The Sun is Setting On Our Trip
August 9, 2018
We began the morning by heading over the the famous fish market of Tokyo, Tsukiji. This market is most famous for it’s tuna auction which you have a small chance to witness if you get up at 3am to join the line, and even then you likely won’t get a spot. Despite hearing that it is a really cool experience, we decided it wasn’t for us and would be happy to wake up at a normal time and just walk the market instead. We strolled around the very packed market stalls.
There was a part for mostly tourists to get food and wander around, and then a commercial portion where we dodged the motorized delivery carts, taking coolers of fresh fish straight from the market to be delivered or sent off to local restaurants. We found a crowded line to a sushi spot that closes when they run out of fish for the day. We knew this was the place where we would wait to eat. After about an hour wait, we finally got in and it was well worth the wait. We went with the chef’s recommendations and were served some of the most incredible fish we could imagine. There were plenty of options we had never heard of and all were incredibly prepared right in front of us. We could really get used to this quality of fish back home!
The craft of preparing sushi.
After a very filling lunch, we made our way back toward out hotel to meet up with Chuck’s cousin Julie and her son, Harry. When Uncle Phil heard we would be there at the same time, he made sure to get us in contact and we were glad we could meet them. What a fun way to meet new family!
Next up, we headed to the government building which has an observatory level. After a pretty long line, we headed up and were glad we waited. We could see the views all around the city and it was a fairly clear evening. It also gave a pretty good perspective of just how huge and packed the city it! We saw the sunset and then headed off to another dinner. At this small ramen spot, the line formed directly behind the seats at the counter, which was a good sign the food would be tasty and as usual, it was. On our way back, we stopped in the Harajuku neighborhood, which is another bustling, brightly lit, and chaotic neighborhood. We walked through a few streets, took in the chaos, and called it a night!
