"Let me tell you, Iranians like America", he said. I was in the elevator at the ACE Inn in Tokyo when a business man got on. "I want to invite you to come to Iran", he said.

The big plus to travel is meeting average citizens from other countries and getting their perspective on their country as well as your own . The citizens of other countries are always so different from what we have always been led to believe. Our governments and news media paint the image of issues the way they want us to see them. I believe travel is the best education around.

This morning I will go by train (not subway) to Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo's districts where Tokyo's past is still evident. Even though it's a district of Tokyo, it has a small town atmosphere. A lot of backpackers like to stay there because it is a good location, and not as busy as Tokyo. I am staying in busy Tokyo, but am happy with my choice. I do want to visit this district though.

The main attraction in Asakusa is the Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple. It's also Japan's oldest temple. It was built in the 7th century. the legend of the temple says two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the river. Even though they put the statue back in the river, it always returned to them .

So, they built the Sensoji temple for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple.

I saw people putting some yen in a basket and taking strips of paper and tying it to a string stretched across the table. I thought they might be prayers but they seem to be pre-printed with something.

On the way to the temple there is a large and busy shopping street with the usual snacks and souvenirs. There are numerous things made of Japanese-style paper and other things like folding fans for sale along the way. 

The area is easy to do on foot, or if you rather, you can hire a rickshaw pulled by a Japanese man to take you around.

People here do not smoke while walking down the street. But, here there is a place on the street that is a smoking area. It has bins to place the cigarette butts once you finish the cigarette . Like the other places I have been in Japan, the streets here are spotless.

There are other shrines in the area also. Some are open to the public and some are just for the worshipers that belong there. There is also a 5-tiered pagoda that was destroyed in WWII, but It has been restored since.

I saw the Asakusa Shrine. It was built in 1649 and is work of art. It was a busy day and time to once again utilize the train system back to central Tokyo.

I am not sure if I have mentioned it yet, but the doors open to public places by touching the handle. They almost always slide open. They don't just automatically open when you approach like in the States.