First things in Tokyo...

I returned from Tokyo yesterday exhausted, dirty and feeling very content and happy! I had a really awesome time trekking around the city, meeting new people and exploring a new culture! I arrived on Thursday morning and left on Monday morning with three and a half days of Tokyo in between! I stayed at a youth hostel which was near the buildings above (and met a lot of really great people from all over the world). The hostel was located in a really traditional part of town, and I passed through this Buddhist temple on my way to the subway each day.


Japan is really fascinating in a lot of ways. I really liked the clash between the old, traditional icons and the new, modern hipsters who are changing the face of the culture. It is a strange contrast. My first afternoon in Japan was spent settling into my dorm room and exploring the surrounding area on foot. I randomly bumped into a guy who helped me find the right train at a transfer station 30 minutes from the hostel--it was strange to turn around and see him again (and no, I don't think he was following me). Thursday night was spent sitting in the common area at the hostel and talking with other backpackers! This is a little dangerous for me because I hear of all these great places I haven't been yet and start making plans to try to figure out ways to go! We all decided to get up really early and see the giant tunas being auctioned at the Tsukiji Fish Market. We had to leave really early (4:30AM) to see them before they were whisked away by buyers. This was a really fun excursion--there were mountains of octopus, rows of giant tuna and tons of other sea creatures lurking in tanks throughout the building! I read that about $15.5 million dollars of fish are sold here daily!

We followed traditional advice and treated ourselves to a VERY fresh sushimi breakfast! The meat was so delicious--the absolute best sushimi/sushi I have ever eaten, although it was a little weird to be eating it so early, and right after seeing them all piled up at the market!


I am in the left hand corner of this picture, and the rest of the people are from the hostel. Canadians, Brits, New Zealanders and a Dutch girl! It was a fun morning and we were all back in bed by 9AM for a nap! :)