Something fishy

Early in the morning, we took the subway to the Tsukuji Market (Fish market). We wandered around the stalls, dodged the motorized carts,  gawking at fish and seafood.  Swimming squid, octopus tentacles, tuna heads, and eel. They had it all. We walked toward the small food stands nearby and lined up outside of one of many.  Not being able to read anything, we picked one with a long line and relatively few gaijin.  It paid off: a breakfast of the freshest sushi possible, pieced together by a chef whose movements fell into a steady rhythm, served with miso soup with mussels and tea.

We walked over to the nearby Hamarikyu-teien (Detached Palace Garden).  There were a few cherry blossoms out, but the main attraction was the large pond with small islands and connecting bridges.  Surrounded by Tokyo skyscrapers, t seemed so quiet.  A friendly Japanese woman approached us and asked us where we were from. When we told her that we were going to Kyoto, she was very excited. "My favorite city," she said.  From the garden, we took the Suijo bus (river bus) up the Sumida River.  Traveling under several bridges, we ended up in Asakusa, across from the mysterious gold sculpture sitting atop a building.

Swimming squid, octopus tentacles, tuna heads, and eel. They had it all.

Asakusa is filled with shops selling traditional wares to non-Tokyoites (Japanese and foreigners).  At the end of the maze of shops is Senso-Ji, a Buddhist temple.  The place is packed full of tourists and those offering prayers.  The temple is surrounded by a small garden, various statues, and a five-story pagoda.  On our way to the temple, we stopped off to slurp up some freshly made soba noodles.

Later in the afternoon we took the subway to Ueno Park, home to Tokyo's museums, zoo, and cherry blossom trees.  This was our first look at hanami on a grand scale. Businessmen with their shoes lined up along the blue mats laid out under the trees were already downing beer at 3:30pm.  Other families brought their own tables (and nice ones, too) with bento boxes and picnic blankets.  All ages were out enjoying the sakura.  We could see why. The trees only bloom for a short time and it was a beautiful day, low 50s and very sunny. The paths were lined with the huge trees exploding with pale flowers.

In the evening, we caught the train to Shinjuku, where we ate at Ibuki, a restaurant serving sukiyaki and shoba shoba.  That's it.  They do it well too. A well-seasoned pot/saute pan is brought to the table and heated with a large chunk of beef fat.  After searing the pan with the fat, the vegetables (leeks, mushrooms, cabbage and chrysanthemum) are added, then the meat, then the tofu. The waitress then sprinkles several spoonfuls of sugar ("many sugars," she explained) over the meat and vegetables, before pouring fish stock into the pan.  We then took out the various pieces of cooked meat and vegetables, dipping each into a small bowl of whisked raw egg.  It was delicious. It was hard to top the sushi at the fish market, but the sukiyaki at Ibuki made it a close call.  The staff was painfully friendly, showing us how to make the sukiyaki and even complimenting Kristin on her broken Japanese.

After dinner we wandered around Shinjuku (an area every bit as bright and dizzying as Shibuya). After seeing an unfortunate man on a motorcycle hit by a taxi, we wandered into the Golden Gai, an area of tiny alleys lined with tinier bars, each maybe the size of our kitchen or smaller and serving four to seven people.  We each had a drink and a little cup of what tasted like slightly off white cheddar popcorn at Bar Plastic Model. Here, Cory managed to make a fool of himself by spilling a small glass of Japanese beer. That, plus the language barrier, made for a poor start. Then once locals started crowding in, we really felt out of place, despite the Super Mario Brothers  playing on a small television and the Rubic's cube sitting on the bar.  We got the feeling that the real party started after we left.  It was still an experience worth trying.  It was, after all, our last night in Tokyo.