and made me think this movie doesn’t have any soundtrack at all, but it is all in the purpose of sticking to the main theme. Plus, silence makes a great background for suspense.

The movie will be shown this coming week.

A glimpse of the 2007, a very boring year… not!