Konichiwa from Tokyo! I arrived here safely and effortlessly, and finally got to fly aboard the monstrous Airbus A380, the jumbo airplane with two levels of seating. The exciting news is that I was seated on the upper deck; the less exciting news is that I was in the last row, right next to the toilet. It was not quiet. And for in-flight entertainment I had hundreds of movies to choose from, but for some reason I chose a bad one called Pitch Perfect, which was like 2 hours of Glee meets Bring It On. I can’t believe I watched it. Actually, I can’t believe I watched it three times.

The Tokyo airport, as expected, was very clean and efficient. Even passing though Customs was a breeze…although I found it odd that they asked if I was traveling with any swords.

Ramen
While sushi is the main purpose of my trip, a close second is eating ramen. Ramen dishes are big bowls of thin noodles in hot broth, and Tokyo is filled with delicious ramen houses. Most of them are very casual places with a single counter filled with people hunched over their bowls, slurping away. There is usually a long line of people waiting to get inside. It’s both a tasty meal and a fun experience.

And this is what we ate for our first meal. More importantly, it was finally time to put all my weeks of chopsticks training to use. I reached down to gently lift the chopsticks off their holder…and everything fell. Off the table. With a loud and embarrassing crash. It was literally the first moment I touched a pair of chopsticks in Japan, and of course I made a scene. I disgraced myself, the restaurant, and the chef I’m sure. And knowing how tradition-rich this culture is, I probably offended somebody’s ancestors too. Strong work.

(I’m not begging for food…I’m just reaching for my bowl!)

Cherry Blossoms
Springtime in Japan is when the famous cherry blossoms bloom. Hundreds of cherry trees open up their flowers for only one or two weeks, and they draw out all the locals. We got extremely lucky and visited at the perfect time to view the sakura (cherry blossoms). We were also very lucky because our local friend, Yukiko, took us to one of the best spots to view them. Here we are at the Chidorigafuchi walk near the imperial palace, where people can take small boats onto the moat that surrounds the palace.

Tsukiji Fish Market
On my last trip to Sydney, Australia I visited the second largest fish market in the world. Not to be outdone (by myself), this morning we visited the largest fish market in the world, the Tsukiji fish market. This place was the mother of all markets…it was huge. If it lives in the ocean, it’s probably sold here.

But by far the most exciting part of the visit was the infamous tuna auction, where at 5am every morning all the latest catch are auctioned off to middlemen (who then sell to other retailers). Their visitor’s office opens at 430am and they only allow two groups of 60 each to view the auction. We woke up at 330am and arrived there promptly at 4am…and still only made it into the second group. It was a loud, crazy, and definitely unique experience.

After seeing the auction and exploring the market, we went to one of the sushi restaurants just a few steps away and ate what was may have the freshest sushi anywhere in the world. While the long line for sushi at 7am was a little unusual, the quality of fish was worth it.

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In other news, apparently Japan loves bidets. I, however, do not. Last time I encountered them (in Iran) bidets were a separate unit so their use was optional. But here they’re built-in and therefore must be used…no way around it. So my plan is to avoid using a toilet altogether, for the entire trip. I’ll just hold it in. I can do it.