Our time in Tokyo before we break into our host cities is running short so I ventured out in the early morning again to catch the auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market (just a couple of subway stops away from our hotel). By the time we arrived (at around 5:30 am), the workers were busy setting up their stalls with the fish they had just bought that morning and setting that day's prices. 
We missed the tuna auction but caught an auction for some other type of frozen fish. Tourists aren't allowed into the back room where the auctions take place but we can observe from the door. The market is extremely busy (almost got ran over a couple times) and we were totally in their way. I'm sure many of them get annoyed with having their photographs taken every day.
After spending quite a bit of time in the market, we made our way to the side streets lined by stalls selling shirts, rubber boots, fish products, etc. We stopped at a nearby restaurant for a sushi breakfast. The line was long and we figured that it must be worth the wait since we saw many Japanese standing in line. Breakfast was a set meal consisting of 10 pieces of sashimi plus miso soup with baby clams. It was the best (and freshest) sushi I've ever had. Although it was delicious, we felt pressured to eat quickly since the restaurant was so tiny and could seat only about 10 people at a time. 
After our morning fish market adventure, we attended the morning seminar on Peace Education. The speakers were an A-Bomb survivor and the daughter of a survivor who was also a teacher from Hiroshima. The A-bomb survivor spoke eloquently about the need for peace and forgiveness...he conveyed a genuine message of hope and friendship between the U.S. and Japan. What struck me most was how many people have been touched by WW II in some way...many of the American teachers had grandparents who were war veterans and were so moved by his compassion and forgiveness. It was a special experience to witness this. 
Our last session for the day was on Kabuki theater, a little more serious than Kyogen (which I wrote about earlier in the week). After a brief host city orientation, I had dinner in Harajuku at Fujimamas, an Asian fusion restaurant recommended in my guidebook. It was really good and a nice break from hotel food. We then browsed in Kiddy Land, a store that sells "character" items (Hello Kitty, Totoro, etc.). It's a huge store with 4 floors of purses, pencils, pillows, lunch boxes, stuffed animals all adorned with popular Japanese "characters"..I'm surprised by how popular this stuff is with not just kids, but adults. Although tempting, I didn't buy anything.
1 comment:
when you visited harajuku, did you see those crazy fashionistas that are stereotypical to that place? (crazy multicolored hair, crazy clothing)?
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