Family Trip
2003 to Japan
DAY 3: Tokyo Tour
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| Tuna at the fish market |
We woke up Tuesday morning at about
530am. After showering
we got dressed to head to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. We
boarded the Chiyoda Line subway and then transferred to the Hibiya Line to
Tsukiji. A short 10 minute walk later we were in the insanity of this very busy
Market
We arrived at 6:30am,
the auctions had just ended. All the vendors were moving their auction winnings
from the auction blocks to their cramped stalls throughout the market. The rows
of Tuna was a site to see.
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| Octopus at the Market |
In addition restaurateurs
were combing the market for the deals of the day. Every kind of fish imaginable
was there. You have to be careful when browsing the market. motorized carts are
zipping around everywhere!
Now it is about 7:00 in
the morning, and we are hungry. Where do you go for breakfast after walking
through the world's busiest fish market? Why for Sushi of course! We went to a
small sushi bar recommended in Frommer's Tokyo Guidebook, called Sushi Dai. The
sushi was the best we had ever had in our lives. The tuna, shrimp, and squid
just melted in your mouth. It was wonderful. It also turned out to be our most
expensive meal for our entire trip to Japan at $100, and they do not take credit
cards. I am just glad that our first meal was this this expensive and it did NOT
set a pattern for the rest of our meals!!
Well we are now tired!
We decided to head back to the hotel for a nap. We took the O-Edo and Namboku
subway lines back to our hotel. We were there by 8:00am. We woke back up at
around 9:30. It was time to get our JR Passes.
We boarded a Marunouchi
Line subway train for Tokyo Station. At this huge JR train station we turned in
our vouchers for JR Passes. These turned very useful for the rest of our
journeys in Japan. After getting the passes we headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum.
At Tokyo Station we boarded the Yamanote Line train and transferred to the Sobu
Line to Ryogoku.
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| Nihonbashi
replica in the museum |
The Edo-Tokyo Museum
shows the history of Tokyo from the Shogun era to near present day. Edo is the
original name for Tokyo, it became Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration in the
late 1800's after the capitol was moved here from Kyoto. The museum is a very
wonderful museum filled with 3-D model dioramas on how the streets looked
through the ages. The models, when looked at through provided binoculars, looked
almost lifelike! We obtained the services of a FREE English speaking guide who
personally walked us through the entire museum. She was just wonderful. Her
English was immaculate. We learned so much in those 90 minutes!!
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One of the many dioramas
in the Edo-Tokyo Museum |
After the tour we went
to a small cafe on the top floor for a light lunch of sandwiches. From the
seating area you have a nice view of Tokyo. When finished we walked back through
some exhibits and the gift shop before leaving the museum. We boarded an O-Edo
Line subway train, and transferred to a Tozai train to go to the Tokyo Subway
Museum. Before we entered the subway museum we made a quick phone call back home
to let Emily know that we arrived safely and to set up a special phone call time
for Day 5!
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| Tokyo Subway
Museum |
Mark of course is the
instigator to go to the subway museum. It is a small museum, but in its interior
it has two full size subway cars. The first is a Ginza Line car that dates to
the opening of Tokyo's first subway in 1927. The second car if a Marunouchi Line
car that dates to the second Tokyo subway line that opened in the 1950's. There
are other models and displays to visit in the museum. One of the highlights of
the museum are the subway simulators. Mark and Richard both took the controls
of the full-size mock-up simulator that was "running" on the Tozai
Line. Museum personnel helped with the "safe" operation of the trains!
It was now time to
leave. We went to the Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho to find the Japan
and Tokyo Tourist centers, but we couldn't find them. Frommer's was wrong. Found
our later they moved to the other side of the JR train station. Ah well..
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|
Umbrellas are out for the
visiting team! |
We boarded a Mita Line
subway to head to the Tokyo Dome. The Yumuri Giants was playing the Yakult
Swallows in a hometown rivalry baseball game. Mark wet to the ticket window and
asked for 3 tickets, which they gave him. The tickets did not give any seat
numbers, just section #. We thought they were general admission tickets. We get
to the designated section and are told they a STANDING seats! Well our feet
didn't like that.
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| Beer Girl
with a Keg! |
We decided to sit in
seats just in front of our section. We were in the visitors team section in left
field bleachers. We were behind the flag waving, trumpets blaring cheering
section. It was a crazy place to be. Every time the visiting team, the Swallows,
got a run in all the people pulled out small umbrellas and danced with them. It
was totally insane! We did eat at the game. We had Pizza Hut pizzas and Coke to
drink. We didn't get any Beer. The beer vendors in the stands are young, small
Japanese women. They have a small keg strapped to their backs. They hold the tap
and pour the $8 beers fresh for their customers.
By the fourth inning
our section became very full. The second time we moved our seats, the ushers
figured out that we did not have seat tickets. We politely moved out into the
standing section for one more inning before we decided we were tired and headed
back towards the hotel.
We took the Mita and
Chiyoda lines back, but stopped at the AM-PM to grab some drinks and munchies
before hitting the beds at the hotel.
We walked about 8 miles
today and we were tired!
Continue to
Day
4
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Kavanagh
