Last Day in Japan :*(

Well unfortunately today was our last in Japan.

We decided to get up early and head for tsukiji Fish Market, we jumped on the subway from Shinjuku station and about 1/2 hour later we got off at tsukiji station, you wouldnt believe it but you can already smell the fish market. Not a bad smell by any means more like a fresh sushi smell.

A short walk had us at the markets where we wandered around for the next hour.

As a fisherman this was a highlight for me as we saw just about every creature under the sea for sale. Some live, some fresh, some frozen. Everything from fish to octopus to cuttlefish to sea snails to fresh fish eggs. Once finished in the market we wandered back through a small shopping street where we visisted a traditional Japanese knife store and some pottery shops for our last minute gifts. The knives were amazing and I now regret not getting more :(

As we were in a bit of a hurry we didnt stop at Sushi Dai for the breakfast as the line was way too long. We would have been there until lunchtime haha. Next stop was Akihabara, we jumped on the subway and a change or two and a few stations saw us arrive at Tokyo's electronics capital. We were greeted to huge electronic stores and giant Anime posters on buildings! We checked out a few different stores before we found an absolute bargain digital Camera. Ok so now i think we have everyones gifts sorted.

We decided that we had pretty much seen everything we could have in the time available so we opted to go back to Shibuya for one last look. Another meal we just had to try in Tokyo was yoshinoya, once back in Shibuya we headed straight for lunch. Again another very cheap meal, i think this cost us around $5 each and to be honest i struggled to get through it.

After all there was one last tackle shop i couldnt find and now knew the location. Hmmmm this could have been a mistake as once we were in the shop I was in Heaven, so many things and so so cheap!! After another 2 hours my wallet was a lot lighter than when i went in lol. I think i bought about 30 lures, 2 rods and a few other bits and pieces. I just hope that the rods dont break in the Plane going home

Next we called it a day, we had so much walking over the past two weeks and I think finally we both needed a rest. We went back to the hotel, repacked all our gear and set off for the station for one last time. about an hour later we jumped on the NEX train bound for Narita. This train is very much like a shinkansen except slower. The interior is really nice and much nicer than a plane. The journey was really nice as it goes through some really pretty countryside. Everything is just so green!!

About an hour and a half later we arrived at Narita Terminal 2.

We jumped off checked our baggage in and headed off for the food court area.

As this was our last meal in Japan i decided to finally try some western food. We went straight for Mcdonalds, where i had the teriyaki McBurger whilst Sarah tried the fillet-o-fish. The teriyaki burger was nice although a little sweet whilst sarah was pretty impressed with the fillet-o-fish, it was a lot bigger than an Australian one anyway.

Next it was time to go through immigration and head to the boarding lounge, but not before a quick visit to the Duty Free shops. We grabbed a few last minute things and nice bottle of Sake for a special occasion back home. Before we knew it we were onboard the Jetstar A330 bound for the Gold Coast. Although i was happy to be going home to the family I must say we are both a little sad and will certainly miss Japan. This is by far the best place ive ever been and to be honest cant see anywhere on this planet being as good. I dont think ill go anywhere else if i am to go overseas again.

The flight got off the ground at aabout 8.30pm and it wasnt long before dinner was being served.

This time we were treated to a nice chicken/vegetables with Rice. As this was an overnight flight I was lucky enough to sleep and wake early to breakfast being served. Omelet and vegetables was on the cards next and a short time later we landed in the Gold Coast. Although I was tired i felt a little sorry for Sarah as she wasnt able to sleep on the plane.

We collected our bags and headed for customs, Sarah was lucky enough to get straight through. I on the other hand went through every check possible and unfortunately had my ornamental ninja stars taken from me. Finally i made my way out to the waiting lounge and met with the family. We were finally Home!

Tokyo Day3

Today we had plans to visit the other side of Tokyo.

We decided to go check out the Tokyo Metropolitan Building first as there is two free lookouts there. This is a great place for tourists, the fact that its free is even better!

We visited both the north and south towers as each one gives a different view of the city.

Its mind boggling to see how big Tokyo actually is from the observatory. It just seems to keep going and going....and going. Although we had a clear day it was still a little cloudy in the distance so unfortunately Mount Fuji was too hard to see.

Next we were off to Ueno station on the Yamanote Line to visit the Ameyoko Markets.

Once at Ueno we made our way out of the station and down under the railway lines where we saw a very different market scene. This was more like your average asian market, lots of cheap bags, clothes, shoes and local produce. There wasnt a great deal of interest to us here as we were on the lookout for traditional gifts. As it was nearly lunch time now we ducked into an old Ramen Restaurant where we ordered a lovely pork ramen.

We soon moved on from Ueno and made our way to the "old Tokyo" area of Asakusa.

Although very much in the city this area has kept a very traditional feel to it, kind of similar to Kyoto in some ways. As soon as we got out of the station we stumbled across the entrance to the Senso-Ji Temple. This was exactly why we decided to visit Asakusa.

We grabbed a few pics under the giant lanterns and made our way down the souvenir shop lined Nakamise-dori. Here we did some great shopping, picking up many gifts for the family back home. Sake sets, tea sets, maneki neko and a traditional Katana Sword was part of our shopping list. We were also lucky enough to pickup some real Ukiyo-e prints which are amazing! We also sampled the famous ningyoyaki! they were delicious and cute :)

We couldnt visit the Senso-Ji temple without getting amongst the traditional rituals now could we. We both partook in the traditional hand/mouth rinsing and getting amongst the incense burning. We were very lucky to have these traditions explained to us by our friends whilst in Kyoto so it all made sense when in Senso-ji.

After our time in Senso-ji we decided to grab something to eat. There was a few restaurants i had on a must eat list in Tokyo and lucky for us one of them was right next to the Nakamise street. Tenya Tempura is a cheaper (but very good) tempura chain in Japan. The set i ordered was amazing and for the price (about $8 aus) how can you go wrong.

Next we decided to scrap our plans of visiting Akihabara and head straight back to the hotel.

We just had too many bags after our shopping spree. We jumped back on the Yamanote and after 1/2 hour were back in Shinjuku. We raced up to our hotel, grabbed a cold drink from the vender room and shot back over to the station.

Next we were off to Akabanebashi Station where we would view the magnifient Tokyo Tower. We had timed it perfectly as we were able to see the tower up close in the last bit of daylight and then under the cover of night. To see the tower from a distance is amazing but to see it up close is unreal, its soooo big!!! Once the tower is lit up the view is spectacular!

Although we have eaten some amazing food in Japan there are many things we have missed out on trying. Unfortunately you would need to spend a couple of months here to sample everything on offer. One food that we just had to have though was yakitori, and what better place to have it than Shomben Yokocho (aka: piss alley), this is a traditional old school yakitori alleyway under the train tracks in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district. This was one of the best experiences we had in Japan, the smoke and aromas wafting through the alleyway painted a picture that we had gone back in time. We were welcomed into a very tight bar where the chef cooked yakitori over an open fire. I immediately ordered a cold beer and we were presented with a fresh bowl of edamame as we settled into the great atmosphere.

We opted for a traditional yakitori set which comprised of chicken, pork and vegetable skewers.

Speaking to the lovely couple who ran the restaurant they told us that plain salt was the traditional Japanese way to eat Yakitori so I had to go with that, Sarah opted for the more western style of Yakitori which is covered in tare sauce.

We mowed through the first set as it was sooo nice!!! man how do i work out which is the best food we have eaten..... it just keeps getting better, or maybe its just because were eating it we say that lol. No seriously the food in Japan is the best ever, I cant imagine anywhere in the world would come close!!

As we finished the first set we decided to order a few extra sticks,

we opted for the chicken skin, small eggs, whole garlic and cocktail frankfurts

I sank another couple of beers and was very relaxed, perhaps a little too relaxed lol

Once finished dinner we had a wander around the Kabukicho district (so called red light area) and then checked out a few big electronic stores before heading back to the hotel via family mart where Sarah picked up a Crepe filled with Ice cream - looked delicious and tasted even better she says!