Nakamise Shopping

The Nakamise shopping arcade stands for "the middle store" and is situated between the Kaminarimon and the Sensoji Temple. There was a huge crowd browsing the alley, always a great opportunity to scope out interesting people and fashions. The long strip is filled with little stores or shops offering tourist items and snack shacks. You can get anything you need as souveniers here: from fans, to statues to keychains and on and on. One of my favorite items is pictured behind me below: the maneki neko. It stands for "inviting fortune cat". You will often see these in store fronts, and are supposed to invite good fortune to a business or home. I have to admit that I bought one. This is not for those who are affraid of crowded places, I could barely turn around without knocking something off a shelf.