Happy Easter! I hope you are having a great day, celebrating with family, and for those who gave up something for lent are indulging and appreciating your vice : ) RG and I are now one week into this crazy adventure of ours and we have not quite made it to Thailand yet. Flying standby can definitely be trying…I plan to write an entire blog on standby/buddy passes and the pros/cons of it all…stay tuned for that. Just know that I am in no way complaining, we have flown first-class across the world, and were able to spend an unplanned weekend in Tokyo.
To be honest, our stay in Tokyo has been a blessing in disguise. The cuisine is different from we are used to, but serves as a good transition between American and traditional Thai food. Since being in Japan we have seen both international airports, the beauty of Cherry Blossom season, walked around Narita (outside of Tokyo), visited the Asakusa Temple and mastered the subway system. Overall, a success!
We also used these few days to conquer our jet lag…sleeping from 2pm til 10pm only to fall back asleep 1am til 7am our first day here. We slept right through dinner but were up and at it early to sightsee. Since we had not planned on staying in Tokyo I didn’t do any leg work on where to stay or what to see. I did a quick google search, emailed with a friend, and decided on a plan of action…we were going to take the train from our hotel in Narita to the Tsukiji Fish Market first thing in the morning. This is where the fisherman bring their fresh catches, primarily tuna, and auction them off to restaurant owners and business men. Only 60 tourists are allowed to witness each auction. It is the heart of the Japanese fishing culture. Plus the best sushi restaurants are supposed to be across the street…using fresh fish from the market each day. Then we were going to take the train to the Asakusa Temple and see a traditional Buddhist Shrine and Temple and do some touristy things.
Well…lets just say we didn’t make it to the fish market. Once we had a subway map in hand and realized how many lines and options there were it definitely overwhelmed us a bit. So we decided to switch our priorities…Asakusa temple first (since it was a shorter train ride) and then the fish market. We had so much fun at the temple that we ended up there until three in the afternoon (we left our hotel at 8:30am!). We walked around the temple and shrine, ate traditional Japanese fare, and people watched.
Overall it was a great time in Japan, everyone was extremely kind and helpful. I would love to spend some more time in Tokyo to see the business district, Fish Market and so much more.
Nicole Guess | Drink. Dine. Discover 