Hmm. Maybe its this jetlag thing but trying to sleep in was impossible. I tried to get plenty of rest and yet I still was up at 6 a.m. Did I say sleep in. I take that back. I wanted to catch the Tsukigi Fish Market today. To do this it was suggested you wake up before the crack of dawn as the restauranteurs are usually down there by 5 am. After catching a few subways and getting lost a few times I finally made it there by 7:30. I was a little late and had noticed there was no action at all going on. Was I in the right place? Apparently I asked a few locals and they mentioned that it was closed today. You mean I woke up at 6 for nothing. After a disappointing morning walking around Tsukigi I stumbled upon a Sushi Zanmai, a little sushi bar a few blocks from the Tsukigi Fish Market. The chefs couldn’t speak English so I basically pointed at the pictures on the menu. I ordered a cold oolong tea and Chirashi-Don bowl. At 9 am in the morning sush was not what I was expecting for a hearty breakfast. Nonetheless I was starving and the taste of the freshest fish available would soon fix my appetite for eggs and bacon. The Chirashi-Don bowl consisted of all sorts of fish (Salmon, albacore, tuna, eel, squid and more). I think there were 17 cuts of sashimi. I was in heaven. For roughly $18 it was quite a good deal compared to what I’d pay back at home.

After breakfast I went back to the hotel to freshen up because my breath has now smelled like fish. Not a good first impression if you’re sitting next to someone on the subway. What was that? Did you say I smelled like fish? After a quick nap it was off to Central Tokyo to see some more sights. The only thing in Central Tokyo worth seeing was the Imperial Palace. Apparently the Palace isn’t open to the public. After walking around the complex walls for about 30 mins I stumbled into the East Garden. This area is the only part of the palace open to the public. It was a serene place to be. I found a nice shaded area to sit and relax and jot down the previous days adventures. Waterfalls, coi and Japanese bridges all were encompassed in the Imperial Garden. Japan kicks ass when it comes to landscaping. I’ve never been more at peace in anyones yard. It was a nice place to enjoy an afternoon stroll in the park. I walked around for a bit longer and decided to find a Vietnamese restaurant in Asukusa called “Vietnam Alice” Damn Lonely Planet for suggesting this place. It wasn’t even there. I ended up eating some fast food noodles at a nearby restuarant. It wasn’t the best meal I’ve had but was decent considering how hungry I was.

I headed back to Shinjuku to walk around some more after dinner. I took the walking tour on Shinjuku as described in my guide book. I ended up walking through the Red Light District of Shinjuku. It was fun just walking about looking at all the lights and people. I was a little apprehensive when being approached by someone wanting me to go to their strip club. If I weren’t travelling alone I would have thought a little harder before saying “no”. Anyways the walk was good as it was a rather cool night. I ate a second dinner of Tempura shrimp and rice. My god was it good. I could have eaten at that restaurant every night