Its my final day in what seems like an eternity here in Tokyo. Don’t get me wrong I love this city but after being in Shanghai for a week, coming here was overkill. Anyways I hadn’t planned on doing too much today as my flight out of Narita departs at 1:00 pm. I was determined to wake up and catch the fish at the Tsukigi fish market. After a failed attempt the last time I was insistent on seeing some big tuna. I woke up promptly at 4:30, showered and was at the fish market at 5:30. There was no getting lost this time as I had memorized the route to a ‘T’. When I arrived I was dumbfounded by how busy the place was. Compared to the ghost town that I witnessed a few days earlier today was an ever moving sanctuary of local fisherman. As I weaved through the aisles I tried to avoid being run over by the small transport vehicles. One has to pay attention or you could be lying face first next to the fresh fish on display.

I snuck into the local fish auction to catch a glimpse of the morning action. Tourists weren’t allowed into the scene so I unobtrusively shadowed myself around. I was ushered out once but then just moved on to the next auction. The fish were amazing to look at. Flash frozen they looked like big ocean kayaks at first glance. I couldn’t help but to touch one as they lied dead on the warehouse floor. Judging by the size I would guess the average Tuna weighed almost 200 lbs. Calculating that in Sashimi costs I would guess it was a heck of a lot of money. Observing all the fish made me hungry. I slowly wrapped up my photos and paced through the rest of the fish market en route to my next sushi breakfast. With so much seafood around me I was hankering for some fresh nigiri.

I found another Sushi-Zanmai restaurant not too far from the fish market. It wasn’t the same one I had been to earlier in the week. It must be a chain. I sat down and ordered breakfast consisting of Miso soup and Nigiri sushi. I just pointed to what looked good on the menu and the chef delivered it in front of me. I met a fellow traveller from the Netherlands named Ken. We swapped stories over breakfast and I told him I’d be visiting Holland in the near future. Pretty nice guy. After breakfast it was back to the hotel to pack and head off to the airport. I arrived at Narita almost 3 hours early so I grabbed some food, read my book and watched the planes come and go. Next stop Shanghai.

I really wanted to get out of Tokyo for a day. The city was too much for me. It is as I say too packed with people and everywhere you go it’s a consumerists environment. I wanted some open space with no skyscrapers in sight. I wanted to see mount Fuji but this time of year it’s cold with possible snow. Kyoto was also on my list but was a little too far for a day trip. Besides everyone suggested staying there for a few days to enjoy the shrines. Maybe next time. My best bet for a day trip was a 2 hour train trip to Hakone. It was suggested that on a clear day Fuji was a good sight from here.

Hakone is a small mountainous town that the locals seem to flock to to get away from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Tokyo. After an 80 min train ride I ended up at the base of Hakone. It was a rather fun trip up to the lake. Tourists get to ride in different modes of transportation (train, cable car, gondola and boat ride). At the top of the gondola you get your first glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the hot springs. It was pretty cloudy that day so I saw Mt. Fuji for roughly about 5 mins before it hid itself behind the sweeping clouds. The hot springs were interesting to see. The smell was awful. It smelled like someone farted and it lingered on forever. I walked around for about 20 mins checking out the different springs and taking photos before I got tired of the smell. The next cable car took us down to the lake where I got to cruise around on a pirate ship a la “Pirates of the Carribean”. It was cool and very touristy. Standing on the deck was a great feeling as the cool air breezed by. It took roughly 20 mins to get to the other side of the lake. There wasn’t much on the other end. Just a few souvenir stores and restaurants. I boarded a bus back to the bottom of Hakone and started the long trek back to Tokyo. Not too bad a day.

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

After a tiring 1st day in Tokyo I decided to slow the pace down a bit. I slept in til about 9 a.m. and decided to check out Harajuku and Shibuya today. Leaving the Harajuku train station was a bit weird. Apparently on Sundays the local teens dress up in gothic and anime costumes to display to the public how weird or original they are. One group had “Free Hugs” signs so I played my part and gave them all hugs. I took a few more pics with them and moved on to the Meijie-Jingu Shrine. It was situated well behind a serene lush forest setting. A traditional shrine it resembles what is relic of old Japan in modern Tokyo. The first thing that caught my attention were the wide tall wooden entry gates. The entry to the shrine had a water fountain that allowed guests to wash their hands and mouth before entering. I did so and proceeded in. The place wasn’t very big. It resembled small temple. There wasn’t much to see there. I followed what the locals did, prayed and moved along.

Outside the shrine I talked to a group of protesters campaigning against cluster bombs. They wanted to group together and take a picture with people laying on the ground to represent the dead victims. I volunteered and did my part. CMC was the name of the group. Hopefully I’ll see my picture on their site.

I headed south towards Shibuya where along the way I stopped through an outdoor flea market. I was starving at this point and wanted something quick to eat. I found some sort of chow mein noodle dish that looked good. After a quick bite I realized that the vendor was wrong about his definition of “delicious.” I couldn’t get past the mayonnaise on top of the noodles. I at half of it and moved onto something else. I found som Yakitori (BBQ skewered chicken) that was good and was content for a little bit. I continued walking through the market and ended up at some sort of kid convention. I tried to take pictures but was silently denied by the ushers .

After some more walking around I ended up in the upscale Omote-Sando area of Harajuku. This must be the ritziest shopping district in Tokyo. The streets were lined with shops like Armani, Louis Voutton and other Italian designers whom sound cooler than they are. I just casually walked through in my T-shirt and jeans as if I didn’t belong there. I bought a few souvenir shirts at the lower end section of Harajuku and headed back to the hotel for a nap. After a quick nap I headed over to Shibuya to check out the night life. The Lonely Planet suggested on anime store called Mandarake. I wanted to get my sister a stuffed animal so I went in search. As soon as I got to Shibuya I was immediately lost. I found the 4-way crossing that is shown in all the movies but when I tried to find the side street it turned out I was off by about 15 blocks. I was stumbling through dark alleys for roughly 20 mins trying to circumnavigate the train station and any Yakuza in the area. I found the store after about an hour and was impressed by its collection of anime DVDs. Wall to wall were Manga toys and movies. I however didn’t find a suitable stuffed animal.

After walking around for so long I was hungry and tired. I wanted to try some sushi. I found a grocery store at the train station and bought a lunch box of sushi. That was a bad idea. The salmon was smoked and the rice tasted a little sour. Regardless I finished it and headed back to the hotel to end the day. First taste of Sushi not so good. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.

It’s been a long week in China. I’m battling a small cold or something along that line. It may have been from the smog in Shanghai or all of the cigarette smoke I inhaled at the train station coming to and from Hangzhou. It’s been raining the last couple of days so that only makes it worse. I complete my flight to Tokyo this morning is rather quick fashion. The flight was a quick 2 hour hop and skip from Shanghai to Tokyo.

Last night in Shanghai was fun. I had dinner with a friend I met travelling last year (Mao Yong) and a coworker from the office (Yun Wu). Yun was cute and I could tell she was a little nervous about her English. It didn’t help that Mao and I only spoke in English. I learned a little Mandarin that night but if asked what I learned in a few weeks I would say I don’t remember. I’m going to try to keep in touch with both of them. This finally gives me a reason to learn Chinese.

Getting to Japan was a breeze. I was in and out of the airport in about 30 mins. I had no idea how to get to the hotel so I asked around with the information desk. The easiest way was by bus but it ran about $30. The cheapest way was the Kesei Train. With a transfer at Nippori station (not easy) I was at my hotel in about an hour and 45 minutes. The Shinjuku Station in Tokyo was insane! Reportedly 2 million people pass through that station per day. I now know why Tokyo is a bustling city. Looking around and observing the culture I see that fashion here is more inherent than anywhere I’ve ever been. The girls all dress provocatively in schoolgirl stockings and knee high boots. It’s a little hard to not be distracted. I found out last night about the term “Office Ladies.” Apparently they account for 90% of the fashion bought in Tokyo. They are the women who work but still live at home with their parents. Instead of paying rent they spend all their money on themselves. Regardless. Japanese women do know how to make themselves noticeable.

The Hotel Sunroute Plaza is pretty nice. The lobby is really modern. My only complaint is the room is really tiny. There’s not too much space to walk around. It does have an LCD screen and free Internet so I can’t really complain. After checking in I went in search of an ATM. I found a few but for some reason my withdrawal kept getting rejected. After a phone call to Wells Fargo they told me I was trying to withdraw $3000 instead of $300. So after I was on the phone for about 30 mins. everything was cleared. My conversion rate math was apparently off by a 1-digit.

It was off to find food after getting sufficient funds. The Lonely Planet suggested a Sri Lankan restaurant call “The Court Lodge” I went there and enjoyed their local beer and some chicken curry. It was really good. My hosts Ajith and Dulip were pretty nice to talk to. They gave me some good tips about Tokyo. I told them I’d be back before my trip was over. Next stop. The Roppingi district of Tokyo.

Roppongi is probably the hip spot to be at night. Filled with boutiques and fancy restaurants the Roppongi reminds me of the City Walk at Universal City. Bright lights, modern architecture encompass the walkway to Roppongi Hills. After walking around for about 30 mins I was dead tired and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.