Tuesday, June 21,
2016
Oooh buddy! The last month of my life has been a whirlwind
of emotions, travels, and turning my life upside down, but hopefully I can get
everything up to date on here {fortunately for me, my adventures rarely stop…unfortunately
for my blog, my adventures rarely stop!}
Day 3 in Tokyo I told myself I’d take it a little easier, I
had been go, go, go for far too long and my body was finally screaming at me to
take a break! After going to bed at a somewhat decent time the night before I
woke up somewhat early in hopes of making it to Tokyo’s morning fish market.
From what I have read this is the largest fish market in the world! The daily
market begins around 4-5 am with the most popular tuna auctions, but they only
let a limited amount of visitors in to see the auctions each morning and it is recommended
to line up for tickets by 3am. I thought it would be cool to see, but at 3am,
my pillow is also really awesome! So needless to say I didn’t see the tuna
auction, but I was at the market by 9:30am and was able to stroll through the
outdoor fish markets and other vendor stalls, which was really fun to see in
its own respect as well!
If there was a type of fresh fish or seafood that you were
craving, the Tsukiji fish market had it…guaranteed! Also if sushi at 9am is
your thing…the various stands squeezed between the fish stalls had you taken
care of in that regard as well! The options were terrific, the people watching
was amazing, and the smells were quite questionable, but overall, I loved this
unique market. As I was starting to head out my stomach took over and decided
it needed food like 2 hours ago, I wasn’t so keen on fish at 10am, but wasn’t
sure what else to try. I spotted a lady stirring a large pot and figured I’d
try what was inside…that’s when she pointed behind me and I saw a line at least
15 people deep waiting to eat at her stand {she literally had 5 chairs at her
stand and people were eating elbow to elbow!} I figured it had to be good and
hoped in line, still having NO idea what she was selling. I watched what people
ahead of me were buying and when it was my turn did my signature “1 please” and
sure enough, I always get 1 of the “house specialties”! It was a braised pork
over rice and tasted pretty close to what I’m assuming Heaven tastes like if
God decided to give it a flavor!
After the market I walked in the direction of a famous park
in Tokyo, but instantly decided to not pay to go inside when the rain sprinkles
turned into a light drizzle, so onwards and upwards! One of the last place I
really wanted to check out was in an area called Shibuya. Many of the sites
that I read about Tokyo on recommend this area and I figured it was worth a
visit! Getting out of the subway station there is a 5 way intersection immediately
in front of you, and this intersection is unreal. I have NEVER seen such a busy
intersection in my life! As soon as the cars get a red light there are people
coming and going from literally every direction filling the entire area in the
blink of an eye. I just stood through several red lights watching everyone
around me before I actually crossed the street!
I walked around this area for a bit picking up a couple of souvenirs
along the way and stopping at a local curry joint for a late lunch before
running into a pair of traveling girls {one from Australia & the other
Germany} who had only met the day before as well. We stopped for some desert
& drinks and enjoyed each other’s company for the afternoon until we parted
ways.
The last place on my personal Tokyo list, and about the last my poor body
could handle!, was to check out the geek/anime culture in the Harajuku
District. Holy moly, was this area weird! Lol I loved it! There were people
dressed up quite eccentrically, shops selling clothing that I never knew
existed, and just overall “creatures” that you might have to look long and hard
to find in the mid-west of the USA! But, here they were, all together, and all
for my personal people watching enjoyment!
After Harakuju I went back to my hostel for a short nap (7pm
naps are a thing…right?!) And then per the suggestion of the girls I had met
earlier in the day, found an Okonomi restaurant near where I was staying. I was
told it’s a traditional Japanese food and some people call it a Japanese
pancake…I had nothing else, and boy was I in for a surprise! I ordered a pork
Okonomi as it looked like that was a popular option and was then quickly
worried when they turned a burner on on my table and presented me with a bowl
of white mush, cabbage, a raw egg, and raw meat….ummm, is this my meal?! After
a minute or two I caught a waitress’s eye, pointed at the slimy, raw bowl of
food in front of me and shrugged my shoulders, she quickly caught on and came
over to make my food for me! She mixed everything together into a questionable
looking paste and tossed it on the griddle in a thick pancake like form. Later
I went to check if I should flip it and another waitress quickly slapped my
hand away! Haha…they have this covered now. Eventually my food was ready and as
I am eating it yet another waitress comes over and takes it from it and starts
covering it with a number of sauces from the table (I had been trying a new one
with each bite!) and then hands me my food back. It may not have been the most
flavorful food in my life, but the experience still makes me chuckle!
I went back to the red-light district for a bit to take in
some more of its craziness, and then called my last night in Tokyo a wrap.
Wednesday, before flying home I packed my bags, grabbed some
pork & rice for breakfast and headed back to Harakuju only to find that the
shops weren’t open yet. I took that as my clue and headed to the train station,
airport bound, and ready for one last week of teaching in Taiwan.
