Tokyo – the day when we did EVERYTHING!

Monday was mad…plain and simple. Looking back now, I can’t quite work out how we actually managed to do as much as we did. It was exhausting, ambitious, but ultimately one of my favourite days in Japan! We just did heaps!

We started at the ungodly hour of 6..when we woke up, and got ready so we could leave the ryokan at 7 (when the curfew time ended). Our first stop of the day was to be Tsukiji fish market on the other side of town, and we had heard that we should get there as early as possible to catch all the action of this tourist-draw. We made it to the market by about 8, and wandered around all of the stalls selling every fish you can think of…all looking gross, slimey, and a bit toooo fresh! Some were dead…some were alive…some were precariously holding on to that line in-between! It was fascinating to watch the fish-sellers going about their business, and seeing how much the biggest of the big fish was being sold for. It was also really fun watching the other tourists tip-toeing around all the fish ‘stuff’ on the floor, whilst trying to avoid being run-down by one of the zippy ‘trucks’. A note for anyone who is thinking about going to this market…wear shoes you don’t mind getting a bit icky, and remain alert at all times…those trucks don’t stop for anyone!!

When we had had enough of all that fish, we decided there was only one thing we should do next…go and eat some of it!! Now, in case you don’t know…I’m not a big fan of sushi. I think it’s gross to tell you the truth. I can handle the raw fish (well, most types anyway), but I do not like seaweed…I do not like vinegary rice…and I do not like wasabi! With that said, however, I realised that the ‘done thing’ after visiting Tsukiji market is to go and eat fresh fresh fresh sushi for breakfast, and so off we went! Just outside the market there are lots of sashimi and sushi shops, and we chose one that seemed the most promising due to its large queue outside. After about a 40 minute wait, we made it inside. After 10 minutes of eating stupidly expensive wasabi-overpowered sushi, we were done! I’m glad I went, because at least I gave sushi another go! The tuna we had was magnificent…and Zeenat was impressed by the size of her prawn…but sushi as a package, is just not for me! I don’t think Zeenat was that taken by the taste either, and showed her dislike for the strong nasty wasabi by dropping her prawn into the dish of soy, and splashing sauce over her top, much to the amusement of our sushi-chef! Of course, this was actually accidental…but it was also quite funny!

Next up was Asakusa. We had only been in this area for about 5 minutes, when we spied something I had always wanted to try, but had never done due to a lack of funds! A rickshaw ride! Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t suddenly rolling in yen, but I figured I would only get this chance to do something cheesy and fun a few times, so I might as well give it a go! In the end, it wasn’t actually too expensive, and we economized on dinner later on that day in order to balance out our wallets. Our rickshaw-rider, Ken (who was also a real cutie!), took us on a 20 minute tour of Asakusa….past the temple areas, down the little side-streets, across huge intersections, and finally along the sakura-lined path next to the Sumida River. It was so much fun, and we felt very grand (and also a bit stupid!) as we sat high up in our ‘chariot’, covered in a blanket, and watching the world go by as poor old Ken sweated and sighed! He was a really good guide, and he seemed to really enjoy his job. We chatted about the different sights (sometimes in English, sometimes in Japanese), and listened to him telling us the history of various shops and restaurants. He called us ‘princesses’, was a real gentleman, and even gave us a free gift (a cute pack of postcards) when he finished…and yes, I quite fancied him!

After our sayonaras with Ken, we headed over to the main temple in Asakusa, Sensoji, where we entered through the famous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), with its huge red lantern. We wandered round the souvenir and kimono shops on the Nakamise, and then explored the main temple complex. It was a pretty impressive place…not my favourite temple I have been to in Japan…but stunning and interesting nevertheless. The sun was shining, and we were both in great moods….there was only one thing to do…go and try a Japanese onsen for the first time! Not just Zeenat’s first time…but mine too! I had been to a huge onsen in Pusan, South Korea, but never one in Japan. I just really wasn’t fussed by them...I don’t like really hot water, I find baths boring, and I’m not in a hurry to spend lots of naked time with strangers. However, I knew that I just had to go in Japan…I couldn’t leave Japan in July, having never tried a traditional Japanese hot spring. So, we found a small one in Asakusa, and decided we would go for it. It was actually a really basic, simple onsen, and we were pretty much the only ones there (apart from a weird grumpy looking woman), but it was fun! I wouldn’t say relaxing…as the water was hot hot hot, and so the amount of time we actually spent in the water was minimal. But, it was nice to have finally had a Japanese onsen experience. Since then I have also been to the posh onsen in Yuda (onsen no mori) with Alex, and I would like to report that I loved it! The salt sauna was my favourite part, and I liked the fact that the water was not too hot! I’m not going to be a regular onsen-goer, but I might go once or twice more before I leave Japan.

Following the onsen (which made us both stupidly sleepy), we had a quick tempura lunch, another wander around the temple and shops, and then headed for the river. It was beautiful walking along the Sumida-gawa, as there are apparently 1000 cherry trees, and so we were able to gaze at the stunning sakura (cherry blossoms), and take many a ‘classic Japan’ picture. It was a really relaxing area, as other people were also out strolling, resting, and picnicking along the path. Soooo pretty! We decided to take a boat trip from Asakusa..down to…erm…can’t remember where….but near Ginza,..and so we enjoyed a peaceful cruise down the sumida for about 40 minutes. Zeenat slept, and I ate pocky and looked out at all the weird and wonderful buildings along the river. The photo on the left is of the ‘gold flame’ building belonging to the Asahi beer company. A certain member of my family has decided it looks more like a poo, rather than a flame, but this description has not ruined how much I like this wacky piece of modern architecture!!

When we finally made it to Ginza, we went straight to our next port of call…the Kabuki-za theatre. Kabuki was also on my ‘list’ of things to do before I left, and this was my chance to tick it off! We had decided that we weren’t bothered about seeing a whole Kabuki play (about 4 hours), and settled on queuing for one of the last-minute tickets for one act only. Just being in the queue was actually quite fun, as it was interesting to see all the other tourists who were waiting patiently to see this spectacle (I even ended up translating some of the announcements made for a couple of Japanese-less Americans…bizarre!) Unfortunately we ended up standing for the whole of the 45 minute act, and with tired old feet that wasn’t great…but the kabuki was….hmmmmm…I don’t really know what adjectives to use! We knew what the story was about (having read an English synopsis from the internet), and therefore we could kind of understand what was happening. It wasn’t bad….but I didn’t love it either! Kabuki is just…unique! It was captivating and interesting, and I was fascinated by the movements, costumes and staging…but I don’t really know why! Does that make any sense? Maybe not! I think it’s just because it’s so different to anything I’ve seen before, and so I’ve got no comparisons or frames of reference to draw on. Therefore, intriguing and enjoyable…yes!. Am I now a devout Kabuki fan and follower?...no!

Our final stop of the day was the huge Apple store in Ginza. I promised my dearest bro that I would pay this ‘mac-heaven’ a visit, and even posed next to the luminous apple in the elevator to prove that I had been! It was actually a stunning store, with all the latest models and equipment. We played with the ipods, rode up and down on the coolest lifts ever (fact!), sat in the ‘Apple theatre’, and then used their free internet café! Great! Don’t worry Paul, my conversion is now complete…I will always be a Mac person…that is my wish and my promise!!

You see…we really did do everything that day!!! Well, ok…not everything, but we certainly jammed in a lot of stuff, and ended the day feeling exhausted, but very happy.