More Tokyo! (Days 141, 142)

The next day, after recuperating in the room for awhile we went to Akihabara. Akihabara is like Japanese nerd Mecca. There are blocks and blocks of buildings with stories and stories of shops that sell comics, books, electronics, figures, and all other manner of geeky stuff. It's also got an element of sleaze, which was an interesting change of scenery after living in wholesome Kyoto for six months. I didn't really get any noteworthy pictures there. It was an overcast day and we were there in the afternoon so the neon signs weren't particularly interesting. You can see a decent picture of it here.

From there, we made a tenuous plan for the next 24 hours that somehow came together perfectly. First, David, Ed, and I decided to check out the famous Shibuya Crossing. Featured in many movies and famous photographs, Shibuya Crossing is like the Times Square of Tokyo. The crossing is placed alongside the busy Shibuya Station and serves as a 5-way intersection. Every few minutes, all traffic is halted, and the entire intersection floods with pedestrians for about a minute. This cycle basically runs at all times, day and night. We took the subway from Akihabara to Shibuya.

I feel like this is nearly the quintessential picture of a Tokyo subway car. I fiddled with the colors so it has a pretty vibrant blue/orange balance that I wanted to convey the artifical light/summer heat dynamic. Wow, I almost sound like a fine arts major.

That's the crossing. This picture isn't amazing, but it shows you the square as the pedestrians cross with the mall in the background.

This panorama is a little more aesthetically pleasing. I set the color saturation from high in the center around the neon signs and giant screens to zero on the edges. I think it creates a neat effect.

From Shibuya, we figured we had just enough time to check out the Sky Tree before close. At 2,080 ft., Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world and the second tallest structure overall after the Burj Khalifa. It broadcasts radio and television to the entire Kanto region (~50% larger than New Jersey), and is also a hot tourist destination with fantastic observation decks. It's about $20 to get to the deck at 350m, and another $10 to get up to the deck at 450m. Of course, we figured, "What's the point if you don't go all the way?" The lit up view of the city was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't lug a tripod with me so I wasn't able to get great photos. (Good nighttime photography requires long exposure times and either a tripod or robotically steady hands) Still, I got a couple worth sharing:

Taken from the lower deck.

Taken from the upper deck, almost a mile above the Earth. Sure, that's peanuts compared to Fuji, but then again Fuji doesn't allow you to stand directly over the downtown of the world's greatest metropolis.

At this point, we decided we wanted to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market when it opened the next morning (5:00 AM). However, the buses don't run that early and cabs are too expensive so we were left with the option of walking or staying somewhere near the market. What we ultimately decided, was to stay the night in the cheapest internet cafe we could find near the market. 

After taking the subway to a station near the market, we walked a ways and came to a tall, skinny building, unremarkable among its neighbors. We climbed up a couple flights of stairs to an ugly brown door pocked with flyers. We stepped through and were greeted by the world as seen through a nicotine yellow filter. Just inside the door there was a service counter, behind which a young couple were apparently running things. Ed, in all his brilliance, forgot his passport, but I guess they take Michigan state driver's licenses as valid proof of ID.

After forking over a whole seven dollars each, we were led one by one by to our illustrious accommodations. Each of us was afforded a cracked and beaten pleather chair surrounded by 4 foot tall particleboard with nothing overhead except the distant yellowed corkboard ceiling tiles. It was not quite as spacious nor as private as a bathroom stall, and only marginally more comfortable. I wouldn't call it the seedy underbelly of Tokyo, but this was definitely off the tourist-beaten path. 

On the upside, we got unlimited soda, and they had Melon Fanta which is pretty tasty. There were also tons and tons of tobacco stained volumes of manga. I took a couple back to my cubicle, but was quickly reminded how poorly developed my Japanese reading skills are. After giving up on that, I rapidly drained my phone battery watching videos on my phone and then spent the remaining hours until we left doing my best sleeping person impression.

I mentally noted that despite its decided lack of luster, the establishment we were leaving was still probably the most reputable in the building.

We left well before dawn and made our way to the sushi restaurants near the market. We walked into one that David had picked out, as this was one of the rare Japanese subjects in which I was probably the least knowledgeable out of the group. However, whatever sensibilities I may lack with regard to seafood, I was at least able to appreciate the fantastic food we were served. It wasn't cheap either, the most expensive bluefin tuna ever auctioned went for almost $400 a pound.

Ed got the sample platter.

Both David and I got the Maguro (bluefin tuna) platter. The Otoro (bottom right) was one of the most unique and delicious things I've ever tasted. It had a rich buttery flavor and was unbelievably tender.

Once we were finished eating, the first rays of daylight were just peaking over the horizon. We made the short walk to the fish market proper to take it all in. The Tsukiji Fish Market was at one time Tokyo's best kept secret and only the most informed tourists would be lucky enough to experience this cultural phenomenon. Thanks to social media and the global dissemination of information though, it's now being overrun with oblivious, disrespectful tourists. Because of this, they are trying to move the market to a larger area with broader streets to accommodate all the increased attention. We tried our best not to get in anyone's way and be as respectful as possible, but we unfortunately got to see multiple groups of clueless tourists standing in the middle of busy intersections.

The activity steadily increased while we were there, and we decided to leave pretty early both out of respect for the workers and due to lack of sleep. We returned to the hotel and crashed until mid-afternoon. At that point we headed to the bay to check out the famous fireworks. What we learned is that to get a good spot you either have to know somebody, or buy a ticket 9 months in advance. I guess that's not that outrageous considering that it's one of the best fireworks festivals in the world, and Japanese people tend to plan way ahead of schedule as it is.

Look how far away we are, and yet in the foreground you can see hundreds of people sitting in paid seats.

Again, I was not situated for low-light photography, so I didn't get many great pictures. Actually, less than halfway through the show I decided to go into the mall. I was shortly joined by everyone else. We ate some food court chow and watched the new Mission Impossible. I have no regrets. If you are ever planning on seeing the Tokyo Bay Fireworks, reserve a good place waaaaay ahead of time or don't bother going.