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Tokyo: Day 2

After a hectic day in Asakusa yesterday, I figured I'd get the craziness out of the way early today, then relax for the rest of the day. First, I went to the famous Tsukiji fish market in Chuo-ku.

Granted, I could have taken it up a notch, compromise sleep, and try to make it to the tuna auctions in the wee hours of the morning. Last night, and this morning, I decided sleep was more important (a good thing too as there was a small earthquake)! The only logical reason to wake up before 5 is that you have to catch a train, or a plane. I ended up getting to the market after 10am, and there was still lots to see (though I know most of the wheeling and dealing would have been done already).

Going through the main entrance, I saw the vegetable and fruit wholesale section first, which also had a sprinkling of small restaurants already serving up food to customers. Following the herd of tourists, we eventually ran into the seafood wholesale area, which had a lot of empty (maybe it was full earlier?) warehouse space. Well, not empty, there were a lot of boxes and carts moving those boxes around, but no people, no hustle and bustle. Walking past a few warehouses, I saw lights and life, smelled seafood, and heard the noisy chatter of a market.

Like a bee drawn to honey, I couldn't help but rush over to the heart of the fish market, still pulsing with energy. There were so many stalls selling all kinds of seafood, organized in row upon row underneath the cover of large warehouse roofs. It was amazing to see - though I could tell the pace had slowed since early morning by the way some vendors were chatting amongst themselves, others were cleaning up their now-empty containers and shelves, while others were having their lunch. Tourists were all over the place though, having been denied access to this area until 9:00am. The vendors who still had seafood on display got lots of attention from fascinated foreigners (including myself), enchanted by the wide variety of fish and shellfish available for purchase. Some things I had never seen before in person: huge slabs of tuna, giant mussels, and trays of squid and octopus.

Now that I had seen the seafood, my hunger for lunch was starting to build. I headed to the line of restaurants in the outer market, where there were already long lines of people waiting, as each restaurant could only accommodate a very small number of clients at a time. No rush to eat though, as it was still early - so I picked a random line and stood waiting for about half an hour or so until I got a seat in the restaurant. The sushi was delicious - some of the fish used for the nigiri were new to me, all tasty... especially the eel!

With a full stomach, I decided to take an easy stroll over to the Ginza shopping street. All the high-end stores (Gucci, Prada, Coach, Burberry, Armani, etc.) reminded me of Robson Street, only much taller. On average, I think each store had 6 floors - and the area of each floor was nothing to sneeze at, so it was an indication of how much these stores wanted to show off their merchandise.

All the walking was pretty tiring, so before heading out for dinner, I went back to the hotel for a short break. Dinner was in Shinagawa, so I got to return to the first city I stayed in on this trip. At least this time, I didn't have to carry my luggage around, and had hands free to take photos! The restaurant was pretty easy to find - and thanks to my coworker, I had the required reservation. I decided to let the chef pick what to serve (omakase) and the 10 pieces of sushi were artfully presented and tasted as fresh as they looked - the difference in quality compared to the random restaurant I picked for lunch was subtle, but definitely there. I could tell the cuts of seafood were better, the technique of the master chef was indicative of his expert knowledge, and there was more care taken to properly plate the various dishes. The sushi was so delightful that I kept ordering more until I was full... no regrets!

Tomorrow is my last full day in Japan and there are still a few things I haven't done/eaten yet! We'll see if I can cross them off!

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