Photo Diary: Near Sumida River, Asakusa, Tokyo

[Say wicker-camera cheese!]

I feel like it's been ages since I came back from Tokyo. I mean, two months can hardly be considered as "ages" but, it just feels that way. What can I say, I'm a professional wanderluster.

It was late in August and such a gorgeous hot day out. It's sort of given, isn't it, that when you're in a foreign place for a really long time, and that place has rivers, you gotta try one of its cruises? Or is it just me being a travel geek here? I don't even know. So that was what Shah and I set out to do on that day with the Sumida River Cruise.

We managed to snag tickets for the last boat ride on that day, at 5:30pm. With about one hour to kill, we went around the area and snap all these photos, and I got Shah to capture one of the best photos I've ever taken in Tokyo (and THE best encounter with locals I've ever had), which is down below somewhere, which means you have to click on the "KEEP READING" button if you're at my blog's main page...

[Spying on this man gorgeously sketching the view]

I was fascinated by the group of girls in their bright floral summer yukata, taking selfies and talking and laughing with each other. Shah asked, "Why don't you ask for a picture with them?" and I said, "Why don't you ask for me?" because for some reason I was being such a wuss that day. So Shah did, and here is my favourite:

Let's be honest, it's probably my favourite because when I got up from my seat to take this photo, the girls immediately came over and smilingly said to me "Kawaii! Kawaii desuyo!" while touching my red dress. The cynical in me think it's just the dress that they find kawaii but the optimist (and perhaps vanity?) in me totally agrees it's really me who they think is kawaii.

Either way, getting a 'kawaii' compliment from the locals is always, always a huge plus, be it on your bag or dress or face.

These girls ended up being the flavour of the moment after that because other tourists were starting to ask for photos too, which I think would feel really awesome if it happens to my girls and I in our home country if we were walking around in our traditional wear.

[Summer giant bugs (crickets?) that made the loudest krik krik known to mankind—felt really lucky to spot one, but all thanks to the curious photographer who went snooping under this tree]