Tokyo day 8
After getting to bed late, I woke up to the bed gently shaking at 6am. I think what really woke me up was the sound of the metal tip of the pull string on the post light hitting the post. I think it lasted for over a minute. I got up and checked emails and another one happened, but it was shorter and less powerful.
Then I went to breakfast. The buffet is always huge. It was cold and rainy again, but warmer than yesterday. The rain was definitely harder, tho.
I checked out and left my bags with the coat check, and went to the trains to get to the Tsukiji fish market. All the guides say to go in the early morning. I got there at 9am. It's a working fish market, and tourists aren't allowed in until 9am in the fish market proper. There's a vending area inside, as well as a veggie market, and a shopping district just outside. I got some tea, a wok scrubber, and a couple of tshirts for the kids. There were some serious knife stores too.
I went into the fish market, and started checking out the vending area. It was raining pretty hard pretty constantly. I went over to the fish market area and the first thing I saw was a tuna head on the ground just sitting there. I wandered through the markets taking pictures of the sea critters and fish. Kind of like being by an aquarium, but you could get MUCH closer to the fish. 90 minutes later I finally left - most of the shops were closing up at that time. They're in by 4am and out by 11am.
I went around to the rest of the vending area and then out to the shopping district. I got a tamago pan because boychild wants me to learn how to make it. Clear tarps were everywhere to protect from the rain. My wool/fur hat got soaked, as well as my wool coat and bag. There was some sort of fundraiser for the tsunami cleanup in tents in one area. They were happy to let me try samples of everything. One of the wierdest things was some sort of tiny fish in sauces - two were sweet mixed with nuts, and two were savory. Not bad at all.
Then I went to find where to get some fresh sushi. One of the vendors said to look where the people wearing rubber boots went to find the best places. It was at least a 30 minute wait outside under an awning to get into one of the restaurants. Not all of them served sushi. You ordered while you were waiting in line (only one of two or three plates - no alacarte) so it would be ready for you when you got in and seated. So I got some sushi and it was quite yummy. This one also included miso soup with the clams. If course when I got out from lunch, the sun was coming out.
Then I went around to the rest of the market behind the street. It was pretty cool - lots of restaurants selling sushi by the item, and other vendors selling veggies and kitchen tools. Then I took the trains back to get my bags from the hotel and go to the airport.
So I figured I needed about an hour to get to the airport from the hotel. I took all the trains lugging my bags, and managed to get to the place to catch the train to the airport (different train system for this). I went to get the ticket, and found it was a 44 minute ride. I could swear it was only 15 minutes when I first got here, and then started worrying I didn't leave enough time. But the train was leaving in 10 minutes, so I wouldn't have to wait long. So I got to the 2 gate and got on the train. Then I realized the 2 gate was really on the other side of the platform and got on the other train. Whew!
Then I got to see the sun set on the way to the airport. Still never saw Mt. Fuji, but did pretty much everything else I wanted to do, so I'm happy. I think they liked me so I might get asked back next year, which would be AWESOME. There were two stops at the airport and I was stressing about which to go to when the conductor came by to check tickets and I found out it was (of course) the farther one.
I got off the train and the departures were up 4 sets of escalators (no elevator that I could find). Then I hurried to the ticketing agents. There was literally 2 blocks of ticket counters perpendicular to the main drag, and economy was furthest down. I got there, got my itinerary checked and everyone frowned at how late I was. Another guy was just as late, to a direct flight to Chicago. We got checked special to get us on our way, which was nice (there were empty self-serve terminals right next to the line so I asked if we could use those and they let us out of line to do it. It said it was too late to check in, so they got us done quickly).
Then security - no shoe removal, yay! Breezed through that, waited in line for immigration/customs, and then started the LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG trek to the gate. Didn't even spare time to change the yen into dollars or get something to drink, just ran for it. Made it with 10 minutes to spare.
Flight was nice and quiet, but VERY turbulent going up, and then again going back down to land. Xanax to the rescue (I hate turbulence). I keep pulling out my psp to play if I get bored, but then movies happen and I never use it. I should just not bother taking it anymore. I saw all but the first 10 minutes of Cowboys and Aliens (it was pretty good, actually), My Idiot Brother (chick flick definitely - somewhat amusing), and Conspiracy (but I kept falling asleep through that one). They served dinner when we left, and breakfast before we landed.
Got off the plane, turned on my phone out of airplane mode for the first time in a week, went through immigration, and went to go to the connecting flight. Wound up having to go back to get my bag, drag it through customs to the domestic check in and dropping it off. It was checked through all the way going there, wasn't expecting it to not be coming back. And then having to drag it two blocks between stops. *shrug*
Went back in through domestic security (shoes off :P) and then to gate. And then slept through most of the flight. Was cold and rainy here too. But I got majorly hugged by the kids (girlchild was sleeping with a picture of me on her DS because she missed me so much) and smooched by the hubby.
I wound up getting enough yen to cover the plane ticket and the hotel. I paid the hotel directly out of that, but spend just about the rest on trains, food, the hot springs spa, and souvenirs. Good yukata cost about $55-$80 and I got several. So just about all the yen I got wound up staying there. I got all that experience and all those souvenirs for essentially the price of a plane ticket. I got a good deal.
Time to unpack, do laundry, and chill out. Maybe hit the hot tub tonight. And sleep in my own bed.
Then I went to breakfast. The buffet is always huge. It was cold and rainy again, but warmer than yesterday. The rain was definitely harder, tho.
I checked out and left my bags with the coat check, and went to the trains to get to the Tsukiji fish market. All the guides say to go in the early morning. I got there at 9am. It's a working fish market, and tourists aren't allowed in until 9am in the fish market proper. There's a vending area inside, as well as a veggie market, and a shopping district just outside. I got some tea, a wok scrubber, and a couple of tshirts for the kids. There were some serious knife stores too.
I went into the fish market, and started checking out the vending area. It was raining pretty hard pretty constantly. I went over to the fish market area and the first thing I saw was a tuna head on the ground just sitting there. I wandered through the markets taking pictures of the sea critters and fish. Kind of like being by an aquarium, but you could get MUCH closer to the fish. 90 minutes later I finally left - most of the shops were closing up at that time. They're in by 4am and out by 11am.
I went around to the rest of the vending area and then out to the shopping district. I got a tamago pan because boychild wants me to learn how to make it. Clear tarps were everywhere to protect from the rain. My wool/fur hat got soaked, as well as my wool coat and bag. There was some sort of fundraiser for the tsunami cleanup in tents in one area. They were happy to let me try samples of everything. One of the wierdest things was some sort of tiny fish in sauces - two were sweet mixed with nuts, and two were savory. Not bad at all.
Then I went to find where to get some fresh sushi. One of the vendors said to look where the people wearing rubber boots went to find the best places. It was at least a 30 minute wait outside under an awning to get into one of the restaurants. Not all of them served sushi. You ordered while you were waiting in line (only one of two or three plates - no alacarte) so it would be ready for you when you got in and seated. So I got some sushi and it was quite yummy. This one also included miso soup with the clams. If course when I got out from lunch, the sun was coming out.
Then I went around to the rest of the market behind the street. It was pretty cool - lots of restaurants selling sushi by the item, and other vendors selling veggies and kitchen tools. Then I took the trains back to get my bags from the hotel and go to the airport.
So I figured I needed about an hour to get to the airport from the hotel. I took all the trains lugging my bags, and managed to get to the place to catch the train to the airport (different train system for this). I went to get the ticket, and found it was a 44 minute ride. I could swear it was only 15 minutes when I first got here, and then started worrying I didn't leave enough time. But the train was leaving in 10 minutes, so I wouldn't have to wait long. So I got to the 2 gate and got on the train. Then I realized the 2 gate was really on the other side of the platform and got on the other train. Whew!
Then I got to see the sun set on the way to the airport. Still never saw Mt. Fuji, but did pretty much everything else I wanted to do, so I'm happy. I think they liked me so I might get asked back next year, which would be AWESOME. There were two stops at the airport and I was stressing about which to go to when the conductor came by to check tickets and I found out it was (of course) the farther one.
I got off the train and the departures were up 4 sets of escalators (no elevator that I could find). Then I hurried to the ticketing agents. There was literally 2 blocks of ticket counters perpendicular to the main drag, and economy was furthest down. I got there, got my itinerary checked and everyone frowned at how late I was. Another guy was just as late, to a direct flight to Chicago. We got checked special to get us on our way, which was nice (there were empty self-serve terminals right next to the line so I asked if we could use those and they let us out of line to do it. It said it was too late to check in, so they got us done quickly).
Then security - no shoe removal, yay! Breezed through that, waited in line for immigration/customs, and then started the LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG trek to the gate. Didn't even spare time to change the yen into dollars or get something to drink, just ran for it. Made it with 10 minutes to spare.
Flight was nice and quiet, but VERY turbulent going up, and then again going back down to land. Xanax to the rescue (I hate turbulence). I keep pulling out my psp to play if I get bored, but then movies happen and I never use it. I should just not bother taking it anymore. I saw all but the first 10 minutes of Cowboys and Aliens (it was pretty good, actually), My Idiot Brother (chick flick definitely - somewhat amusing), and Conspiracy (but I kept falling asleep through that one). They served dinner when we left, and breakfast before we landed.
Got off the plane, turned on my phone out of airplane mode for the first time in a week, went through immigration, and went to go to the connecting flight. Wound up having to go back to get my bag, drag it through customs to the domestic check in and dropping it off. It was checked through all the way going there, wasn't expecting it to not be coming back. And then having to drag it two blocks between stops. *shrug*
Went back in through domestic security (shoes off :P) and then to gate. And then slept through most of the flight. Was cold and rainy here too. But I got majorly hugged by the kids (girlchild was sleeping with a picture of me on her DS because she missed me so much) and smooched by the hubby.
I wound up getting enough yen to cover the plane ticket and the hotel. I paid the hotel directly out of that, but spend just about the rest on trains, food, the hot springs spa, and souvenirs. Good yukata cost about $55-$80 and I got several. So just about all the yen I got wound up staying there. I got all that experience and all those souvenirs for essentially the price of a plane ticket. I got a good deal.
Time to unpack, do laundry, and chill out. Maybe hit the hot tub tonight. And sleep in my own bed.