Monday morning, I visited the famous Tokyo fish market, Tsujiki. Even though I left later than recommended (8 am), that gave me a chance to experience rush hour. A sea of dark suits flowed through the railway and metro stations. I was lucky enough to get a seat while the subway car filled with passengers at each stop. At Tsujiki, I climbed the stairs to overcast skies and the smell of fish. A street map (there are helpful maps with 'you are here' on many street corners), displayed the fishmarket to the left. I plunged into an open air market full of mushrooms, fruits and vegetables, finally arriving at the seafood and fish. There were prawns, octopi, clams, mussels and fish of all sizes. In addition, just walking was an exercise in avoiding being hit by people, carts and trucks, all rushing past. Eventually, I stopped to eat a late breakfast. After carefully studying the kanji on the outside photo of dumplings, I entered the tiny shop and ordered using the vending machine. In this tiny, 16-seat establishment, my knees touched the counter. However the cafe was so narrow, I had to lean forward to let customers pass behind me. The service was quick and friendly, and, the customers slurped their noodles just as quickly.
My next excursion was to Odaiba Island to the Maraikan Science Museum (one of the few museums open on Mondays). The hostel receptionist recommended seeing Asimo, the robot by Honda. Asimo was amazing! It walked, talked, kicked a soccer ball and even danced. Maraikan also boasted a replica of the Shinkai6500 (deep sea sub), an exhibit on particle accelerators, and a hands-on try at endoscopic surgery. Odaiba Island is a shopping and entertainment destination, with Forever 21, H&M, SonyExplore, LEGO Land and even Fuji TV.
Taking the train back to Ginza, I began the search for Jiro's sushi restaurant. 'Jiro dreams of sushi' is a documentary movie of the sushi chef rated #1 in the world by Michelin. Using the restaurant's 4-2-15 address, I asked many people for assistance in locating Jiro's shop. The easy way is to find the Sony building and then look for the W suit store. Jiro's sushi bar is nestled beneath the suit store. Since a meal at Jiro's starts at $300, I hadn't made a reservation. However, glimpsing Jiro through the restaurant door made the search worth it!
For dinner tonight, we ate a type of Japanese 'junk food' called moonjya. In the center of each table, there was a large, inlaid, rectangular hot plate. Onto the hot plate, we fried thinly sliced meat, veggies, and tomato. Next, we added a liquidy 'dough' and cheese. Then, everything was chopped together with two metal spatulas. The result was pure yumminess!
Taking the train back to Ginza, I began the search for Jiro's sushi restaurant. 'Jiro dreams of sushi' is a documentary movie of the sushi chef rated #1 in the world by Michelin. Using the restaurant's 4-2-15 address, I asked many people for assistance in locating Jiro's shop. The easy way is to find the Sony building and then look for the W suit store. Jiro's sushi bar is nestled beneath the suit store. Since a meal at Jiro's starts at $300, I hadn't made a reservation. However, glimpsing Jiro through the restaurant door made the search worth it!
For dinner tonight, we ate a type of Japanese 'junk food' called moonjya. In the center of each table, there was a large, inlaid, rectangular hot plate. Onto the hot plate, we fried thinly sliced meat, veggies, and tomato. Next, we added a liquidy 'dough' and cheese. Then, everything was chopped together with two metal spatulas. The result was pure yumminess!
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