Seafood and imperial beauty

Alvise had convinced us all to wake up at a truly ungodly hour.  We all gathered at an agreed upon subway stop bleary eyed.  I grasped at my cup of coffee, trying to keep my eyes open.  Hamish looked tired, but Bene looked as cheerful as always.  Morning people are just the worst....

We had good reason to be up so early though.  Alvise had convinced us all to go and visit the famous Tsukiji markets.  These were world famous fish market that operated everyday in Tokyo.  This market wasn't a simple tourist market, but it was an actual working wholesale fish market.  The size of the place had turned it into a bit of a tourist attraction and people gathered from all around the world to look at its inner workings.  Given the intense interest in this place, there was a need for us to line up so that we could get in as the authorities had set it up so that tourists would only be allowed in after a certain time.

When we were able to get into the market itself, a lot of the most intense action had clearly already happened.  Many store owners were in the process of cleaning or tidying up for the rush of tourists who would be walking around their stalls.  Apparently those who want to see the real auctions happening have to start lining up for about 1am in the morning.  I wanted to see the market, but I definitely didn't want to be lining up to watch an auction from 1am in the morning.  It all made sense though.  This was a working market and there was business that needed to be done.  It seemed like a fair compromise for the gawkers like us to be kept at a distance until all the serious work was finished.

I was still glad to be in amongst the throng of tourists and stall owners.  It was a unique experience to see this market.  Even though I had seen plenty of markets over the years, including many within Asia, this market felt a bit unique.  It's size alone made it something different, but there was more to it than that.  Even with all of the activity and the people around, the market was quite clean.  The vendors kept their wares in order and most surprisingly of all, even though this was a gigantic seafood market there was no smell or odour to the place.

Outside of the wholesale market, there are retail markets where you can buy seafood, knickknacks and other random goods.  Alvise and Hamish admired the Japanese knives on offer.  I randomly started ordering seafood from the different grilling stores (all of it delicious), but we all wanted a bit more.  We were all cold from the early morning exploration, so we found the busiest looking ramen store.  There were huge lines and the ramen chefs had a long production line ready to prepare bowl after bowl of hot ramen.  We gathered up the bowls with our numb fingers and slurped them up at the benches to the side.

After our morning exploration of Tsukiji, we went our separate ways for the afternoon.  Alvise, Jackie and Bene were heading to Akihabara.  Hamish and I had already been there earlier, so we wanted to go to the Meiji Jingu.  We arranged to meet up again in the evening.  Hamish and I made our way over to the other side of town to the enormous park that is Meiji Jingu.

The park and the shrine inside are dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the great reformer who moved Japan out of the feudal age and into the modern era.  Like the other parks we had visited, this park was beautiful, but it had a different feel and style.  The colours were darker and more muted and it all felt much more elegant in its style.

Like the other parks, Meiji Jingu felt incredibly serene and peaceful.  Yet the darker atmosphere seemed to make everything feel much more serious.  There were no sakura here, and instead there just evergreens and dark canopies along with immaculately maintained gardens.  There was a reverent feeling to the whole place.  It made sense.  This was a place that was meant to honour and to an extent worship.  It wasn't a place for lighthearted fun with the family.

Near the outside of Meiji Jingu were huge rows of sake barrels.  The barrels are apparently donated every year to be used in the various ceremonies and events that occur here at the park and the shrine.  It seems to be one of the iconic images of Tokyo and everyone took their turns to take some photos.

The mixture of new and old in Tokyo is lovely.  It doesn't feel forced, but both complement the other and add to the Japanese style and culture which captivates so many.  I was quite sold on it all.  I definitely wanted to throw myself further into the depths of this country, to understand more about how it worked and what it had to offer.