Tsukiji Fish Market
Numerous stations thoughout the facility
All kinds of fish
Lunch location
Imperial Palace -we worked hard to get this shot
Entering the East Gate of Imperial Palace
Tokyo Dome
Interesting food selections at game
Cheerleaders at Game
Fans in constant participation
Overview of stadium
Postgame interview
Final score
Shinjuku
Busy night streets in Shinjuku
Final full-day in Tokyo. I woke up feeling surprisingly good after the long hike from yesterday. A little soar in the legs - but not too bad all considering. We all slept in a bit this morning and started the day around 9am.
First stop - the Tsukiji Fish Market. This is the busiest fish market in the world and handles 90 percent of all the fish consumed in Japan. Unbelievable! It's located near the downtown pier in Toyko in a huge oudoor warehouse facility. We were able to walk the floors and see the different processing stations. Shellfish, tuna, eels, salmon - you name it, it was here. We had arrived around 11am. The stations were entering the packaging phase of the day. The day generally gets started around 3am for the market. A big tuna auction takes place around 5:30am. The number of workers dedicated to this business is astonishing. Small delivery lifts constantly move throughout the facility. Countless coolers are everywhere.
After our tour, we decided to stop for lunch near the market. We had probably the freshest sushi we will ever have in our lives. I really enjoy susui - and this was exceptional. I had the fresh tuna - made up of 4 different kinds. The seared tuna was my favorite.
Next stop for the day - the Imperial Palace. Located about a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo metro stop, the grounds of the Imperial Palace are massive. This was the former residence of the emporer of Japan. A moat surrounds the stone-walled enclosed palace grounds. The perimeter is literally miles in length. The public is restricted from the main part of the grounds, but the East Garden is accessible to visitors. We went in for a long walk around the complex. Really interesting to see. Much of the original grounds have been destroyed due to fire. But the photos of the previous residence clearly create a picture of the elegance and significance of the area.
After the Imperial Palace we headed back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes in preparation for our next item on the agenda - a professional Japanese baseball game at the Tokyo Dome. We saw the Yomiuri Giants play the Hanshin Tigers. Randy, Wendy and I are all huge baseball fans and thought it would be really fun to see a game while in Japan. There are a lot of famous players in the US to come out of Japan - with Ichiro Suzuki being the biggest name. We took the N-line metro which stopped right at the Dome. As we exited the underground metro - the Dome appeared in front of us. We bought a $23 ticket on site, located in the upper deck, but behind home plate. Going to this game was an excellent decision. Wow! Let's just lay out some major differences between Japan baseball and the US. #1 - fan participation. The entire game, there were chants and a band playing. It had a similar atmosphere to an international soccer match. There were cheerleaders, beer vendors carrying kegs of beer on their backs, and food choices galore (sushi, noodles, the common hot dog/burger, nachos, ec). They had no bullpen for relief pitchers to warm up. They just stood on the side of the field tossing the ball. After the game,they have an immediate press conference on the field with the stars of the game. They put up a quick stage and interview the players. Then, the players are escorted around the field on carts. The atmosphere was somewhere between a playoff game and opening day in the states. NOTE - this was a Tuesday night regular season game between 2 below average teams. Unreal stuff! We couldn't have been more happy to have gone to the game. A lot of fun was had and an experience you can't get elsewhere.
After the game,we took the metro back to the Shinjuku Station. We wanted to see the big lights and flare of the busy Japansese streets at night. Check this off the list. Wow - endless activity! My thoughts coming into the trip about the busy nightlife were confirmed. Times Square++. We ended up walking around for an hour or so and were close enough to walk back to our hotel.
A great final day in Tokyo. We got a glimpse of the history (Imperial Palace), the economic stability (Tsukii Fish Market) and the social flare (baseball game and nightlife) of this incredibly efficient, non-stop city.
No comments:
Post a Comment