Today started early - and when I mean early, I mean EARLY. 4AM early. And the strange thing is, I wasn't even tired when I woke up. I don't know whether this is a side-effect of the time difference, or something else entirely..but I honestly felt like I had a good night's sleep despite the early rising.
My uncle and I began walking towards Tsukiji - the largest open-air seafood market in the world. This is the place where most of the restaurant owners in Tokyo get their fish on a daily basis, so you KNOW it's good stuff. We never got lost, never got confused -- it was really, really straightforward (literally two streets, although the walk itself was a little over two miles). We could tell when we were getting close, because the city streets transformed into an open-air market selling everything from fish that was still alive to fresh vegetables. Most of the stuff was street food, but there were a few non-food stands selling books and other various cheap goods. Near the market we ran into a yummy-looking sushi menu that I had to snap a picture of. Little did I know that when I pulled my camera out of my pocket, my JR Pass went with it. After snapping the picture, we walked for another 5 minutes or so, stopping to take a picture of the fisherman's shrine right next to Tsukiji --- and then I noticed my $274 piece of plastic was missing...
"Shit!"
"What?"
"My pass is gone!"
"What pass?"
"My JR Pass!"
"SHIT!"
At that point, my uncle suggested doing a quick about-face and retracing our steps. It wasn't long before I saw something glimmering on the corner right by the sushi bar we photographed a few minutes ago.
JR Pass RE-GET!!!
That was a close one. Tsukiji itself was cool, but pretty much what I expected. A seedy-looking, busy, warehouse market where every kind of seafood possibly known to man is sold both alive and dead. Just about every time you turn around, you see someone either "cleaning" or dispatching a fish, so if you have a weak stomach for those types of things, this is definitely not the place for you. I couldn't help noticing the size of the tuna they were bringing in...they had to be upwards of 100 lbs...and wondered whether or not my dad would ever go ocean fishing for stuff like that after he retired (not in Japan, but elsewhere). Random thoughts aside, it was a really interesting experience, though it's probably not a place I would visit again.
On our way back we stopped at a McDonalds (just to sit down), which was a pretty funny experience in itself. They actually have bigger burgers than what's present in the states, but no free refills on drinks. Interesting. We just got cokes and sat for a while. Most of the clientele of the McD's were fellow gaijin, the only Japanese people in the place were the ones behind the counter.
After leaving the McDonalds, we stopped at a fruit stand with the most delicious looking strawberries I've ever seen. I had to get some, and I was particularly hungry since I hadn't ate anything for breakfast, so I ran in and grabbed a package for a few hundred yen. Good decision...they WERE the most delicious strawberries I've ever had. Which is strange, considering they were most likely imported. But they were about 110% more appetizing than the ones I occasionally get from Target. Fresh, juicy, and sweet. No bitterness whatsoever, and nothing over-ripe either.
After returning to the hotel and resting for a bit, we decided that we would kill some time and go to Akihabara. This way, I wouldn't have to trouble Kamijoh-san tomorrow with running into all the stores I wanted to see. The train ride was cake. Absolute cake. I'm now very certain I will have no problems getting anywhere in Tokyo where the trains run. Had some of the most delicious curry I've ever tasted in a little hole-in-the-wall place in Akihabara called "Curry Kitchen", which was filled to the brim with customers. My uncle says to "trust the crowds" when it comes to restaurants. If a reastaurant's really packed, then the food must be good., he says. This rule of international travel doesn't quite hold true back home - otherwise places like Green Mill and Olive Garden wouldn't be packed every weekend in Rochester.
Anyways, back to Akihabara. Well...to say I cleaned up would be an understatement. I got just about everything I wanted to get while here in Japan - and then some. Still on the lookout for a couple of requests and one more game for myself. Oh, and something special for the girl, of course. ^-^
This evening, Iwama-san met us and took us on a night sakura viewing in one of Tokyo's most famous parks. It was VERY cool. We did have to hurry back fairly quickly since I'm expecting a call from Kamijoh-san, but what I was able to see was absolutely incredible. I took pictures, but unfortunately none of them turned out too well due to the poor lighting...
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