Tokyo 8 November 2010 (Tsukiji Fish market)

Da da da dang! Our long-awaited Tsukiji Fish market for breakfast!

Tsukiji Market consists of an inner market where most of the wholesale business and the famous tuna auctions are taking place, and an outer market whose retail shops and restaurants carter to the public. We arrived around 9 a.m and of course didn't hope to witness any tuna actions as the wholesale market was already closed by then.

Hours:

Outer Market: varies by shop, typically 5:00 to 14:00 Wholesale Area: open to visitors after 9:00am Tuna Auction: open to visitors from 5:00am to 6:15am (restricted to 140 visitors/day)

Closed:

Sundays, national holidays and some Wednesdays

Make sure you check the closing days of the market before you go. You may check it at their website.

Tsukiji Market is just above Tsukiji Shijo Station on the Oedo Subway Line. Alternatively, it can be reached in a five minute walk from Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya Subway Line. The closest JR station is Shimbashi (covered by JR pass), from where you can walk to the market in about 15 minutes (Or take a taxi from Shimabshi, cost JPY710). It is also very near Ginza.

There are lots of restaurants in the market but we were looking for the very famous Sushi Dai. They have an advertisement in the station which includes a map, I forgot to take a picture.



Outer markets area which consists of many restaurants and retail shops.


Had tamago yaki ( 玉子烧).It's a slightly sweet grill egg and I like it.


Finally found the restaurant of great renown, Sushi Dai...


But look at the crowd, it is just 10% of the line!! Arrived before 6am to avoid the line if you can, now I truly understand the early bird catches the worm.


Another popular restaurant next to it... the line was shorter, but we didn't want to queue too.


This is a famous restaurant for sashime don but the line was long as Sushi Dai. We finally decided to give them a miss.



We went into the restaurant next to it and we were not disappointed at all.

Feel like in a Japanese drama...

Quite reasonably priced, I think

YUMMY! They were simply fresh! Look at the Uni (Sea Urchin) and Ikura (fish roes)!



I read from somewhere that a grade A sea urchin is bright yellow in color, with a firm texture and tastes a bit sweet... This is definitely grade A.


Super fresh sushi set, yummy too!

We headed to Hakone after this very satisfying breakfast.

My Japan Itinerary

 

Tokyo 7 November 2010 (Kyushu Jangara Ramen & Isetan)

Kyushu Jangara Ramen is very well-known not only in Japan but also abroad.
This is definitely the nicest Ramen that I've ever had. It was so so delicious! Some may find it too salty but I like it very much. Even though it was salty I didn't feel thirsty after that, unlike the soup noodle selling in my home country.

They speak simple English and provide English menu as well.

It is a stone's throw away from Harajuku Station, the line is usually long but we were quite late for lunch that day and thus only had to wait for about 10 minutes.

九州じゃんがら Kyushu Jangara
TEL:03-3404-5405 Address (English): Shanzeru Harajuku II 1-2F, 1-13-21 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan 151-0051
Address (Japanese): 〒150-0001 東京都渋谷区神宮前1-13-21
Hours: Open Mon-Fri 10:45-02:00; Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays 10:00-03:30







We find these so-so...


Very thick and look oily, but wait until you drink it, it was awesome!


I particularly like the thick pork bone soup.

This wasn't that oily but tasty too!



One of them was JPY1,000 and the other one was JPY1,100 - sorry that I can't recall which is which...


We went to first floor of Isetan Shinjiku to pack our dinner back to hotel.




Wow, look at the price! but they are faux food.


Can't afford to try this even though very tempted to.


We bought this for our son... look nice but taste so-so only.

What a tiring day... luckily the beds at Sheraton Miyako were very comfortable...

My Japan Itinerary

 

Tokyo 7 November 2010 (Harajuku & Meiji Shrine)

Harajuku - Meiji Shrine
Harajuku Station is a station on the JR Yamanote Line (covered by JR pass).
Harajuku and Meiji shrine are next to each other.

Harajuku Station

It's a great place for shopping.




Teenager dressing up with costume on Sunday.

Designer's brand


Meiji Shrine

Meiji Jingu is one of the Japan's most popular shrines. It is huge and requires lots of walking, but it is a place that you can witness Japanese wedding and some other cultural festivals.





Wedding ceremony
It's their 7 5 3 ceremony. It is a ceremony that celebrates healthy growth of a child. Girls celebrate 3 years old and 7 years old. Boys celebrate 3 years old and 5 years old.



Hanging up their wishes.

After that we had lunch at the famous Ramen restaurant near Harajuku Station.

Tokyo 7 November 2010 (Narita Airport & Shinagawa Station)

Narita Airport - Shinagawa Station

NARITA AIRPORT

First thing we did was looking for the JR Counter to exchange for the JR Pass. The Narita Exspress train to Tokyo is covered by JR pass. You may ask for a reserved seat at the same time.

No worries about language barrier if you can read English, or even better if you can read Chinese characters.





NARITA EXPRESS
The journey to Shinagawa Station takes apprx 70 minutes.
There is luggage storage space next to every exit door.


Nice and comfy seats.

SHINAGAWA STATION
It's one of the major stations in Tokyo. You can gather your travel information from there.


Our first meal in Japan - fresh, soft and tasty breads selling at Shinagawa Station. There were many people lining up for it.







We then took the JR Yamanote Line to Meguro Station, and took the hotel's complimentary shuttle bus to Sheraton Miyako Tokyo. Their shuttle bus arrives every 15 minutes.

Japan (Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Tokyo) in Autumn 2010

Japan has so much to see, so much to eat and so much to offer, 8N7D is simply not enough!!

As we said "Sayonara" to Japan at Narita airport, we have also promised ourselves that we will be back soon.

My hubby segregated our duties - he would take care of our son, I would be responsible for the itinerary ...mm.. fair and square. I was very nervous before departure as none of us can speak Japanese and many people have been telling us how complicated Tokyo metro systems are, how little English the Japanese can understand etc. Well, these are true to certain extend but not completely. Overall, Japan is fun to explore on your own.

Before departure
Air tickets: 3 person by JAL - RM1,580 per person

Accommodation: Mid of November is considered high season especially for Kyoto, you should book your hotels at least 6 weeks before departure. Hotels that I stayed are Sheraton Miyako Tokyo- Aura Tachibana Ryokan - Matsubaya Inn - Westin Miyako Kyoto - Sheraton Miyako Tokyo - Excel Tokyu Narita. Out of these, the only one that I would recommend is Matsubaya Inn.

Visa application: Japan visa application is fee but quite a hassle. You need to prepare employment letters, certified bank statements, etc. I was told that our bank accounts should show a balance of at least RM6,000 for each traveler.

JR Pass : RM1,118 per person if paid by cash. The Japan Rail Pass enables you to travel throughout Japan in an economical way. Purchased at JTB Inc., (Malaysia) SDN. BHD. (Kuala Lumpur). Call them to get the exact amount before you go as the price fluctuates with exchange rates.
IMPORTANT: You must purchase the Exchange Order outside of Japan, and you need an valid visa for the purchase. Official website : http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html

Route and stations: Japanguide.com is very informative. I checked and jotted down the stations and metro lines of my planned destinations before I left home. You can get the routes from www.hyperdia.com


7-Day Itinerary 
Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Tokyo

Day 1: Narita airport - Shinagawa (store luggage at Sheraton Miyako hotel) - Harajuku-Meiji Shrine - Kyushu Jangara Ramen - Check-in hotel - Shinjiku Isetan dinner - Rest early

Day 2 : Tsukiji fish market - Hakone (Aura Tachibana Ryokan - onsen bath)

Day 3: Hakone - Kyoto (Matsubaya Ryokan)

Day 4: Fushimi Inari Shrine - Kiyomizudera temple- Nishiki market (lunch) -Kinkakuki (Golden Pavilion) - Gion All-you-can-eat dinner (Shabu_Zen)- Westin Miyako Kyoto

Day 5: Tokyo - Asakusa - Ginza (Chiyotei Unagi dinner)

Day 6: Yoyogi Park - Harajuku (Kiddy Land) - Akihabara - Excel Tokyu Narita Hotel

Day 7: Fly back home


KYOTO TRANSPORT - get yourself a one-day city pass at Kyoto Station for unlimited bus rides, it cost only JPY500. Start your bus route plan at Kyoto Station then you may be able to cover quite a number of attractions in a day or two.

HAKONE TRANSPORT: Buy a Hakone pass at Odawara Station. See Hakone.

We could have visited more places if my son didn't fell sick on Day 5. There are so many attractions in Tokyo itself that we have yet to visit, eg. Odaiba, Disneyland, Ueno Park, Ghibli museum, etc, Same goes to Kyoto, you may think Kyoto is just about temples and shrines but each of the temples and shrines has its own beauty and the feeling and mood of strolling around is really amazing.


I simply have to go back, and this time, I will arrange to stay near Tsukiji Fish Market so that I can have nicest breakfast everyday, gosh... can you imagine that!