Tokyo, Japan, Day 5

Day 5 On Day 5, we woke up early(ish) to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Chuo. Then we walked around Sumida, and visited a love shrine in Chiyoda, and finally had dinner with my friend's family friend. It was cool and rainy, thankfully, or I think we would have been even more exhausted.

The Tsukiji fish market is the largest wholesale fish market in the world. There was definitely a lot to see. The tuna auctions run from 5-7am, but you now have to get tickets through a lottery beforehand to attend, and you can't buy unless you're a licensed wholesaler. The "inner market" (where they process and prep food for delivery) opens to visitors at 9. We arrived about 8:15 and had a nice sushi breakfast in the "outer market" (which is a mix of wholesale and retail shops), then walked around the inner market.


There was a huge row of signs line this at the entrance. Cute, and hopefully effective.




Breakfast at a busy little shop in the outer market.
It cost about $15, but was the best sushi I've had, by far.


Seafood. Sea urchins, snails, squid?


Fish prep.

After the fish market, we went to Sumida, home of Sumo (wrestling). We were just planning to go to the Sumo museum by the Kokugikan Sumo Stadium, but when we arrived there, we found out a tournament was actually going on. Apparently, tournaments are only held during 6 months of the year, 15 days each time. And only 3 of those tournaments (Jan, May, Sept) are held in Tokyo. Anyway, we decided it was fate, and bought general admission tickets for $21. We actually sat in empty $82 seats the whole time, though we left before more people came for the grand masters' matches.


There were several blocks like this along the walk from the subway to the stadium.


The stadium, and some English booklets they passed out explaining sumo.



Inside the stadium, during lower-ranking wrestlers' bouts. Once the professional-level ones
started, the seats filled up quickly. We left shortly after the pro-level ring-entering ceremony.

We left the sumo match early to visit a love shrine before going to dinner. There are (at least) three famous ones in Tokyo. We went to the one called Tokyo Daijingu. Before entering the main gate, you bow, then wash your hands and rinse your mouth. You approach the shrine from the sides (the middle is the path for the gods), toss a 5-cent coin in the box, bow twice, clap twice, make a wish, then bow again. Then you can buy an omikuji fortune for $1 or $2. We did all of the above. My fortune here was (paraphrasing) "super amazing awesome," which is better than the "could be worse" I drew from the Sensoji Shrine earlier in the week.^^


The shrine, and a rest area next to it.

Finally, we went to a local (read: less touristy) restaurant with a friend of my friend's family and her husband. They treated us to a huge barbeque dinner. Since coming to Korea, I haven't had meat very often (especially quality cuts), so this was actually a little difficult for me to stomach, heh. Everything was really tasty, but I was full after the first or secound round, and we had about ten.^^


Mmmmmeat.

Onward to Day 6!