Family fun
It's all been a bit hectic the past week, I can tell you. My brother Toshi and his partner, Hannah, arrived a week ago to stay with us, and my parents arrived a couple of days ago. It's been lovely really, seeing them all here and being able to show them around the city.
Took Toshi to Tsukiji fish market on his first full day here, after we'd only had 3.5 hours sleep the night before. You see, the market being like a proper market, gets going at about 4am, with a spectacular tuna auction taking place at about 6am, which I was told is well worth seeing. So, after loading up on caffeine, we headed out in anticipation of some fishy action (Hannah and Miyu thought we were crazy getting up at such an ungodly hour, and very sensibly opted to remain sleeping - you'll see why in a minute). The trains were practically deserted, with only snoozing salarymen and severe looking high school children dotted here and there. Luckily the Hibiya line goes directly from Nakameguro to Tsukiji, so we enjoyed the 20 minute ride in silence, resting our eyes.
On our walk toward the market, we stopped off at a huge temple, housed in a very old Western style building which for some inexplicable reason had a big white elephant standing on the stairs leading into the basement. Inside the cavernous main hall, a monk prayed at the alter, lighting incense sticks that reminded me of my grandfather's funeral. Some old but very spritely old men and women kept rushing in to do the same, putting their hands together and bowing their heads slightly before walking quickly out to the dawning day.
Out in the grounds, we found a massive stone ball in one corner, in front of a ramshackle wooden building which may or may not be occupied - we couldn't decide which. Then onward to the market, which, incidently wasn't on today. You see, although it is the busiest and largest fish market in the world, they have a couple of days off every month (and why not, I ask you). Unfortunately, we had managed to time it so that on the only day we could go to the market, it was closed. However, we did wander around the empty stalls, took in the smells and sights, and imagined what it would be like if it had been open. So that it wasn't a complete loss, we found a busy sushi restaurant located within the market premises. It was full of confused looking tourists and drunk salarymen, who had been drinking through the night and had now come to sober up before heading into the office for a full day's work. The chef who we were sat in front of at the (fish) bar, greeted us in almost perfect English, helping us choose some extremely delicious morsels of fish which he swiftly cut and placed on vinegared rice pieces for us to chew on. Washed down with some hot green tea, we spent about an hour trying various exotic sea creatures, including a bright orange sea urchin and some very expensive fatty tuna.
We made our way next to Ginza crossing, to sup some fine coffee at a huge window seat in Doutol cafe, watching the streets outside grow steadily more frantic as the rush hour came into full swing. Directly below us, a bespectacled policeman stood in his koban (police box), gun in holster and happy stick close to hand, looking utterly bored at the lack of action. The police here do seem to spend a lot of time doing just that, standing and watching what's happening, an awful lot. I'm sure there are many others who are very busy busting illegal human traffiking rings, but there are also the many who do exactly as the one below us was doing - waiting for some action.
In the afternoon, after Hannh and Miyu had awoken, we went for a long walk around the neighbourhood. Hannh commented that the number of retail outlets was simply mind boggling, and that having so much choice was quite overwhelming. She couldn't understand how so many of the shopw were so niche in their selling line, wondering aloud how they could survive. I suppose if you do find your niche in the Tokyo retail sector, and can create a steady customer base, it's very possible to be successful, as customers here have very sophisticated buying needs. If you are sensitive to this, and can attune yourself to changing demands, then Tokyo is a great place to set up shop. Can't be complacent though, as the competition is intense.
Took Toshi to Tsukiji fish market on his first full day here, after we'd only had 3.5 hours sleep the night before. You see, the market being like a proper market, gets going at about 4am, with a spectacular tuna auction taking place at about 6am, which I was told is well worth seeing. So, after loading up on caffeine, we headed out in anticipation of some fishy action (Hannah and Miyu thought we were crazy getting up at such an ungodly hour, and very sensibly opted to remain sleeping - you'll see why in a minute). The trains were practically deserted, with only snoozing salarymen and severe looking high school children dotted here and there. Luckily the Hibiya line goes directly from Nakameguro to Tsukiji, so we enjoyed the 20 minute ride in silence, resting our eyes.
On our walk toward the market, we stopped off at a huge temple, housed in a very old Western style building which for some inexplicable reason had a big white elephant standing on the stairs leading into the basement. Inside the cavernous main hall, a monk prayed at the alter, lighting incense sticks that reminded me of my grandfather's funeral. Some old but very spritely old men and women kept rushing in to do the same, putting their hands together and bowing their heads slightly before walking quickly out to the dawning day.
Out in the grounds, we found a massive stone ball in one corner, in front of a ramshackle wooden building which may or may not be occupied - we couldn't decide which. Then onward to the market, which, incidently wasn't on today. You see, although it is the busiest and largest fish market in the world, they have a couple of days off every month (and why not, I ask you). Unfortunately, we had managed to time it so that on the only day we could go to the market, it was closed. However, we did wander around the empty stalls, took in the smells and sights, and imagined what it would be like if it had been open. So that it wasn't a complete loss, we found a busy sushi restaurant located within the market premises. It was full of confused looking tourists and drunk salarymen, who had been drinking through the night and had now come to sober up before heading into the office for a full day's work. The chef who we were sat in front of at the (fish) bar, greeted us in almost perfect English, helping us choose some extremely delicious morsels of fish which he swiftly cut and placed on vinegared rice pieces for us to chew on. Washed down with some hot green tea, we spent about an hour trying various exotic sea creatures, including a bright orange sea urchin and some very expensive fatty tuna.
We made our way next to Ginza crossing, to sup some fine coffee at a huge window seat in Doutol cafe, watching the streets outside grow steadily more frantic as the rush hour came into full swing. Directly below us, a bespectacled policeman stood in his koban (police box), gun in holster and happy stick close to hand, looking utterly bored at the lack of action. The police here do seem to spend a lot of time doing just that, standing and watching what's happening, an awful lot. I'm sure there are many others who are very busy busting illegal human traffiking rings, but there are also the many who do exactly as the one below us was doing - waiting for some action.
In the afternoon, after Hannh and Miyu had awoken, we went for a long walk around the neighbourhood. Hannh commented that the number of retail outlets was simply mind boggling, and that having so much choice was quite overwhelming. She couldn't understand how so many of the shopw were so niche in their selling line, wondering aloud how they could survive. I suppose if you do find your niche in the Tokyo retail sector, and can create a steady customer base, it's very possible to be successful, as customers here have very sophisticated buying needs. If you are sensitive to this, and can attune yourself to changing demands, then Tokyo is a great place to set up shop. Can't be complacent though, as the competition is intense.
posted by TOK at 9:33 am
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