Day 3

So day 3 begins. We wake up around 5am to head to the Tsukiji Fish Market. This was the first time we were going to travel on the subway in Tokyo. In Tokyo, they have many transit systems: Toei Line (which consists of 4 subway lines), Tokyo Metro System (which consists of I believe 8 subway lines), in addition to the JR lines, Keio lines, private rails etc. It was pretty scary the fact that we would be riding the subway for the first time not knowing where to go. We head downstairs to the lobby and we asked one of the staff working in the lobby how to head there. He says take the "Oedo" Line to Tsukiji-shijo. We were thinking okay, how are we going to find this? So we entered one of the tunnels nearby the hotel and took a walkway towards the subway kind of like Toronto's PATH system? I haven't really been but I think it's similar. Anyways, in Shinjuku, it's one of the busiest train stations in Tokyo. Approximately 2 million people cross Shinjuku Station everyday. So every line crosses to this station ie. both subway systems (Toei and Tokyo Metro) in addition to NEX, JR, etc. So standing in the center of everything, we weren't sure where to go. We figured to just ask someone. We found the entrance to the Oedo line and one of the attendants sitting in the booth came out to help us. He told us to purchase our tickets at the kiosk. This is also another cool thing about the Metro Systems here. The attendants are there to just monitor that people enter and exit properly. When you enter, you have to insert your ticket and the gates stay open, and when you exit you have to enter your ticket again (the same one that is returned to you). Anyhow, it's so organized here. No lines to purchase tickets or Metro passes, just all automated ticket machines. So we end up buying each of us a ticket for the one day open pass which is pretty much a day pass. However, this gets tricky because we are only allowed to use the Toei Subway System because that's the ticket we bought it for. Meaning we only get to use the 4 lines.

So planning our day we had to make sure we knew where we were going so that we don't need the Tokyo Metro System which costs 710 Yen for an one day pass vs. Toei which costs 500 Yen. We take the subway down to Tsukiji and exit. You can tell we're on the right track because we see many tourists from different ethnic backgrounds exiting this station. We head into the warehouse which is a huge huge huge (ie. size of a mall) but all one floor marketplace where all they sell are fresh seafood. We saw a lot of different things such as crabs, squid, octupus, salmon, HUGE HUGE blue fin tuna (we have pics to post later) and you get the picture. It was actually quite fascinating how fresh everything was but you know for sure it was expensive! After exiting the marketplace the other more quieter side sold fruits and vegetables. We exited this market and headed to the side markets. We bought some green tea, which by the way is really good here and refreshing. We walked along the same market and came across many different sushi restaurants. These restaurants basically serve the fresh fish from the market. We picked one that looked good, from seeing a crowd around the restaurant and a line around. We waited for about 45mins for just a seat. The restaurant is tiny, it's more like a bar that had max 10 seats so the wait was long but well worth it. We finally get seated and we pre-ordered our meals. We each had something different. Ray had Tuna, minced tuna, salmon in his on a bed of rice mixed with seaweed. I had Salmon, raw scallops, roe (the orange fish eggs which are like huge like a small marble here lol), crab (not the fake crab, the real deal from crab legs). It was amazing! The taste was like super fresh and so flavourful. Each bowl cost us 1200-1600 yen which is pretty expensive.

So after our meals we made our way to Asakusa which is where the Senji-jo temple is and Imperial Palace after.

To be Continued...

Day 2

Upon arriving at Narita Airport, we purchased a NEX train ticket which would allow us to reach the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. There are two options which can get you there safely. 1. Limo Bus or 2. Train. Honestly speaking, we did not know the extent of the price of taking transportation from the airport to central Tokyo but Wow! it was extremely expensive. Taking the bus would be 2.2 hours which was 3000Yen or about 35 bucks or train which was 3105 Yen or about 38 dollars CDN. However, by taking the train it would save us time and also would prevent us from being stuck in traffic. Ultimately, we decided to take the NEX Train which meant 70 bucks out of our pocket.

@@For anyone who decides to come to Japan, I urge all of your to learn basic Japanese simply because there is a large language barrier which can make your travel plans more difficult than anticipated. Also, be sure to purchase your JR passes in your home country because it will allow you unlimited travel for 10 days on the JR rail which will save you loads of money. The special JR passes cannot be purchased within Japan because it is a gimmick to attract foreigners to come to Japan. You would need your passport and stamp of travel to be eligible for the pass.

As soon as we purchased our NEX tickets, we went downstairs to the train platform and as a first timer in Japan it was quite interesting to see all the things which we don't have back in Toronto. 1. Soda vending machines, 2. Designated smoking room and 3. Notification screens to tell you when the next trains are coming (maybe we do have these screens back in Toronto, but I forget). What I love about Japanese transit is the fact that everything is on time to the last second. Literally no lie, the trains here come every 10 minutes and also on TIME. In addition, the platforms are ac powered. Thank god for them because when you go upstairs and leave the train platforms you honestly get a blast of heat which you start sweating uncontrollably and its really disgusting and gross.

When you hear Japanese innovation, what do you normally think of? Wacky, highly advanced technology right? Well considering that we were in Japan, these people definitely love to innovate things. The trains had swirving chairs which you can adjust to make a four seater. In addition, the doors were automated so that if you wanted to move from train to train you could. Something which you cannot do in the west. My personal favourite thing about the NEX train was the tiny crapped washrooms in cargo 7. When I went to go to pee, I was standing in this tiny room with a tiny sink and a unrinal the size of a bucket. Standing there while the train was moving was the funniest thing ever only because your had to keep adjusting your wang so that when the flow is running your precious liquid didnt miss and hit the floor. I loved it.

Another personal favourite thing of mine was the walking sales attendant which sold various snacks and drinks. I was contemplating on purchasing a drink, however because we just spent 75 bucks on the train tickets it was wise to conserve and save as much as we could. It was a bummer that I couldnt get my first taste of Japanese snacks but it was a wise decision knowing that we had to budget.

Day 3 - (Tsukiji Fish Market) - coming soon

Japan Tour - Day 1

Day 1 of the Japan Tour was quite nerve racking and exciting at the same time. Waking up at 8:00am to make the 1:15pm flight made sleep non-existent. Thanks to Jenn we were able to receive a drive to Pearson Airport in addition to her excellent camera skills which gave us superb coverage of our departure from Toronto. Upon arriving at the front gate we gave our final goodbyes and entered the last leg of the security check. Our flight was supposed to be at 1:15pm, however due to some fuel problems our plane ride was delayed to 4:15pm. When hearing this news, I got very angry only because there was going to be three hours of wait time of doing nothing. One positive note which I can take from this is that it is better to be safe than sorry.  In addition, I believe Air Canada is really trying to improve their image because they are known to be the worst airline in delays and customer service. By delaying our flight three hours, each customer was given a $10 credit which could be used within the Airport for food or whatever items we planned to purchase. Now that is what I call anger relief. Considering that there was three hours of spare time, both Lana and I went to the Milestone Express to order some last minute lunch. A chicken noodle soup, chicken penne pasta and 1/2 pound of chicken wings definitely made our stomachs bloated yet full enough to last our 12 hour flight if there was not enough food on the plane. Total price of the meal $33.41 CDN, with credit only $13.41, Score!.

Once the clock hit 3:30pm, our second plane was ready and good to go. We entered the plane got into our seats and sulked at the 12 hour ride which was ahead of us. Although Air Canada has some really bad service at times, their planes definitely make up from their negative attributes. A TV console which plays all the latest movies, in addition Sirius Satellite Radio which plays all the latest tracks was definitely the source of entertainment for our dreaded plane ride.

What I can laugh about the plane ride there was the fact that there was more food than we can devour or digest properly. No lie, the Airline gave us more food than the majority of us could handle. I was never hungry one minute while in the air. What was served on the plane? 1) Chicken Pasta (again); 2) bread and jam as a snack; 3) Cup Noodle; 4) Cookies and bread as a second snack; 4) Hot breakfast. Although, the food does not sound appealing in words, the actual meal was quite good and delicious. Surprising? Yea, it came to a surprise for me. Can't wait to go to Korea because from what I hear, bibimbap is actually served on the plane. lol,

After a good 12.5 hours of air time we arrived in Narita Airport which by Japanese time was 5:13pm. Time to take the train

Day 2 - Posted Soom (Train Ride to Hotel) - Quite interesting.