Sha-Sha-Shibuya!

Day 7: January 2

Our morning began with a crazy visit to see the Royal Family. Emperor Akihito appears only on his birthday, December 23, along with January 2 to celebrate the new year. Only on these two days does the Tokyo Imperial Palace open its inner grounds to the public. The experience was similar to Disneyland in that the crowds were extremely condensed and the lines neverending. However, there were no amusement park rides or souvenirs, only an endless supply of paper Japanese flags to wave around. Truthfully, it was a bit awkward to be Chinese American standing amidst intense Japanese nationalistic pride, but if you play the role of a clueless tourist everything works out.

Just like Disneyland! (Without the rides)

After the crowd stood in the sun for around half an hour, the emperor and his family came out onto a balcony protected with bulletproof glass. We were already squished person to person below the balcony, but when the royals stepped out, the intense roar of Japanese paper flags waving filled the air. After speaking in a dignified tone for five minutes (what about, I have no idea ) the emperor went back in, and then crowd dispersed.

Japanese nationalism

Following that slightly strange experience, it was time for all-you-can-eat Shabu Shabu. Contrary to what my dad thought, all-you-can-eat did not mean that plate of food is literally all-you-can-eat. The restaurant provided unlimited plates of raw slices of beef, pork, and chicken, which we cooked in a boiling pot of soup before dipping in a mixture of sesame oil, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and ponzu sauce. The dumplings and udon were also a great addition to the meal.

Lunch traffic. 

The afternoon was spent in Shibuya, the metropolitan area home to the famed Shibuya scramble crossing. At this intersection, hundreds of people build up on four corners (mainly from the subway stations and shops). Once the pedestrian light turns green, waves of people stream onto the road, crossing in all directions, including diagonally. (I suspected that a good percentage were tourists crossing multiple times, especially when I saw a group of people literally plop down in the middle of the street in order to take a picture).

Cool people.

Other highlights on the night included visiting Hachiko's statue, shopping at a 109 mall with crazy shopkeepers screaming about sales, and of course, exploring Daiso.

Daiso haul! -pens, stickers, notebooks...

Tokyo also hosted a large number of cat cafes :D We visited one on the 8th floor of a building, and the cafe met us with a mellow ambiance and cool jazz. After sanitizing our hands and changing our shoes for slippers, it was time to pet cats. Most of the cats rested in cat trees above the adoring cafe guests, but it must have been entertaining for them to watch the humans dance below holding cat toys and treats.

CAT CAFE!!!

Fluffy Tail

Sleepy cat

More sleepy cat

Day 8: January 3

Finally, it was time to experience the tasting of the main culinary item associated with Japan: sushi! At the Tsukiji Fish Market, famed for its tuna tossing auctions, tons of seafood stalls lined the streets, selling items such as scallops topped with sea urchin, broiled crabs, tuna steaks, lobster soup, dried squid, and sashimi. Stores sold out plenty of their products, with Vietnamese tourists literally packing their luggage to the brim with dried cuttlefish.

I see-food! (haha.)

After wandering through the alleyways and pondering which place to go eat at, we decided on a small sushi restaurant on the second floor of a building. Since we sat at the counter, we were able to view the sushi chefs assembling meals right in front of us. With their well-practiced motions, one chef sliced the sashimi, another formed rice mounds for the sushi, and a third artfully assembled rice bowls with slices of sashimi laid across the top. The chefs were amiable and kindly chatted with us on the different types of fish that we had no idea we were eating. The sushi tasted extremely fresh, and it made it difficult to imagine returning to SF to eat sushi made in the USA.

Sushi Masters

Assorted fish

A subway ride later, we made it to Roppongi Hills, the place where the famed scene of the Tokyo skyline was shot. More new year's celebrations were underway and we enjoyed free entertainment consisting of traditional Japanese music, lion dances, and TAIKO. The taiko drumming was especially fun to watch, as the beat of their drums literally shook the audience.

New year's lion biting away bad luck.

BOOM

Taiko is a full workout

Tokyo Tower and a view of our feet standing atop a glass floor :O

 

More food for the carnivores. 

Day 9: January 4

At last, our final day in Japan had arrived. Since we had to reach Narita Airport, about an hour long bus ride from Tokyo, by the afternoon, there was only some time to explore the Tokyo Station after we had finished packing and cleaning the apartment.

Candy rolling station.

The station had a countless number of shops, but the best part was an area called "Character Street." There, stores sold merchandise from all the famous Japanese cartoons and characters, such as Studio Ghibli, Rilakkuma, Hello Kitty, and various animes. I probably would have spent my life savings buying keychains and notebooks, but it was time to eat lunch before traveling to the airport.

ahhh I want all of them!

It was a strange but delicious lunch of Okinawa cuisine, which included a bowl of ramen along with something that suspiciously tasted like Taco Bell without the tortilla. Alas, it was time to head back to the airport for our flight. Thank you Japan for an exciting adventure! 

Ramen and...Taco Bell?

Back in SF! (Featuring the Japanese wrestling team)