Konichiwa Japan!

The Subway Map

Fish Markets

After our trip to Fiji it was Jared's turn to pick our next holiday. So we were off to Japan for some skiing after our trip home for Christmas. We flew ANA airlines from DC to Tokyo across the North Pole and somehow got upgraded to business class...our own cubicles, flat beds, the works! If only we could afford that every time.

We arrived in Tokyo airport and stepped right onto a bullet train for the city and in particular, Tokyo Station. When we stepped off in Tokyo Station we were immediately engulfed in the heavy traffic of what seemed to be everyone in the city all late for their trains. We literally couldn't find a place to stand out of the way in order to take out our subway map and figure out which train and what gate we needed to go....and if you saw Japan's subway system it would make your head spin. The great thing is that they have the best subway system in the world! The bad thing is you have to figure out how to use it. We just stood there for awhile as if the answer would magically jump off the page or we would all of a sudden just get it...hmmm. Finally, we headed to the customer counter hoping that someone would be able to point us in the right direction if we showed them our hotel confirmation. We lucked out. But then we had to get the tickets from the machines...hmmm, maybe if we watch other people we will figure it out? And so goes our first day.

But by the next day we had our bearings and were having no trouble navigating the subways and maps and soon we were hitting up all the sights:

• Tsukiji Fish Markets - We were very excited for the "must see" fish markets in Tokyo. Unfortunately we missed our alarm to arrive for the 5am Tuna auction (go figure) but managed to role out of bed around 8am and the markets were still thriving. We were walking along afraid that we would not be able to find them when we all of a sudden hit upon them and there was no mistake...a frenzy of wall to wall stalls and people haggling over the fish with more lines of people looking to get some hot noodles or sushi. It was fascinating and went on for blocks. But then it got even better...next up was a huge building of wholesale fish markets. There was fresh fish right off the boats and fisherman at every station cutting them up. Almost anything you could want; squid, octopus, you name it. There was more lines of stations every time we turned the corner. It was a sight to see.


• Starbucks - Yes, I know. It doesn't sound like a tourist destination. But the one thing I refuse to do is eat sushi for breakfast. So thank god for Starbucks in Japan! (slightly different but I recommend the ginger vanilla latte) This was a daily ritual for us.


• Ginza - a very high end shopping district where we even stopped in at the Sony Store to see their latest and greatest including 3D tvs.


• Imperial Palace - An impressive lot but we unfortunately did not see much. Instead we walked probably 6k around the moat and walled palace....starving.


• Maid Cafe - The Japanese seem to love dress up and themed restaurants. Jared heard of the maid cafes so we had to check them out. The waitresses all dress up as maids and call you master. It turned out actually quite creepy though and I wouldn't recommend it. Not to mention that the food wasn't very good either.


• Ueno Park - As it was coming dark we took a stroll through beautiful Ueno park with tree lined sidewalks, massive pond, and temples and pagodas all lit up.


• Ameyoko Arcade Markets - Its amazing how every time you come across a market in Japan it is absolutely packed. We could barely walk down the street let alone stop to look at any of the cheap souvenir shops that lined the street. This is when you feel like there is really 12million people in Tokyo (compared to 8m in NYC).

We might have slightly overdid it that day but we finished up with some great Tempura at a local Japanese restaurant before hitting the hay. We made it through our first day in Japan!