Tokyo - Winding Down...

It's Sunday morning and I fly back to California tonight around 5. It rained all day yesterday and it is still raining today but the weather hasn't slowed down my sightseeing.

The one beautiful sunny day I had was Wednesday. I went up to the 23rd floor of the Bayside Hotel Azur in Takeshiba and found a restaurant up there with a beautiful view of the bay. The hostess was kind enough to let me come in and take this picture.

Later that day I wandered down towards the World Trade Center and had lunch at Cocos Curry House. This is a local chain and very good if you like Asian curry.

If you keep heading past the World Trade Center away from Tokyo Bay, you will run right into the Zojo-ji Temple. This is a nice break from the busy city streets. The grounds, like the rest of the city, are well manicured and very beautiful.

Friday morning I woke up at 5am so I could experience the fish auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market. If you are in Tokyo, I think it is very worthwhile to see this. My friend Lisa just returned from Tokyo and said this was very cool. I have never seen so many fish in my life. To see the auctions, you have to go back to the very back of the facility. As the fish are auctioned off, they are then loaded onto carts and taken away. You can then walk through the the fish market where vendors are displaying their seafood selections. Fish, Octopus, Lobster, Shrimp, Eel, Scallops, Clams, you name it, it's there on display.

After wandering through the market for about an hour or so, I made my way back to the entrance where there are shops and restaurants. I chose a restaurant that had a few people waiting in line because I figured it must be good if there is a line. Some of the places were empty and some had lines. Once I was finally seated inside this tiny restaurant bar, I had a wonderful Japanese breakfast including Salmon and Tuna Sashimi in a bowl on a bed of seaweed and rice. Also a bowl of Miso Soup and a cup of Green Tea. All for about $10 US. The owner spoke no English at all but handed me a laser pointer so I could point to the picture of the selection on the wall.

On my way out, I bought a large bag of Wasabi Powder to take home. It is hard to find real Wasabi at home so this bag should last me a while. Now off to work to finish up my exhibit, which is the reason I am here in the first place.