nickelass

They say it is always coldest just as the sun rises. So here we all were then, dawn in Tokyo trying to out-run the rising sun in a land famous for it. Goal; the world famous Tokyo Fish Markets (Tsukiji Fish Market).

An early subway ride to the fish markets is step one. So we descend into the bowls of Shinjuku station through a maze of underground corridors finally arriving at the correct Tokyo subway ticket machine.

Arriving this early for a train reveals a mass of homeless people sleeping on every available stairway. Space is a premium in the city for everyone, the homeless included. I imagine it is the only real warm place around. Tickets in hand we hoop on the next train.
Even at this time (yes the clock in the photo is telling the truth) the subway has plenty of customers.
This is some appropriate advertisement inside the subway carriage dedicated to Tricky. After a few minutes on the subway we are about to alight when this old little Japanese man says ‘not fish markets’. Kudos for knowing that the only white people up this early are all going to the same place. He tells us 'next station'. We have the usual conversation, where are you from, where are going going, how long you here etc. He asks Irene if she is Japanese a few times, proceeding to freak her out a little. The rest of us find this amusing. Not so much Irene. As we alight I mention to everyone that steps two is in order, food. The old man tells us he knows a good place for some breakfast. Emerging from the subway the man points out of the direction of said markets and food. As we walk down the street he walks near us silent. It seems to me a bit odd cause I’ve ‘Domo arigato’ed my butt off already. He proceeds to cross the street with us then walks up the stairs into the restaurant with us. At this point I’m wondering if we’ve just acquired a unwanted guide for the day. As we walk in, the old man yells something to the waitress then walks straight ahead into the kitchen.

We have tuck into breakfast. Nickelass is not feeling to well.

Post breakfast I was waiting outside for the others I notice a man riding a strange motorised trolley thing with a coffee in one hand, talking on a mobile using the other.
It certainly doesn’t look road legal. Turns out they are everywhere because they are supposed to be used within the Market to transport goods around. But this being Japan, it’s not uncommon to see them a few blocks from the Markets. As we wonder town towards the markets I spy people have raw and cooked fish for breakfast. It is becoming apparent that my breakfast is not agreeing with me anyway and the thought of fish this early just is not floating my boat.

The markets are intense. There is so much movement in opposite directions, in the first 5 minutes I nearly see two people hit.



Not only are the walkways really narrow, but in other places everyone just crosses paths; some on motorised carts, some walking, running, cycling or hauling carts by hand. It’s a recipe for pain. Everything is moving (even some of the fish). Inside each of the little stalls the processing of produce for sale goes on.


By this stage I’m not feeling very well and I use the most un-hygienic bathroom in all of Japan. China has nothing on this one. So we leave the fish markets and next doing into the fruit and veg, which compared to Fish markets is rather tame but the journey their leads to my personal favourite 'action shot' of the trip.
I love the random cart in the middle of the street. No one will touch it, everyone will just drive around it not complaints. So Japanese. Exiting the markets into the surrounding streets it’s raw fish breakfast time. Umm…did I mention I was not feeling too well?
The crew locate a place selling some seriously fresh raw fish. The guy even preps it on the spot for us.

I figured that I was feeling better so why not give it a go. Have to say it tasted amazing.

GK has some kitchen knife shopping to do. I take the opportunity to watch the world roll by. I’m a great lover of just sitting and watching the world roll on. I think it’s a love handed down via my grandmother. Put me in any city corner with a seat to sit on and a coffee in my hand and I can be entertained for hours. If I’m ever out with friends I make a point trying not to sit near the front window of the café or restaurant because I’m so easily distracted. Seriously I could be having dinner with Scarlet Johansson and spend most of the time gauzing out the window.



I think in Tokyo I would have been happy just to have a whole day of sitting in café’s on street corners.

One thing I'm quick to notice on this corner waiting for GK is how as far as most Japanese are concerned every available road space is a legitimate parking space.
That truck actually pulled up and parked for about then minutes. That is what intersections are for. Then a motorbike parked behind it and after a while the second lane on the road became an unofficial place to double-park your vehicle.
Quick travelers conference and it’s a stroll up to Ginza and then to the Imperial Palace as our next plan.

It is worth mentioning here that in Tokyo has the largest concentration of cool motorbikes in the world. Ok... I just made that up, but here are some examples from the day (thanks to GK).






We arrive in Ginza too early for the Sony Building to be open (i.e. it’s not 11:00am yet) so we stop in at the Nissan store via some coffee. Ok the next bunch of photo’s are just for Wei and Tim. Everyone else can just move along, nothing to see :)









The Sony building opens and we check out the latest from the best of the rest. The Rolly mp3 dancing robot thing is cute but would probably be one of those Christmas presents that your really into on the day but by boxing day your over it.



Anyway, it's onward to the Imperial Palace. We walk out of Ginza and towards to palace on these amazing wide streets. It maybe obvious to others but I'm really suprised that Tokyo actually has massively wide tree lined boulevards that are almost Washington DC sized.
The imperial gardens are massive and like any massive garden space in a big city, peaceful but with a steady stream of joggers.


I walk up to the main entrance and some random Japanese girls wave me over. I just figure that they need someone to take a photo of them. Turns out they each want a photo with me. So I’m proud to say I’m the token white guy at the castle in some girls photo’s of Tokyo. Does that make me famous in Japan?

We head to the nearest subway, destination Akihabara (electronics and otaku district). As we are about to go through the machine Dina realise she has lost her phone. Mike and GK decided to backtrack to find it. I’m fairly certain it will be either handed in or still wherever she last placed it. I sit down for a coffee and await the boys return. Sure enough after 30 mins of searching…
Turn out she left it sitting on park bench next to some homeless people. It has not been touched! Welcome to Japan fokes. So onto the subway.


We arrive at Akihabara and have some late lunch. The electronics district is cool in a nerdy way but it also has some pretty weird stuff. You kind of do get the sense that many of Tokyo’s districts are really centered on a ‘type’ of shopping.
The average big store will start with games on the ground floor. Action stuff on the next, Anime on the next, then Cosplay stuff, then more ‘adult’ type of stuff and so on. I made it up to level 4… I didn’t really want to know what 5 and 6 would have contained. I think I felt sufficiently weirded out at this stage as it was. Also, they escalators up but the only way down is in this little 2 1/2 person lift. Talk about a captive audience?




So back to hotel to get changed for night out in Harajuku (not not the girls). Our plan is to meet up with a Japanese friend of GK for some food.


Harajuka is an interesting place. We meet up with GK’s friend and head on out for dinner. Because we had dinner till quiet late, but the time we roll through it’s all closed up for the night. It’s is interesting that even the colourful districts of Tokyo are controlled in terms of open and closing times. The streets are empty except for a few people walking back to the underground. Speaking of walking, one thing that really made me cringe in Japan was the habit of women to deliberately walk pigeon toed. We are not talking born like that walking, we are talking it looks cool so lets all do it. It really is a problem because after doing it for some many years the girls actually end up with really stuffed up legs. Don’t believe me have a look at the video I took walking back to the station.
It would have to be the most unattractive aspects of Japanese women. Still in other respects they do get style points. So that’s enough of Tokyo, after all by this time my mind was already wondering about the snow.