Magically Delicious Saturday

We had initially intended on waking up a little earlier to see the catch ofvthe day at the tsukiji fish market. But we woke up late, so we changed our plans around a little bit and started the day with a jog/bike ride around the Imperial Palace.


I came here with Rosie and Elaine and toured the actual palace in college, so it was fun to experience it from the outside while getting some exercise. Even on the exercise path, Japanese people are polite and orderly. For example, there was a soccer team running on the path but they were running in twos, and making sure they were at least 2 mins apart so not to crowd the path for others. Wow - we have so much to learn from the Japanese.


After a quick shower, we headed to the fish market! Though the market itself was closed, the fresh sushi from the day's catch was still available.


So we waited patiently on line...


Peering into the windows...


For finally, a tasting course of the chef's recommendations.


I can't describe how delicious the sushi was. So fresh. So yummy...


Mmm...


Mmmm...


Mmmmmm!


No more fish in the market, but we did find a sleeping fisherman who looked like Junto's twin,


And some leftovers :)


We walked around and I learned that bonito flakes were actually made from shaved dry smoked fish! Amazing! They looked like wooden blocks!


No matter what country I'm in, the sounds and smells of a bustling market always gets me excited!


Man, people here are just so pleasant. Even the market lady is smiling!


Dried fish, seasoned fish, marinated fish, pickled fish, FISH! Being here has given me a new appreciation fish. I need to cook more fish when I get back.


Talk about a big catch!


Love that they intentionally put something next to its head for relativity. The ciggs are barely bigger than its eye!


Ok. Fruits in Japan can be very very delicious and very very expensive. This box of cherries is like $80! But look how pretty they are and I'm sure each cherry is so sweet it'll make a grown man cry.


When in Rome... I ate WHALE! Ski and Miki tell me that back in the day, whale used to be the most common meat - even served at schools. The size of a whale and how many it can feed brings new meaning to 2 fish n 2 loaves... I thought long and hard about the taste but it was hard to taste since it was deep fried. The texture was chewy but meaty, tasted a little oily and perhaps a little bitter, something like dark chicken meat but more like veal texture than chicken, hmm... Hard to explain, but glad I tried it. Add it to the list!


For dinner, I met up with Rosie and Taiki in Roppongi for all-you-can-eat shabu shabu. Cant go wrong there :) We were so busy talking and strategizing how to help them move to L.A., that I totally forgot to take a picture with them though!


Then met up with Ski, Miki, and Tet in Akasaka and went to a magic bar. So fun! This guy came to our table and did a few card tricks and then for his big finale, he asked me to sign a card...


Like so...


And then after placing it back into the deck, he pounded it with a bottle of factory-sealed green tea, and abracadabra... Peeled the label back and my card was INSIDE the bottle. Yep. That's right. MAN that was crazy! :)


Haha good times good times!