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Yokoso (welcome) Japan! We just left Tokyo and can’t stop talking about what a great city it was. It was humongous but still seemed manageable because they have a great metro system. We also walked around tons so we really got to explore the different neighborhoods. We loved the Shibuya area and Omotesando Dori (street) with all of its beautiful designer shops—great people-watching, and it didn’t take long to notice that the Japanese are really put together and polished. It seemed like everyone wears nice clothing and shoes and carries nice purses/briefcases. We definitely stuck out like sore thumbs walking around in our comfortable travel clothes and American sneakers :)

We also loved walking the Ginza strip at night, which is kind of like 5th Avenue crossed with Times Square—Ferragamo, Dior, Armani, Prada stores + you have tons of Japanese department stores and you even have Abercrombie & Fitch, which really made us laugh because even in Japan, it still emanates that same Abercrombie cologne smell from inside the store right into the street.

Our favorite neighborhood was Shinjuku which was ultra-modern with lots of brightly lit arcades and karaoke bars and seemed to be the true heart of young Tokyo. This area was also where we had the best sushi and sashimi we’ve ever had! We also ate great ramen noodle soup (3 out of 4 days in Tokyo) and really tasty tempura, complimented well by our Santory beer. For anyone that’s seen the movie Lost in Translation, try to picture Bill Murray at the photo shoot saying “For relaxing times, make it Santory times.”

Our most memorable experience was waking up at 4am to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market which is a humongous wholesalers market for fish and fresh produce. Tsukiji has the largest tuna auction in the world and the bidding starts at 5 am with tuna’s selling for nearly $50,000. We were told the most expensive tuna is always sold to Hong Kong and restaurants there will sell bite-size sushi pieces for $50+!

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