Tokyo: 03.20.2018 – Day 3

It’s tour day!!!

David and I were so excited for today! Our friends Brian and Theresa recommended this website called ToursbyLocals.com to book a private tour with a local in Japan. Our tour was scheduled for 03.20.2018 at 9:00AM and it provided a 7 hour private tour around Tokyo. By far one of the best experiences! Chie (our tour guide) provided us a list of options we could choose from for the tour, here is what we selected:

• Tsukji Market (with recommended Sushi restaurant for lunch)
• Asakura
• Traditional Japanese Garden with Tea

Our day started out early (like all days have so far). Woke up, had breakfast, and then we headed out for our adventure. We ended up leaving a little early, which was fine because instead of feeling rushed we waited for Chie to meet us at the Shimbashi train station. She had our name on a sign for us to identify her when she showed up.

So initially, we went over to get all day Metro tickets and then stopped to review the schedule for the day.

This was great because we were able to make some adjustments and also talk through our flexibility with Chie to allow for spontaneous stops (which there were a lot).

We started out by taking the Metro to the Tsukiji Fish Market but since we showed up early (fish market opens at 10:00AM) she showed us the “outside market”, where all of the chefs and restaurant owners shop.

This was such a fun experience! The guided tour in the “outside market” was the the coolest part. Chie showed us all the various foods that are available in the market. There are different styles of oranges to buy in the season and there are different types of Ikura (salmon & trout). Below is an image of what a wasabi root looks like:

Another fun fact, it’s also season for the wasabi flower (which I never knew was a thing):

The next area we explored was the grab and go food stands. This is where we learned about the true scallop:

The traditional scallop we are used to is only the inside of the meat. Originally, it looks like a clam (imaged above). Chie taught us that the Japanese eat the entire scallop and the outside is the best part. We haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet, but we will before we leave, and will let you know how it tastes.

Also, within the food stands they were selling Sashimi of various tuna. Chie taught us about the different tiers of tuna. We will describe more about the tuna later.

Additionally, the tuna head has meat that is used but needs to be cooked prior to eating. After learning about the tuna, it was time to go into the Fish Market.

Getting into the fish market was an experience on its own. We had to pass through a gated area with permission. Also, we walked through a busy parking lot with boxes of fish being moved around into various shipping crates by fork lifts. Chie advised David to wear his backpack in front of him due to the chaos inside. Once entering the building David and I identified some words to describe our experience:

• Pure Chaos
• Clean with no smell (tons of fish around though)
• Almost run over tons of times
• Various stands trying to sell product
• No pictures allowed in the building

Inside the fish market our favorite experience was watching the cutting of Frozen Tuna & the Eel meat prep with a 2 foot long knife. On our way out of the fish market, Chie had us pass by the “most famous and well known sushi restaurants.” However, Chie also let us know that some time ago they were taken over by Chinese chefs. No matter, they were still well known after the fact but not worth the wait. We spoke to one of the couples waiting and they identified they were actually in a “short line” due to the rain. This “short line” was supposedly 3 hours long but would normally be 4 to 5 hours in better weather (the lines are outside).

Once we were finally outside the gated area, we went to more food stands. Chie showed us shaved dry tuna, which is used to make broth. We also got to experience the different grades of the shaved tuna from the least expensive to most expensive. This was a fun tasting experience and each one tasted very different.

We continued down the food stands and tried a bunch of different products. Some of the products we tried were soy beans (roasted vs. broiled and crickets – see GIF below). As we were walking along we came across a really cool find, loose leaf cherry blossom tea. David and I are both very excited to try it at some point, Chie highly recommended it.

Once we completed exploring the food stands, Chie brought us to her favorite Sushi restaurant. This restaurant was down an ally and in the middle of no where. We ordered hot tea and a Pre-fix menu selection of various sushi. We got to watch the sushi prep and presentation. A couple main things to point out in regards to the picture below, there are different tuna grades (O-Toro, Chew Toro, Akami), all were amazing but you can tell the difference by taste and texture in regards to quality. We got to try Sea Urchin, Raw Red Shrimp, & Flat Fish – all AMAZING. Lastly, learned that you can use soy sauce when eating sushi, you just need to make sure the soy sauce is put on the fish, and the Tamago (egg) is always eaten last as a dessert.

Picture caption: Pre-fixed Menu plate

Picture caption: David eating Sea Urchin

Picture caption: Outside the sushi restaurant

After finishing lunch we were able to visit a couple different places before going to Asakusa. We went to the Buddhist temple and watched a funeral/remembrance ceremony. Chie taught us that these ceremonies are done every 3 to 5 years. Then, we stopped at the Ginza mall where Chie showed us the largest Hello Kitty store in Japan.

Once we were done with the spontaneous stops, we took the metro to Asakusa.

When we arrived at Asakusa, Chie brought us to a paper shop where all hand made paper crafts and products are sold. We walked through all the shops and tried 2 different kinds of Taiyaki (machine and handmade) which is a pastry filled with soybean paste. Both were very good but the handmade had more pastry to soybean which both David and I preferred.

We had asked Chie to take a picture of us with character symbol lanterns in the background. After Chie took the picture she let us know that it was a name of a restaurant and to note all of these symbol lanterns are the American equivalent to a billboard (pretty funny).

We spent some time around the mid-gate and took pictures of the cherry blossoms. As  each day passes more cherry blossoms are blooming, it is very beautiful.

Once we arrived at the inner gate we stopped and participated in an incense ceremony. These incense are used for “healing.” Moving along the grounds we spent some time at Koi river and enjoyed the Koi swim around.

Chie then brought us to a museum that is only open in the spring time. We walked around and enjoyed the traditional Japanese garden. Sitting at the garden and breathing in the fresh air while drinking hot tea was just so relaxing, we could have only wished for better weather at that point. Regardless, the atmosphere was still breathtaking.

Once we were done at the Japanese garde,n we parted ways at the Metro and thanked Chie for the wonderful tour. We were sad the tour was over. At this point David and I headed to the Tokyo Dome where we had all intentions of going to the Tokyo Giants baseball game. By the time we showed up though the lines were crazy so David and I decided to stop and grab some food. We stopped at a place called Seiryumon and ordered a couple beers and the following foods:

Top to Bottom:

• Deep Fried Pork & Vegetable Spring Rolls
• Steamed Shrimp Dumpling & Boiled Minced Pork Dumplings
• Fried Minced Pork & Vegetable Dumplings
• Steamed Coconut Balls

Dinner was amazing. Another successful day in Japan. Till tomorrow…