6:15 am: Urgh! I. Feel. Like. Shit. Mild headaches, extremely sore throat, dizziness. I'm no doctor, but I know I'm getting sick. My health bar very low. The reason for having to wake up so early was simple. We wanted to experience the Tokyo Fish Markets for what is was worth. The plan for today and the following day was to explore the inner suburbs of Tokyo. Our reliance on the JR Network had served us well but now we required Tokyo Subway access. We purchased a 2 day subway pass for ¥1000.
If almost as predicted we had problems getting from the JR line to the subway line. We managed to get Tsukiji markets, funnily enough we got there by following other tourists quite obviously also heading there. It should be noted that although the Markets do sell seafood they also cater for other fresh foods such as vegetables and spices. Narrow dank walkways led us through a grid shaped market. It was an entire ocean bed cut and presented en masse. Each store had slabs of tuna, fresh eels, crabs and various crayfish. Keeping shoes out of puddles of brine was one objective, the other was dodging merchant carts that sped around the market. The sights and experiences of one of the world's largest markets was fine and dandy but got boring, quickly.
9:00 am: On schedule and on time, we proceeded to some Garden. The details, such as the name and features escape me. The defining thing was that it was sub par to the order gardens we had seen. Think Sydney's Hyde Park but lamer. I remember there being a water gate and some murky looking body of water. It was around this time (in the trip or in the day) that my accomplice's grip on reality finally slipped. What proceeded was a mild comic outburst as flies, heat and futility sunk in.
Couple of kms later and a handful of overpasses down we make it to Ginza by foot. There's a certain air of affluent snobbishness to the place. Despite all the shops being closed it had a distinct feeling of western influence. Large foyer boutiques on wide open pavements. More designer brands. Gucci, LV, Burberry, Prada. The shops were all closed and by the time we hit central Ginza it was only a little after 10 am. Nothing was open. We plonked ourselves outside the Sony Building and counted down the minutes till opening. Gathered on the steps of the building were other tourists who had also thought to come early only to find that Sony (along with majority of the other shops) opened at 11.
In the not so far distance Political Party Candidates were promoting their Party credentials and getting their face in the public for the upcoming elections. Vans mounted with large speakers were blaring policies throughout the quiet streets of Ginza.10:30: Some shops fronts begin to open. We visit GAP once more and managed to do some shopping. The Sony building was more of a shop front rather than a museum. Definitely a popular tourist location and one of the highlights. The pride of Japanese technology, latest and swankiest gadgets and electronics. Kinda sad that we probably wont see half of this stuff in the Australian market.
Being very impressed with the range of technology we caught a train to Akihabara. It had started to rain so we ducked off under cover to grab some very tasty lunch. We explored the Anime Centre which contained some famous Japanese Cartoon Characters (Gundam, Astroboy, that blue cat thing etc). Other than some larger than life figurines and animation cells the place was somewhat of a disappointment. We sat down and began to watch an "Akihabara Video Tour" guide, halfway through we realised that it probably be best to explore the place ourselves.
Electric City, plenty of neon, large buildings, and people. Overall the place was quite overwhelming, the rain however made it not so enjoyable. Large shops that had everything electronic under the sun. Dedicated shops and stalls for the most specialised items. Camera shops, phone shops, LAN shops, resistor shops, LED shops. Specific stores for specific needs. Walking around we found that items were a little cheaper than back home. We ended up leaving empty handed. No big purchases. Exhausted!
Making use of our pass we made a small evening trip to Roppongi, supposedly the place with the most international influence. Plenty of multicultural food stores, from African, to Turkish to the staple Italian cuisine. We of course opted for the more Traditional Japanese Ramen store for dinner. I've taken quite the shining for Ramen, if only they had a Sydney equivalent. After dinner we just walked the streets. Again we were lost, seriously, could we be any more tourist? Passed Roppongi hills and popped into a local supermarket and bookstore. I Love this bookstore, peopl propped up against walls, perusing, chilling, hanging out. I could stay here all night long. Everybody was busily doing their own things, depsite this it has a nice feel, very trendy, culturally driven place. I picture it to be a place yuppies would reside. I get to sleep in tomorrow. Hallelujah!
