Saturday, July 19, 2008

Tsukiji Fish Market 4/19/08



We woke up at reasonable time (9am) and went down to the famous Tsukiji fish market. We arrived late so we didn't see the million dollar tunas, but we did eat some fantastic fresh sushi (from that morning) at the market. The restaurant we ate ate had a line and was extremely cramped. The sushi chef really liked us and gave us ample amounts of sushi. Kates and I shared 31500 yen assortment of fresh raw fish including clams, tuna, mackeral, hamachi, mini squid, and finally salmon roe. The squid and claim were gushy tender and almost felt a bit like eating something that was in midst of transitioning from death to life. All the other fish tasted delicious very fresh and buttery. After lunch, we walked around the outdoor market looking at the different cookware and dead sea life that was in its boxed coffin crate. It was really a blast and made me like the section of town, which was like a giant farmer's market with ma and pa stands selling their goods. The vendors were very polite and friendly. It was really fun sampling their raw fish.

After roaming the market we followed the signs in Tsukiji to a Temple Tsukiji Hongwanji. The temple had a ceremony or mass going on. We walked up to the entrance and watched the people sit near the shrine. I tried to make myself as invisible as possible so I could observe.

Katie wanted to get Mikey a Tokyo Giant's hat and the only place that seemed to sell them was at the Tokyo Dome so we ventured off in that direction on the subway. The dome was in Hibaya and was noticeable in every direction from the downtown. Katie found the hat and we discovered that the park was not just for baseball, but had an amusement park and a outdoor mall. Katie and I caroused the mall buying nice bowls and other random things. Then we went to a local restaurant and had bento boxes with tempura and noodles. The portions were huge and very flavorful. Katie and I chatted at the restaurant until late. We decided that talking at the restaurant was better than going out and partying. Our goal for going to Japan was to breathe in the culture and not numbing our senses. We went back to the hotel to relax and plan out our day trip for tomorrow.

No comments: