It's all downhill after seeing a 400 lb. tuna

Just kidding. The rest of the day was fantastic. (But you gotta admit – that’s one attention-grabbing opener.)

I’ve never been a fan of “group tours.” If you haven’t noticed, I have a bit of an independent streak. But today was actually good. It moved fast – they were trying to pack in as many stops as possible. And then – because the tour I originally tried to reserve was fully-booked and I had to split it into two half-day tours… I had enough confidence to skip the last half of the afternoon tour and strike out on my own. (And don’t fret – I skipped redundant stops I had already hit this morning AND I discussed it with the tour guide first. Didn’t want the poor guy to put out an Amber alert.)

Our first stop was the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. It’s a 450’ tall Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower (and the guide fully admits they were copying the original). The structure’s day job is to manage and deliver television signal transmissions, but it makes a healthy living off group tours via the observation deck. From these pictures, it was clear to me why I was “intimidated” by Tokyo – it’s GI-NORMOUS! Truth be told, after a day touring… the city is manageable. Too bad I only have two days to burn.

We also visited the gates of the Imperial Garden. The Emperor only allows public visitors twice each year – the Japanese New Year’s Day and his birthday. We had to be content watching from the gates. It was getting to be a really muggy day by then – so I think most of us were THANKFUL we didn’t have to trek further and stay longer. This huge statue was on the grounds leading to the Imperial Gate – reminding us of the times when Samurais controlled the land and the people.

After driving through Ginza (the Rodeo Drive of Japan – thankfully we didn’t stop) and Akihabara (the “electronic city” of Tokyo), we landed at the Asakusa Kannon Temple. This temple is Tokyo’s largest – even better, it’s surrounded by 100+ shops featuring souvenirs and local handicrafts in the Nakamise Shopping Arcade.

The afternoon tour started with another birdseye view of the city – this time atop the observation deck of the World Trade Center. After completing our rounds of the observation deck we took a ferry boat cruise through the Sumida River – departing from Tokyo Harbor and charting our way to Asakusa again (back to Kannon Temple and an afternoon of shopping). The river was a key waterway that led to Tokyo’s development and we passed under nearly a dozen very unique bridges on the way back to the Kannon temple. Each of the bridges was a bold color or a unique design. All of the bridges shared motor vehicles, bicyclers, and walkers -- Tokyo really is a pretty “green” city and it shows by the lifestyle and choices made by its residents.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping for things to take back home. One of the interesting things I found was a little spice shop that hand-makes (via a nine-century old recipe and tradition) a very famous version of seven-flavored spice. They hand grind the seven different spices with a mortar and pestle and package it up to send home with you – I can’t wait to cook with it. And you guys know how I love “consumable goods” – so I also found a few tea shoppes for some nice souvenirs to take back home. The shopping excursion led to exploring a few subway routes (oh my gracious – they put ART in their subways!) and taking the above-ground monorail home during rush hour. Again, I’m so very impressed by the organized transportation in this city. It’s so orderly – with the exception of how to order tickets with signage entirely in Japanese. It cost me about $1.50 USD to get across the city – and still took less than half an hour in the middle of Friday night rush-hour. There’s no reason to own a car here.

So – what was for dinner? Well, I was getting a little homesick so I had to cook. Remember the “hot pot” lunch from Beijing? Well, the Japanese equivalent is Sukiyaki -- consisting of meat (usually thinly sliced beef), or a vegetarian version made only with firm tofu, slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Before being eaten, the ingredients are usually dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs. They brought a single burner to my table, threw in heapings of fatty beef, tofu, sprouts, cabbage and various other veggies. Me and my chopsticks were perfectly delighted to stir away at dinner. And the results – um-um-goooooood! [I know you guys are absolutely cringing about dipping the stuff in raw eggs. I did it. And it was really good. Not that I’ll ever try it at home…]

I can barely walk – but it has been worth it… I have covered significant ground in a short period. Enjoy the snaps on the Picasa link on the right banner of the page… Tomorrow will be completely different – a look at smaller-town life and a lot more scenic views with Mt. Fuji. Can’t wait!