Hakone, the Fish Market, and Beyond

Newsflash from Tokyo!

Hakone, The Fish Market, and Beyond!

This week has sure been busy. Monday we only had one show so my boyfriend Gabriel and I took the subway to Harajuku which is a very crowded shopping district. I had to get a few little things for people so Courtney (who has been to Japan before) directed me towards the Oriental Bazaar. Wow, it was like Christmas shopping in the mall. Four floors of people yelling about their cool products, passing out flyers, way too many shoppers, lots of commotion. They did have everything I wanted but I was happy to get out of there. I even got a cute Kimono. Next, Gabe and I went to Ueno Park which was more my California pace... There was still shopping but more space so people weren't all over one another. I had some marvelous yakitori (chicken on a stick), and a perfectly ripe, sweet, juicy piece of pineapple on a stick. Yumm. Ueno Park also had a beautiful green park area with a zoo, canoes that people can take out on a lake, some lovely temples, wild cats, and crows that were bigger than them. We ran out of time because I had to get to work but I hope to go back there before we leave.

Tuesday was our first full day off so everyone scattered to find some Japan. A group of us (Boko, Roger, Brian, Courtney, Mikai [Courtney's sweet Japanese friend], Trish, Dom, Stacey lea, Gabe, and I) went to Hakone. A funny thing happened on the way to Hakone. We all boarded the train and all but two of us had reserved seats, the others were free to sit wherever they wanted in the last few cars. To make a long story short, Trish and Boko took the unreserved tickets, sat in the last two cars, the train split, our car went to Hakone while their car went to Hinoshima. We realized this not too long into the trip and waited for them in Hakone. Boko and Trish being the resourceful seasoned travellers that they are, got off of their train, switched lines, and met us an hour later. What an adventure. Finally, regrouped, we headed off to the open air museum. This was very cool. I love large pieces of art and that's what they had lots of. There are pictures of this up now. We then had lunch at the restaraunt there (thank you Mikai for translating), and headed off to some hot springs. This has been my favorite part of Japan so far.

When we walked in we took off our shoes, said goodbye to the menfolk and headed off to the womens area; the men headed off to theirs. Then, there is a change area where everyone strips down and puts away all threads of clothing. Then there is a cute area with stools lined up in front of mirrors, faucets, soap, and a small wooden bucket for everyone. We all bathed ourselves clean and then headed off to the semi-outdoor (private) area. It was a beautiful sight. Women of all ages relaxing in cold and hot mineral baths, women carried their babies into a hot spring cave which was good luck, there was a sauna, and in the slight rain everything seemed so peaceful. There were a couple of strange looks because some of us had tattoos but we obviously look foreign so it wasn't too kejka. We left there feeling like happy limp noodles. From what Mikai was saying, the hot springs were a regular cultural event. The boys said they saw a younger man bathing his father. How respectful! What blew me away was that the price to get in was only nine dollars a head, and this was an expensive one! Many other ones are three dollars. For the hot springs I've been to in the States, it's at least fourty dollars to get in. Geez. Anyhow, we all made it back safely... we also all stayed in the same car and hoped that no one's seat ejected and went somewhere else. It was a wonderful time and we all slept like babies.

Today though I woke up from my slumber at 4:45 am to go to the fish market to see where all of Tokyo's fish is caught, auctioned off, killed, cleaned, and dispursed. It was amazing. Pierre, Mike, Mark, Dom, Stacey lea, and myself were up with the sun to be in the midst of yet some more Japanese culture. We had to dodge little trucks, bikes, and people who were hard at work to get the freshest fish I had ever seen out to the public. As we walked from the water's edge we saw some men auctioning off the catch of the day to some other men. Then we saw the live fish being killed, then cleaned as we kept walking, then packaged, driven away, sold in mass quantities... Wow. And you know what? It didn't smell bad at all because the fish was so fresh. I was really surprised because there was blood everywhere and fish everywhere. Mostly the locals were hard at work but occasionally they'd look up to smile at the foreign group with big eyes and snapping cameras. Dom even got a picture with two of them. After we had seen it all we were on the side of sushi restaraunts where we all sat at seven in the morning and had the freshest fish of our lives. It melted in our mouths. It was delicious and the owner was quite proud to have us eat the fish that he had bought just that morning. And let me tell you he had lots to be proud of. Just one of the large fish costed a thousand dollars!! They were 4 or 5 feet long, see the pics up later today. We then left with full bellies and then my tired butt went back to bed with a smile on my face. The fish market is a MUST SEE for anyone who visits. Oh, and have some sushi while you're there. You'll be glad you did.