Tokyo

Day 1: Tsukiji, Ginza, Edo Castle, Tokyo Station and Shinjuku

We got up at the crack of dawn to hit Tsukiji Fish Market. Apparently we did not get up early enough. We missed the tuna auction but still made it in time to see the hustle and bustle of the fish market which supplies fresh fish and seafood to Tokyo and a significant portion of Japan. We saw all sorts of sea creatures - some of them were truly grotesque looking - and huge tuna fish with heads as big as my own. Then we grab breakfast. Ankur got some sandwiches and ate it outside the restaurant that Kumi and I picked to have sashimi don buri. He reminded me of a sad puppy who couldn't go in with his owner to a store - those who did not eat could not sit inside the restaurant, a tiny place with only about 10 seats along a bar. It was definitely the earliest I've ever had raw fish - 8:30am! I guess it was dinner time at home in NYC. I feasted on sake (salmon), scallops, crab and maguro (tuna) while Kumi feasted on uni (sea urchin) and toro (fatty tuna).

We walked through Ginza, Tokyo's answer to Fifth Avenue, but it was still early and the stores were not open. Thus, we made our way to Edo (Tokyo) Castle, the Imperial Palace, but the palace gardens just so happened to have been closed. It was Friday and we did not read the guide book closely enough to realize it was open Mondays and Fridays. Nonetheless, from the outer garden, we still caught a fantastic view of Edo Castle.

We walked through Marunochi and passed by the Tokyo Interational Forum, an impressive glass and steel structure with a busy outdoor arcade area with food trucks serving foods from around the world. We had lunch at Tokyo Station with Kumi's friend Kaki, but not before walking through the entire station looking for his office building, Sepia Tower. The station was massive and undergoind construction.

After lunch, we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, where we saw an exhibit by Japanese-Brazilian artist Oscar Oiwa. The main attractions of the exhibit, Dreams of a Sleeping World, were several paintings with brightly-colored flowers painted over a depressingly chaotic world full of war and destruction, inspired by the atrocities of 9/11, Iraq, among other current events.

After grabbing dessert at the cutest Japanese bakery, we headed to Shinjuku. Shinjuku was loud, busy and chaotic. It's streets were brightly light with neon lights everywhere, putting the lights in Times Square to shame. I discovered that Japan had Gap too, as well as Banana Republic. But it was Japanese stores like Beams that attracted us the most. Kumi and I sat inside Beams while Ankur shopped, liked tired husbands. It's been a long day (we started at 6am). We met with another one of Kumi's friends for dinner. We made Japanese pancakes of cabbage, egg and other fillings. It was yummy and fun. I also tried some bubbly Japanese liquor that was light but potent. It was mixed with juice and tasted more like soda than cocktail. Delicious but dangerous.

Day 2: Mister Donut, Asakasa, Asakajuban, Roppongji Hill and Shibuya

Since having my first Mister Donut experience in Taipei last summer, I've been craving another Mister Donut donut. Their original donuts are light, delicate and chewy - simply incredible. Ankur did not believe me until we had some for breakfast. Kumi and I also had taka balls - little balls filled with octopus which I absolutely love. Also something I became addicted to after my trip to Taipei last summer. It was a good morning.

It was a rainy and dreary day, but nonetheless, we braved the weather and went out to Asakasa to visit Senso-ji, one of Tokyo's temples. The temple had a lively market selling all sorts of snacks and crafts. The rain did not deter the hoards of worshippers and visitors. We had to weave through the heavy crowds (many of them locals enjoying Golden Week, a Japanese holiday), we made it to the temple. Senso-ji was a beautiful red and gold-colored temple, with a 5-story pagoda. After paying our respects, we snacked on noodles and chocolate covered bananas.

We wanted to shop for some trendy Japanese fashion in the tiny boutiques of Asakajuban but once we got there, we never found where the stores were located. Thus, we gave up and walked to Roppongi Hill where we were impressed by the Mori Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo. We went up to the 52nd floor to the Mori Art Museum where we also got amazing 360 degree views of the whole city. The Mori had an exhibit on the artwork of the finalists of the Turner Prize for promising, young British artists, hosted by the Tate in London. The artwork was edgy and innovative. We saw a mother and baby cow cut in half and preserved in formaldehyde (from Damien Hirst, who preserved a Great White Shark for the Sensation exhibit that caused a stir at the Brooklyn Art Museum when I was in high school) as well as paintings that incorporated elephant dung by Chris Ofili.

We went to Shibuya for dinner with another of Kumi's friends. We exited the Shibuya station to the craziness that is the 6-way intersection at Shibuya. Thousands of people were out and about. Even Timese Square at night can't quite compare. That night, we went to an izakaya where we tried a range of small Japanese dishes including sashimi, crab salad, zaru soba, tamago and more. It was a delicious meal like everything else we've tried in Japan.

Day 3: Harajuku and Yoyogi

Ankur and I survived my last day in Tokyo without Kumi somehow but it was definitely confusing without a Japanese-speaker as our awesome guide. Who would have guessed that Yoyogi Goen would be by Harajuku instead of Yoyogi? We literally wandered around Meiji Jingu Goen forever looking for Yoyogi Goen - twice in fact, and then only found it quite accidently. We wanted to see Yoyogi Goen for the "free entertainment" promised by Lonely Planet. Aspiring bands set up and perform for free here on Sundays. While Ankur was not impressed by the bands at Yoyogi, he really appreciated the spirit of things. It really did feel like all of Tokyo had decended upon Harajuku yesterday and lots of cute couples and families were in the park picnicking with their beautiful bento boxes. I guess Sundays must be a big day there. Oh, and we even witnessed two weddings at Meiji Jingu temple, inside the park!! The kimonos were so lovely. But we are not quite sure why the costume gang in Harajuku ranked #2 in the Tokyo Encounters book. There were some on Jingu Bashi but not that many. I took a picture with one gang and Ank did too with another. So I ended up with a lot of yen left and thus, was a total sucker for all the mochi being sold at Narita airport. I got to Narita with only an hour and 20 minutes before my flight and the check-in line was super long so I thought I would not have time buy any, but the Japanese were just too efficient and I ended up with enough time to hit not just one, but two mochi stores. Yes, needless to say, I will be quite well stocked for a while. I miss Japan already. And my Air Nippon flight might have been the best flight I've ever taken. I am not sure I can go back to flying American airlines. I had my own little tv even for the short 3.5 hour flight to Beijing. I didn't have any entertainment to help me get through my 13 hour flight to SF from Beijing, nor on my flights to Tokyo from NYC. I watched 27 Dresses and was in the middle of this Hong Kong gangster movie when they turned off the entertainment so we could land. I seriously wished the flight had been longer. Sadness. Oh, and even my airplane dinner was amazing. It looked like a bento box and tasted delicious. Who would have guessed that airplane food can actually be gourmet and tasty. I had teriyaki fish and zaru soba. I am totally flying them back to the US from Taiwan this summer.

Beijing is the exact opposite of Japan. Time to get back to shoving people around. Being polite here gets you nowhere.