Japan: Day 3 - Tokyo

Day 3: Tokyo
Today began early, getting up & out of the door by 6:30am to store our luggage at the Uedo Train Station, which is where we would be taking the overnight train to Tōno at 10:30pm later in the day... a long day ahead of us!
We hurried to the Tskuiji Fish Market where the noise bustling people filled the air, not to mention the smell of all sorts of aquatic animals, dead & alive!!! Foreigners & natives alike came early to get the freshest fish; the best always goes first! Knowing that what we were eating had literally been swimming in the ocean just a few hours ago was a strange feeling until you chomped into a huge bite of nigiri that literally changes every impression you've had of sushi... ever! Raw salmon, tuna, and cooked shrimp atop a layer of wasabi & rice: heaven. Many people are mistaken to think that raw fish is will be extremely fishy, in actuality, it's the least fishy of all! Fresh, raw fish has an incredible texture & taste that pairs so nicely when prepared in correct proportions of rice &/or wasabi.

Alex taught me some important customs of chopsticks & sushi, such as eating sushi ALWAYS in one bite, flipping your sushi over to dip into soy sauce (as to not saturate the rice & destroy the flavor) & to never poke or prod your food, to always pick it up properly, as it's seen as disrespectful to pick at the food set in front of you.
Next stop, we traveled to the famous SkyTree Tower in Japan! This is a shopping mall that has 12 floors of shopping & food; Japan's version of mall of America :P We tried to visit at least each cloor of SkyTree, but visiting every shop? Impossible...! Too many to even imagine! We next ate a snack at Nana's Green Tea, a popular chain of matcha drinks & ice cream! I got iced matcha latte with mochi & matcha ice cream! It was sooo good,... if you like matcha!
Boasting 634 meters tall, we took an elevator to one of the tallest sight seeing spots on the SkyTree Tower that overlooks Tokyo! It was an incredible view!
We then made our way over to Asakusa Shopping street, which was shops on shops on shops of trinkets, clothes, bags, & souvenirs. Then began the rain... :) We decided to move forward with our plans for the day, because, why not? It cleared out of some of the crowds, haha!
We continued onward to Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist Temples! Seeing people come to worship & engage in the rituals before worship was incredible; I always love to see other religions in practice. Of course, Alex & I couldn't let them have all the fun, so we tried to find our own luck in the popular form of Omikuji. You take a metal box full of bamboo sticks & shake out a numbered stick. You then match the number to a drawer & inside will be a fortune! If it is good luck, you keep the fortune :) If it's bad, you tie it to a post & leave it behind. Alex left her bad fortune in Sensoji :)

We then doddled in the rain, trying to decide a plan of action since the rain spoiled many of our outdoor plans. We stumbled upon an udon shop, which had huge thick noodles with a variety of styles/meats to choose from! This small, lovely shop had a row of stools that faced the window outside, which was apparently extremely entertaining for the locals who gawked & giggled at two Americans who seemed to be out of place & very off the beaten path :P

We then went to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where we avoided rain & used free wifi on both the North & South Observation decks! Oh, & we enjoyed the view of Tokyo as well ;)

Then we had dinner at a restaurant in Ueno Station before catching our overnight bus to Alex's hometown! Whew.... I'm glad I have Alex to navigate the city, buses, & metro. Did I mention that Alex successfully routed us on EVERY metro we took? Never a wrong stop or an incorrect ticket. Color me impressed. Despite all the metros, we somehow managed to walk 9 miles under our shoes! Thankful for the opportunity to sit on a bus, even if it is for 8 hours :P
 Next stop: Tōno!!!!

-Allie