So the title of this post is slightly hyperbolic, but just stick with me on this one.
A week earlier in Kyoto, I was chatting with my new friends Asadeh and Nino and we realized we’d all be in Tokyo at the same time. It would be my first night in the city and their final night in Japan. We agreed to meet for dinner.
I take the Shinkansen, a high speed train that travels from Kyoto to Tokyo in just over two hours. This train runs up to 200 mph and a one-way ticket costs around $130 USD. I probably could’ve flown for less than that, but I’m eager to try the bullet train.
(image via)
After depositing my bag at the hostel, I dash off to meet Asadeh and Nino at the subway. They have a plan for dinner: we’ll head to Ginza, one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world, to visit a high-end department store that has a food court of reasonably priced food and a rooftop garden area where we can eat picnic-style.
As we approach the store, I see the name — Mitsukoshi — and start laughing. Years ago we did a plot on Young & Restless featuring this chain, and I just assumed it was a made-up name. We even shot scenes at a Japanese tea house (on our sound stage in Los Angeles) where characters jockeyed for an exclusive distribution deal with this Japanese department store. And now I’m standing in front of it!
This turns out to be a really fun experience and I’m so glad Asadeh & Nino included me — I never would have found this on my own and it’s much more fun to enjoy with them. The food court is fancy, like if Nordstrom’s or Bloomingdale’s had an entire floor of various culinary counters.
They’re closing soon so we split up and purchase different cuisines for our picnic — sushi, dumplings, and fried chicken (Nino is a fan). We meet up at the dessert counter.
There’s a placard next to each dessert showing exactly what’s inside every layer. Granted it’s in Japanese so I can’t read it, but I appreciate the effort. This sort of attention to detail is commonplace in Japan and speaks to their level of attentiveness as a culture.
Once we’ve purchased a TON of food, we head up to the rooftop for our picnic.
We are practically alone in this expansive garden atrium! Here’s our dinner spread:
… and our dessert spread:
I am SO impressed by the recycling options; there are trash receptacles for liquids, combustibles, incombustibles, cans, etc.
We wander around the rooftop after our picnic and find this garden. How charming!
We have grand plans to visit Vow’s Bar — a bar run by real monks! — but by now it’s getting late and we have an early morning. (If you’ve been to this bar, please tell me how it is! I want to go back!) Tomorrow we plan to visit Tsukiji fish market in time for their sunrise tuna auction, a bucket list activity I wrote about last year. This market handles over 2,000 tons of marine products per day and checking out the action has become a popular tourist activity in recent years.
So I set my alarm for 5am and force myself out of bed and down to the metro. Our goal is to catch the earliest subway to Tsukiji and arrive in time to be part of 120 people admitted to the tuna auction each morning. Here’s the official rules:
The number of visitors to the tuna auction is limited to 120 per day, the maximum number which the market’s infrastructure can accommodate. Tourists, who wish to see the auction, have to apply at the Osakana Fukyu Center (Fish Information Center) at the Kachidoki Gate, starting from 5:00am on a first-come, first-serve basis (may start earlier on busy days). A first group of 60 visitors will be admitted to the auction between 5:25 and 5:50, while a second group of 60 visitors will be admitted between 5:50 and 6:15.
On busy days, visitors start lining up long before 5am, and the maximum number is likely to be exceeded, in which case later arriving visitors will not be able to see the auction. Successful applicants will be able to view the auction from a designated visitor area. It is not allowed to view the auction from anywhere else or to use flash photography or to interfere with the business action in any other way. (via)
We arrive at the Main Gate on the southern edge of the market (the wrong gate) and by now it’s 6am. Bummer! I think we would’ve had to take a cab at like 4:30am (before the subway opened) in order to get here in time for the tuna auction.
We walk inside anyways, hoping it might work out.
We’re technically not supposed to be in some of these areas before 9am, but the restaurants (green area above) are open for business. Here are some shots from our time inside the market.
By now it’s 7am and I can’t believe how many people have lined up to eat fresh sushi this early. It’s not even cheap! These people are committed.
I giggle at this sign — your friends MIGHT be pleased with a fish market shirt.
Has Disney approved sushi Mickey?
This map cracks me up. So many “do not do this” signs.
FYI — the Tsukiji fish market will relocate to a new site in Toyosu by the spring of 2016. So those of you attending the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo are in luck. The new space is 80% bigger… maybe they’ll allow more people into the tuna auction.
Major thanks to Asadeh and Nino for accompanying me on this early morning seafood adventure!
Funny story: a few hours later, Asadeh & Nino drop their luggage off in lockers at a centrally located train station and plan to stroll around before their flight. I happen to be walking through a giant park next to that train station (Ueno Park) when I hear them calling my name. Out of 13 million people in Tokyo, they happen to spot me in this park. Totally unplanned. The world feels like a much smaller place when you run into friends under unlikely circumstances!
