Tokyo Tower

I took this picture of the iconic Tokyo Tower at night. It was one of the rare clear nights in Tokyo. The lights illuminating the tower has a distinct glow.

Fukagawa Edo Museum

A few humorous sites that we encountered on our visit to the Fukagawa Edo Shiryoukan.



As we descended down the stairs, we could not help but notice a cat meowing in the background. Looking down on the buildings, we found this little cat that would bob its head and meow every so often.




This is a scene near the river. No explanation needed as to what this little guy is doing.

Overall, this is a fun, interactive museum.

Fukawagawa Edo Museum

Our group enjoys learning about culture and history on our trips to Japan. (Believe it or not, it's not all about eating, drinking and eating.) We enjoy visiting museums that teach us about a the history and culture of the area.

This year, I scheduled a visit to the Fukagawa Edo Museum. The Fukagawa Edo Shiryoukan Museum is located in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, a Shita-Machi neighborhood known for its beautiful Kiyosumi Tei-en (Garden). A stroll to the neighborhood would not lend you to believe that there is a museum here. The streets are lined with a mix of old and modern buildings. It is a mix of residences and mom and pop store fronts. There are a few neighborhood temples and shrines. Amidst this streetscape, is the Fukagawa Edo Museum.



The Museum, looks more like a library. It is not until you walk inside and down the stairs, do you realize the scale of what is exhibited there. The museum showcases life in shitamachi during the edo period. There are preserved buildings and streetscapes. The floor of the building is actually sunken. It actually is a basement. This is pretty smart since there are height limits for buildings in this neighborhood.

Above is a picture of my mom on the long stairway down to the exhibit floor.



A look inside the home of a merchant in edo.




A side street in edo amongst the Nagaya (long houses).

To be continued.

Oh! トロ

In case any of you started compiling your list of Christmas gifts, here is a hint to get you started. I will settle for half the rack chu-toro.

I will also settle for a rack O-toro, if you cannot find chu-toro.

If you do decide to get me this for XMAS, I will share.

More Tuna

Restricted Access: Tsukiji Wholsale

On our trip to Tsukiji, we played the role of the ignorant tourist as we walked through the wholesale area of Tsukiji in the morning. The new rules discourage touring the wholesale or middle market. We were the speed bump of the workers, albeit polite and conscientious speed bumps. The shop owners did not seem to complain as 9 of us huddled around this tuna stall. No complaints or dirty looks from them.

Restricted Access: Tsukiji

Our annual trip always starts at Tsukiji Fish Market. We venture out about 5 AM so that we can view the tuna at the fish market. Tsukiji is divided into three sections. The inner market is fish auction. The middle market are the wholesalers catering to restaurant owners. The outer market is retail featuring not only fresh fish but also ready to eat food.

The rules have changed since the last time we visited in 2007. During this past New Years, the auction was closed to all visitors citing bad behavior by visitors. Apparently, foreign visitors were touching the fish. If I paid $10,000 for a fish, I would be mad if someone touched my fish.

Fortunately, the Tokyo government realized the importance of Tsukiji to tourism in Tokyo. The auction was re-opened to visitors. Albeit, there is now a small viewing area and flash photography is now banned.

The rules are here.
http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youkoso/24hour_e/24hours.htm



Fortunately, we were able view the auction from the viewing area. It is a narrow row between two auction areas. You are elbow to elbow with other tourist, jockeying for the perfect picture. It is not a very pleasant place to be. In fact some people are just plain rude.



It is worth it to see the tuna.

Jindaiji Soba

We attended Jindaiji's annual Daruma-ichi. The other "must do" on our plans was to have Jindaiji Soba. Jindaiji Soba is hand rolled and cut. What makes this soba special is that is made from buckwheat harvested from the region which is mixed with local spring water. Our soba was a thicker cut. The soba was fairly firm with a little texture. Many times, soba is either really soft or stiff. Jindaiji soba seems to be a perfect middle ground.

The broth was perfect. It's the classic dashi but not overly flavored to complement the star of the dish, the soba.

Since it was cold (for us from Hawaii), most of us had the hot soba.

I had the nameko sansai soba. The soba had nameko (a type of mushroom), with sansai (preserved mountain vegetables, fern shoots)and a raw quail egg. The combination was marvelous. I really enjoyed my lunch that day.



Can you see the sound of silence. Well maybe you can hear the slurping.