Asakusa adventure

Yesterday I went to Asakusa and to Tokyo to see the imperial palace grounds. It was raining really hard all morning so we decided to eat first at Tokyo station and then go to see the palace grounds when the skies cleared. I carted my borrowed umbrella all day and luckily did not have to use it. We walked around the outside of the palace, and took pictures but were not able to cross the moat because it was Monday and most places are closed then. The outer park/garden was beautifully manicured-grass and pine trees cut like large bonsai trees. We were going to meet my friend's friend and go together to Asakusa to look at the temple there and shop for some souvenirs and postcards. It is an interesting place, a large covered shopping arcade with many stores selling identical hello kitty charms and postcards and sandals and chopsticks and holders and anything you could think of. I got some postcards to mail home, and decided I didn't need any hello kitty stuff. We got our fortune at the temple. You pay 100 yen and shake a box, and one long rod will come out of a small hole in the box. The number on the box corresponds to a number on a drawer which contains a fortune. ours were all good, so hopefully all will continue to go well. more later.