Here we are in Tokyo! After enjoying our final journey on the Bullet Train, next to a small Japanese man eating his pungent Bento Box. Bento Boxes are basically a Japanese packed lunch, which usually consists of Sushi, Rice Cake and maybe some pickled veg.
We witnessed our first proper rain on our second day in Tokyo but weren't deterred and decided to paddle our way to Ueno Zoo. The Zoo has over 500 species on exhibit, including Mouse Deer, the smallest deer in the world, Red Pandas, Shoe billed Cranes, Aye Ayes and the Giant Japanese Salamander, which is very rarely seen in Japan and is on the decline rapidly due to habit changes.
We have come across the most amazing road in Japan, for us ex caterers anyway! 'Kappa bashi-dori' is a Kilometre in length and is solid catering shops on either side of the street! Everything is sold there from Cast Iron pans, giant deep fat fryers, chop sticks and plastic food! Plastic food is used in a majority of the restaurants over here, to display the menu in the window! It sounds odd but believe me its so realistic your mouth waters at the sight of it!
The Japanese love packaging! We are , as you known a budget and most of you that know me, know I need a regular dose of chocolate to make my day run smoothly! The chocolate bars look great at first, good sized bar of chocolate but when you pick it up it is buried under a loose layer of cardboard, which fools those vulnerable chocoholics into believing the bar to be some what larger than it actually is! Very disappointing!! In fact everything is triply wrapped in plastic over here!
It doesn't figure that the Japanese have no public bins! You walk down the street after consuming a disappointingly small chocolate bar and between two of you, you are left with copious amounts of packaging and no where to put it!! Madness!
The futuristic Island of Odaiba can be reached by Monorail from the mainland, giving good views across Tokyo bay. This is the home to Fuji T.V. Headquarters, a vast building with a huge silver sphere elevated in the centre. We visited in early evening and as the sun began to set the buildings all came alive with neon lights! Toyota's Mega Web is there, which exhibits all their latest designs and ideas, quite incredible and frightening! To think that we all might be going to Tescos in a motorised pod within a few years!!
The Japanese don't appear to be huge animal lovers, unlike us in the UK! But we did, that evening, stumble across yet another unusual sight! Firstly there were a lot of prams about as we wandered to the shopping mall, but upon closer inspection the buggies weren't prams they were doggie buggies!!
Specially designed for that pampered pooch in your life?!! Here lay the Japanese passion!
Dinky dogs! The Japanese love Daxons (sausage dogs) , Pugs, Shiatsu and poodles and this shopping mall had doggie clothing/food stores galore! We had never seen anything like it! Poodles with leather boots! Daxons in denim dungarees and Pugs in studded leather jackets, even owner and dog in matching outfits, absolutely hilarious!! You do feel like you are in a parallel universe! Especially when you see the gourmet food for doggies counter and the food there looks nicer than what you have been eating for the past week!!
Tsukiji Fish market was a must see for us whilst in Tokyo. It is the largest wholesale fish market in the world. We managed to get there for 5am to witness all the best fish on display, we are crazy I know, but it was worth it! It is a hive of activity, hundreds of fish carts motoring about, you really have to have your wits about you! There are huge auction rooms where the floor is just covered with massive Tuna,weighing up to 300hg each, quite a site! They have large band saws that they cut any frozen tuna with and the largest sword like knifes that they delicately chop the fresh Tuna with. There were a huge variety of fish for sale, including the poisonous Fugu Fish!
You cant drag yourself out of bed at 4.30am to go to the most famous fish market in the world and not follow it up with a sushi breakfast! We were determined to stick with tradition and do as the locals do, so we found a Sushi bar next to the market. We were hurried in by two waitresses to our seats, the animated chef in front of you and a small rickety conveyor belt chugs past with a variety of the freshest sushi on it! We helped ourselves to Green Tea and began sampling the sushi, we opted for Salmon, Prawn, Squilla (type of king prawn),Octopus, Albacore Tuna and finely sliced Scallop, divine! Just melted in the mouth! If you want to spice your sushi up, there is sliced stem ginger on tap, so tasty, and as with most Sushi the rice base has a smudge of Wasabi paste on it, which certainly clears the nasal passages in the morning!
Next we headed up the Tokyo Tower, which stands at 333m tall, 9 m taller than the Eiffel Tower. The weather was clear and views went on for miles! You could faintly see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Got to be done if you visit Japan.
Last night out in Japan and we visit the famous 'Rappongi Hills' no this isn't as it sounds. The Rappongi Hills is in fact the name of a vast sky scraper, which was 17 years in the making! It has 1 million visitors through the doors every weekend!! The architect who designed it wanted to improve peoples quality of urban life by centralising home, work and leisure into a microcosm of a city! Yes this IS the future!!! They actually give guided tours of this vast cultural complex, which also houses offices, cinemas, museums, hotels, a t.v. Broadcasting station, 230 shops and restaurants and homes!! This would be one of the must sees on your list when visiting Japan, its mind blowing!!
Japan is a MUST see for one and all! Its the most refreshing culture! The landscapes and cityscapes are so vast, the food so alien, but a delight!! But mostly visit Japan for its people, they will welcome you with open arms and make your stay even more special!
Japan, we love you!!
Singapore here we come!!
