Day 19: Tsukiji, Triton Square, Tsukishima
Day 19: Tsukiji, Triton Square, Tsukishima
31 May 2017
Right, here goes then. Last full day blog entry from Japan itself.
Up stupid stupid early in Ginza so we could walk to Tsukiji fish market and see it in full swing. It was winding down when went round it last time with Miki San and it looked really interesting but go early or go home seems to be the moral of the story.
Easier to walk than sod around on the tube but still a twenty minute route march first thing in the morning. Still, there are always people having a worse day than you...
(We checked and everyone was fine by the way. Both drivers were out and checking over the vehicles when we got there).
Passed the big Kabuki theatre on the way which does seem genuinely impressive but has shades of the opera in the UK: a bit expensive and you probably won't know what the heck is going on unless you're a fan. If anyone would like to pay to disabuse me of this notion however I'm more than willing to learn!
After a ten day camel hike we rocked up at the market at about 7am. Looked round as much as we could as you can't get into the main market until 10am unless you get super lucky and get one of the few guided tours at even stupider o'clock. By 10am it would be winding down though so it's not an easy game to win this.
Once you get past the outer market it's absolute organised chaos with electric mini carts scooting about everywhere at high speed delivering stuff. No wonder they don't let tourists into the main part as it'd be carnage. The things are pretty much silent so you wouldn't know you were in danger of being mown down until the last second. The drivers look like they know what they're doing though and I'm sure they would avoid you. Probably.
Determined to tick off another item on the bucket list we were determined to eat at a proper sushi restaurant and you couldn't find ones with access to fresher fish than here. We mooched around until we found a place where a) you could get in b) they had plates of sushi that were relatively affordable. It was breakfast on the last full day after all so dropping £60-£70 wasn't really on the cards - although we could easily have spent more than that in some places. If we could have got in that is.
Eventually we found a likely candidate, got sat down and ordered two heaving plates of what was, at least compared to anything I've had before, superb sushi, make expertly and incredibly quickly. I watched the chef for ages in complete fascination. His hands must be Teflon coated as the rice never once stuck to them. A real lesson. When I make sushi, even if I wash my hands in the vingar mix, I still end up with as much on my hands as on the plate. The difference between a professional and an enthusiastic amateur I suppose.
As so many times on this holiday, stuffed with food we finished walking about the market proper then investigated the local shops again. Loads of great stuff and very helpful staff (learned the difference between a chawan and a teacup for a start). However I still don't get why some of the big shops don't take cards. I understand market stalls and small shops but even some pretty major sized places are still cash only. It does seem a bit shortsighted given the world will descend in three years and you're much more likely to spend if you can put it on your card. Anyway, can't see it changing anytime soon, so cash it is.
Went off it a different direction than the previous evening, primarily to find a Daiso store and ended up in Triton Square shopping centre. Very much not a tourist spot - we saw absolutely not one other western person in the entire place. Sitting having a rest and quick drink we said Konnichiwa to a load of cute preschool kids and their care staff and got a load of enthusiastic Konnichiwas back, especially from the obligatory naughty two at the back! There's always two and they are always at the back. We wished their teenage carer good luck!
Bought all of Daiso. Then Tracey went back and bought it again. Love Daiso - no wonder the guy who founded it is a billionaire.
Pootled around Triton Square itself for a bit which is an immaculate terrace and was full of people reading and eating lunch. Highly recommended if you want a nice place to eat some bento if you are in the area.
After this we went off at a random tangent for an explore. Went past countless restaurants full of mid-teenage school kids who were packing them out to the rafters and having lunch. High spirited in places but incredibly well behaved. I'd love to say that a restaurant full of UK kids would be as responsible and impeccably behaved in such large groups.
Half an hour of this aimless wandering and we chanced across Tsukishima and its covered market steet. This really really needs to be on the tourist map. It's a whole shopping street/arcade/bunch of shops with a huge variery of restaurants, again many packed with school kids. We spent quite a bit of time and checked out all the shops. Too full of sushi at this point to want to eat anything however we marked it down to revisit later for our last evening meal of the trip.
Long rambling circuitous route back toward Ginza, stopping off to visit the huge Honganji Temple in Tsukiji. This is related to the temple in Kyoto near where we stayed so it seemed fitting to pay it a reciprocal visit*. Nice conversation with the guide at the door and he said that we could go and watch the ceremony being conducted at the front by the priest for a local family. All very interesting. No clue what was going on but interesting nonetheless.
Much more partially directionless bumbling about Ginza followed this. Found a memorial to Chirori, the first Therapy Dog in Japan. Teared up a bit. Perhaps there was a bit of dust in my eye or similar. Not at all to do with getting soppy in my old age.
Passed the Louis Vuitton shop/fortress again on the way back. What's with the range of luggage based on old masters!? Is it just because the art work is copyright free? Lazy, so….
Eventually we got back to the hotel and got packing ready for tomorrow. Got one case just under the limit and one slightly over. Baggage allowance is two cases each so we might get away with one slightly heavy one. Otherwise excess baggage here we come. Spolier alert: no we absolutely did not get away with it. You get 35kg across two bags but neither can be more than 23kg. We did manage to repack into carrier bags though to avoid the excess charge. Not at all stressful.
Ventured out again later for our last evening meal in Japan. Meandered back to Tsukishima for okonomiyaki (which after a week of calling it increasingly random things Tracey could now pronounce after being threatened with not being allowed to eat things she can't say!) Slight detour to buy melonpan on the way as the smell was utterly irresistible. Tracey needs to learn to make this - it's bloody amazing!
Decided on a fantastic restaurant called Moheji and had an awesome last meal made for us at our table. Properly well done and hugely instructional. Will 100% definitely be giving this another go at home now we've tried a few different types. Thanked our teenage ‘chef’ profusely in horrible Japanese for making our last meal in Japan so well. I did not get misty eyed. At all. No, you shut up.
Long, rather wistful walk back to the hotel.
Once we were back at base we had a last, absolutely the last, "please god stop it now" repack while watching Japanese TV, drinking sake and eating the melonpan. Lots of stuff about cats on one channel which was much better than last night's televisual offering and included a segment featuring a member of staff from the Campy Bar we'd seen a few nights ago in Shinjuku! 46 year old transvestite and his two furry cats. There's an inappropriate joke in there somewhere but I honestly just don't have the energy.
So.
Last night here. Early start to get a taxi to the airport in the morning.
Thank you Japan. It's been an incredible, wonderful, life changing experience. We will be back!
Bucket list. Well and truly checked.
It's all been rather lovely.
Chris and Tracey
* Actually that's a lie. I thought it was a museum as I hadn't bothered to read the signs. Still, it sounded better to make it look like we knew what we were doing.
Overview
Hotel
Food
- Sushi and tea for breakfast
- Okonomiyaki, sake and beer
Overview
Food
- Sushi and tea for breakfast
- Okonomiyaki, sake and beer