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This page NEW in September 2004 Click on the pics to enlarge Even though we woke up LATE and got there at 7:30am, the Tokyo Fish Market-- the world's largest wholesale market-- was STILL hustling and bustling with people and all kinds of strange seafood! The warehouse is ENORMOUS, in addition to the TUNA!
After the Fish Market, we ate at one of the tiny restaurants adjacent to it. We made friends with Jiro, whose family has owned this tiny Unagi restaurant for 150 years. He taught us all kinds of Japanese phrases, gave us tips on places to go and not to go, and asked us to sign the 2nd volume of his tourist log book. What a unique guy and fun restaurant!
After dodging our way past the wholesalers fish tractors and wandering through Hama Rikyu Gardens, we made our way to the Asakusa district, where we wandered through the park. Dave checks out his fortune:
Luckily, he liked it, so he didn't have to tie it on the wire to void it, like these school kids did:
We happened upon this Japanese parade. I like the crane hats. Good Halloween costume idea!
We were lucky to visit Tokyo during one of their sumo tournaments, which only occurs 3 times a year. There's a lot of ritual involved with each match; the object is to push your opponent out of the ring, by shoving, slapping, tripping, or throwing. Not easy to do if you each weigh over 300 pounds!!
Another highlight was the Akihabara district, a gadget geek's paradise... department stores have 12 FLOORS of computers, printers, cell phones, stereo equipment, EVERYTHING ELECTRONIC!
We also took a day trip to Nikko, home of the Tokugawa empire. This shrine is spectacular because it is set among a magnificent Japanese cedar grove, with lots of historic buildings and stone lanterns.
After Nikko, we visited Kegon waterfall, beautiful to view from above, and if you have time, you can also take a elevator ride all the way to the bottom of it, too!
After navigating the Tokyo trains and subways for 3 days, we had to visit the Transportation Museum. It was crowded with kids, but Dave managed to bully his way to the conductor's seat!
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