Day 5 Japan

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Day 5 in Japan

What a day, an early morning tuna auction to subway hopping through out Tokyo. With a 3 am wake up to wait in line at the visitor entrance by 4. Then be escorted to the the tuna auction bay at 5:30, I am finding that I am a little tired as I write this blog at 4 in the afternoon. Sorry for my mistakes.
The auction was fascinating! The fish were laid out on the warehouse floor based on weight and source. They had there gills ripped off, were gutted and lay frozen on the ground as the buyers inspected the fish with metal picks. Not really sure of what they were looking for, but they moved meticulously from fish to fish poking and prodding. The fish were kept on ice as they were transported from the seas surrounding Thailand, Taiwan, and other neighboring coasts. Twenty four hours earlier these fish had been swimming in not so friendly seas. Each buyer wore a baseball cap with an identifying tag for the auctioneer. When the auction started the recorders kept tract of the bids and final offers. It was over in a matter of minutes, and tuna that varied in price from 10 to 350 dollars a kilogram, was labelled and dragged across the warehouse to their respective buyers trolley. Only 120 people a day are allowed to witness this event a day, hence the4amwake up. But it was worth it. After the auction I proceeded to the vendors area of the fish market for my sushi breakfast. I was the most expensive breakfast I have ever had, 31 dollars expensive to be exact. It was worth every penny. If I thought yesterday's sushi was excellent, today's was heaven. The softest, melt in your mouth tuna I have ever eaten. There were other tasty morsels too. Each one prepared by a skilled craftsman in the art of the knife. After breakfast I wandered around the vendors area and then went back to the hotel happily sated. With only one full day in Tokyo, I had to figure out what I wanted to do and how to get around. So I grabbed a whole day subway pass good for both the tokyo metro and the toei line and stop hopped throughout the city. I wandered through the nooks and crannies of Tokyo, or as one person said - I was seeing the 'real Tokyo'. A little bit of window shopping, tastings, lots of coffee and tea, some galleries and a photography museum. I am debating if I am ready to to go back to the hotel or to check out one more area, I am going to let my mâché latte settle, then decide.Good night.

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