Day 2- Tokyo

            Woke up this morning with about five hours to spare.  It’s pretty dark here in Tokyo at 4am.  Jeri slept in until about 5.  We decided to have breakfast at the hotel (about $35 pp!) because there wasn’t another restaurant anywhere nearby that opened before 9.  I guess it’s hard to eat miso soup and boiled fish at 7 am.  Breakfast was pretty amazing, though.  We hadn’t really eaten much in the previous 36 hours, so we felt we could indulge. 

            Yasuko, our guide for the next few days,  met us in the lobby at 9 sharp.  Our first stop today was the largest fish market in the world in Tokyo Harbor (I’d like to thank Craig L.  {AKA C1} for that info from his blog about Sydney where he saw the 2^nd biggest fish market in the world-keep trying, Craig).  To get there, we first had to negotiate the Tokyo subway system.  Subways in Tokyo are the best way to get around, but thank God we had Yasuko.  The stations are all enormous making some of the larger NYC subway stations look puny. There are about 20 lines that crisscross the city, and it would be very easy to get on the wrong train without a guide.  After getting off the train, we walked a bit through the retail market district on the way to the wholesale fish market.  The crowds were amazing  and the  food stalls were packed with everyone eating breakfast (boiled fish and miso soup). 

We maneuvered past  the throng to reach the Tsukiji Fish market, a huge area (23 hectares) consisting of about 1,000 different wholesalers under one (really big) roof. 

                                            

The market has been here since 1923 when it moved from a prior location that was destroyed in an earthquake.  There are plans afoot to move it once again to a more modern facility a few miles away.  There were plenty of tourists here, but the workers made believe we didn’t exist and careened around the tight quarters with electric trucks and forklifts.  If you didn’t stay out of there way, you might wind up on someone’s plate in a Tokyo restaurant. 

                                   

The variety of fish was impressive including many that were still moving around.  Fortunately we didn’t see any dolphins (the “Flipper”) kind.  They probably hide those from the tourists.

Just outside of the fish market we saw our first Shinto shrine. Although Shintoism was the state religion until the 1940’s, it is still practiced today in combination to traditional Buddhism by much of the population.  Shinto, or “the way of the gods”, is an ancient pantheistic religion where deities or kami  control all of nature.  There are male and female kami and greater and lesser kami.  The emperor’s rule was granted him by the greatest of these gods.  It is now seen by many Japanese as part of the culture of Japan and they continue to keep it alive by practing the rituals. (more about Shinto shrines later).  This particular shrine, the Namiyoke Inari Jinja (the wave repelling fox shrine) is where fishermen come to pray for safety and prosperity.  There were prayer tablets placed around the shrine, and statues of foxes that for protection.

We barely escaped the fish market without a scratch and headed to the Hama Detached Palace Garden an area that was used by the early shoguns as a retreat and for duck hunting.  

As we entered the garden, we ran into several couples dressed in traditional Japanese wedding attire that were having photo shoots here.  One was gracious enough to let me take their picture.

The garden’s quiet and solitude was in stark contrast to the  hub bub just outside.  

After walking around the grounds a bit, we stopped into a tea house to experience a traditional tea ceremony. Just as with everything else here in Japan, the tea ceremony is  a very precise and ordered practice.  We entered the Nakajima Tea House across stones set in sand.  We wee admonished by Yasuko to avoid stepping on the sand and disturbing the tranquility of the garden.  Next we removed our shoes and place them in little shoe lockers (we should have these in our house).  Next, we were guided to a spot on the tatami mat with beautiful views of  one of the 2 large ponds in the park.  

Here we had to sit on our knees (thanks to Betty, I was a pro-sort of).  

Our server brought out her tea set consisting of hot water, Matcha (powdered green tea) and a whisk.  There were also 2 small sweet cakes presented to us that you were suppose to eat before drinking the tea.   The tea is whisked producing a frothy brew (creating  a Japanese version of a latte) then served.  Picking up and drinking from the bowl is done requires the drinker to show respect for the tea bowl.  This is done by placing the left hand under the bowl, the right hand on the side and then rotating  the bowl clockwise so that you are not drinking from the front. I was exhausted by the time we were done from trying to remember all the rules.

In the park, we picked up hitched a ride on the Sumida River Ferry which afforded us  a different view of Tokyo.  The Sumida River is the main river running through Tokyo and emptying into Tokyo Harbor.  There were a huge number of canals running off the main artery, and it was reminiscent  of  Amsterdam.  On our trip to Asakusa in northern Tokyo we saw the Tokyo Bay Bridge and the backside of the Tsukiji Fish Market.  

The boat passes under 12 bridges, each painted a different bright color.  At the end of the ride, the Tokyo TV Tower and the Yeshida Beer building dominated the view.

The Senso-ji Temple here in Akusa is Tokyo’s most sacred and spectacular temple. 

It originates from 628, but was partially destroyed during WW II bombing raids.  It has been reconstructed following the original layout. It begins at the Kaminarimon or thunder gate  where there are guardian statues of Fujin and Raijin. 

From here you negotiate a long street lined by shops and at the end, you finally get to the temple.  Outside, there is a large incense burner where people waft smoke over their heads to keep them healthy. 

We continued from here on our religious theme to  a Buddhist temple (a few subway stops away) to observe a Buddihist ritual, the fire ceremony.  We entered the temple after removing our shoes and palcing them in a plastic bag provided by the establishment.  The ceremony was  about 30 minutes of chanting, impressive drum pounding,  shell blowing (that sounded like a shofar)and a lot of fire.  The fire was used to purify the prayers of people who donated to the temple.  At the tail end, temple goers brought their pocketbooks and wallets up to the monks to pass over the flames to bring them luck and prosperity.  I guess it works, since they were all lucky their purses and wallets didn’t catch on fire.

The temple had interesting would carvings all over and a corridor that zigged and zagged all around the buildings lined by crystal cases containing small  carvings.  Yasuko told us these were donations by people used to supplicate Buddha.

Our last stop of the day was the Imperial Palace main gate, which is as close as you can get to the emperor.  Unfortunately, it gets dark here real early (4:30) and we were really losing the light.  But we did manage to see it before heading back to the hotel.

We were really bet by the time we got back to the Westin after walking all over Tokyo, probably 10 miles on foot.  We also were starving.  The concierge recommended a nearby Japanese pub that was located on the 49^th floor of an adjacent building.  The view was spectacular.  No one here spoke any English, but ordering was done on an IPad through photos of the food, and the meal miraculously appears.  When you are done, you bring your seat number to the cashier and, voila, the bill is there, never having to speak to a waiter.  The food was really good, and really cheap.  Dinner for 2 was less than breakfast  for 1.

Back to the hotel (after a stop at Baskin Robbins) and a well earned night’s sleep.  Off to Hakone tomorrow.