ÿþ<html> <head> <style type="text/css"> body { background-color:black; color:white; font-family:bookman old style,times roman; font-size:105%} h1 { text-align:center; color:gold; font-family:Monotype Corsiva,times roman} h2 { text-align:center; color:gold; font-family:Monotype Corsiva,times roman} table.big { width:850; font-size:110%} table.left { float:left; width:1; font-family:arial; font-size:50%} table.right { float:right; width:1; font-family:arial; font-size:50%} table.small { float:right; background-color:AA5500; color:black; font-size:60%; font-weight:bold; border:red blank; width:225} tr { vertical-align:top;} td.time { font-weight:bold; width:70} td.odo { font-weight:bold; width:60} p { text-align:left} p.center { text-align:center} p.bottom { text-align:center; font-size:80%} b.gold { color:gold} b.aqua { color:aqua} b.white { color:white; font-weight:bold; font-size:110%} img.v { width:77; border:0} img.h { height:77; border:0} </style> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="d.css" /> <title>Japan -- Day 2</title> </head> <body> <p class="center"> <table class="big"> <tr> <td colspan=2> <h1>Day 2 -- 27th Mar</h1> <td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">Time</td> <td><td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">6:45</td> <td> <p> <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3696.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3696.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Outside Tama.</td> </tr> </table> We had an early start without breakfast. Taking the Metro across Tokyo, we emerged at ... </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">7:30</td> <td> <p> <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3699.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3699.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>At the fish market.</td> </tr> </table> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3701.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3701.JPG"></a></td> </tr> </table> <b class="gold">Tsukiji fish market (É{0W^4X)</b>, the biggest fish wholesale market in the world. To satisfy the Japanese love and obsession of fresh fish, the daily catch was auctioned at the Market every weekday morning before sunrise. We arrived too late for the auction, but just in time for breakfast: there were already long lines in front of many sushi stands adjacent to the market, where seafood fresh from the auction was served. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">8:15</td> <td> <p> We waited 30 minutes to get seated at the tiny <b>Yamato Sushi ('YŒTÿ[øS)</b>; with only 20 seats, we could not get 5 places together and had to be served in two groups. <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3708.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3708.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Sushi master.</td> </tr> </table> CK and his parents were served by the oldest chef behind the counter, who served us seven different type of sushi: tuna, eel, fish roe, egg, shrimp, octopus, and CK's favorite, sea urchin. Unlike the stamp size, paper thin fish slice one finds at some cheap sushi place, the portion at Yamato was very generous: look at the pictures! In addition,the set breakfast also included tuna rolls, grilled shrimp head (crunchy and juicy), and clam soup. It was one of the most expensive breakfast CK ever had (¥3,500 each, we ordered two sets for 3 people); however, the incredible tastiness and freshness of the sushi was well worth the price. <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3709.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3709.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3717.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3717.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3710.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3710.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Tuna, </td> <td>Eel, </td> <td>and Sea Urchin </td> </tr> </table> </p> <p> (Later on, when Emily looked at the pictures, she complained vehemently that her sushi was not as large, and her soup had no clams but only fish. It was probably because the chef was distracted by Emily's Mom, who did not enjoy raw fish and was asking for extra ginger.) </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">8:45</td> <td> <p> <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3729.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3729.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Ginza.</td> </tr> </table> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3730.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3730.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3723.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3723.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>pretty dessert display.</td> </tr> </table> After breakfast, we walked through the neighboring district of <b class="gold">Ginza (€’§^)</b>. Meaning "where silver (coins) are minted", it was one of the two "downtowns" of Tokyo. If Shinjuku was vibrant like Time Square. Ginza was more grand like the Fifth Avenue, with upscale shops and hotels. These days, this is where silver coins are spent. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">10:05</td> <td> <p> <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3802.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3802.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3774.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3774.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Palaca Entrance.</td> <td>Looking back to Ginza.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3754.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3754.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3775.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3775.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Taking pictures.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3820.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3820.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3810.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3810.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Moat and Bridge.</td> <td>Cherry blossoms.</td> </tr> </table> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3748.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3748.JPG"></a></td> <tr> <td>Watchtower.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3780.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3780.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Orange Ninja!</td> </tr> </table> We were supposed to be at the <b class="gold">Tokyo Imperial Palace (‡vE\)</b> at 10am, where we had acquired tickets for a guided tour. However, we had overestimated our walking speed and underestimated its distance from Tsukiji, so we arrived 5 minutes late. Fortunately, the group was still watching the pre-tour video. Soon we were in a long line (Japaneses were very orderly and by instinct formed lines when waiting or walking in groups) strolling through Palace Grounds. </p> <p> Formerly <b class="gold">Edo Castle (_l8bÎW)</b>, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate (³_Ý]U^œ^), the Palace became the Imperial residence after Meiji Restoration when Tokyo formally became the Capital of Japan. To be honest, the Palace was <i>not</i> the most impressive palace we had seen, especially the Main Hall, which was wide and squat but kind of bland and lacking in grandeur. <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/P02a.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/P02a.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Palaca Main Hall.</td> </tr> </table> Moreover, it did not look venerably old; rather it looked like a modern but old-fashioned building. The auxiliary buildings, like the white towers, were remnants of the old castle and more to our taste. <p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">12:00</td> <td> <p> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3830.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3830.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3845.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3845.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Japanese School girls.</td> <td>Park Gate with Cherry Blossoms.</td> </tr> </table> From the Palace we headed north to <b class="gold">Kitanomaru Koen (Sn08NlQW)</b>. This was lunch time, and many people were having picnic at the pretty park while enjoying the open space and warm sun. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">12:55</td> <td> <p> <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3849.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3849.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Huge torii before the shrine.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3851.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3851.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>There were many food stalls.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3855.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3855.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>The main hall of the shrine.</td> </tr> </table> <table class="small"> <tr><td> <b class="white">Yasukuni Jinja</b> is the center of an important diplomatic controversy between Japan and her neighbors. Most of the 2.4 million people enshrined here were common soldiers, but the 1978 enshrinement of 14 Class A War Criminals during World War II (including the wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the Hilter of the East) naturally caused resentment in neighboring nations, especially Korea and China, which suffered the most under Japanese invasion. Every year, when the Prime Minister paid his respect at the shrine, it was demostrations in East Asia. We had some hesitation in visiting the Shrine, which we had heard so many times on the news. In the end, however, we decided that visiting did not imply endorsement, so we walked its grounds just like any other sights. </td></tr> </table> On the north side of the Park was the <b class="gold">Yasukuni Jinja (V—ýV^y>y)</b>, dedicated to soldiers and others who died in the service of the Japanese Emperor, kind of like the Arlington Cemetery of Japan. However, when we walked through the giant <i>torii</i> (åœE\, shinto shrine gate), we were greeted by lines of food stalls; evidently Japaneses, unlike Westerners, did not refrain from gastronomical pleasures on the supposedly hallow grounds. We had a quick lunch before visiting the prayer hall, where visitors paid their respect by bowing and ritualistic hand clapping. The main hall, where the 2.4 million shrines were located, was not open to public. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">14:55</td> <td> <p> The Moms were a little tired after so much walking, therefore we returned to the ryokan and they took a nap. On the other hand, Emily, CK and Dad continued the sightseeing adventure at ... </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">15:35</td> <td> <p> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3866.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3866.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3869.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3869.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3874.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3874.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>On the way to the shrine.</td> <td>Arrays of sake urns.</td> <td>Emily drinking the water.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3891.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3891.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3886.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3886.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3895.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3895.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Quiet courtyard.</td> <td>The prayer hall.</td> <td>Big tree.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3877.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3877.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/IMGP6716.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/IMGP6716.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/IMGP6717.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/IMGP6717.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=3>The wedding procession.</td> </tr> </table> <b class="gold">Harajuku (ŸS¿[)</b>, the hipster fashion and party district of Tokyo. However, we were <i>not</i> hip, and we skipped the shops for <b class="gold">Meiji Shrine (f»l^y®[)</b>, which was dedicated to Emperor Meiji, who brought Japan into the modern world. Sitting in the middle of a small patch of woodland in the heart of the metropolis, the shrine felt like a quiet sactuary from the buzz of Harajuku. Near the entrance was a small water fountain with bamboo scoops lying around; CK and Emily used the scoops to drink from the fountain. However, they realized their mistake when they saw locals used the water <table class="left"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3893.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="v" src="thumbnails/DSCN3893.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>The flower girl in kimono.</td> </tr> </table> for cleansing hands before approaching the shrine. Only the prayer hall of the shrine was open to the public, <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/P02b.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/P02b.JPG"></a></td> </tr> </table> but we enjoyed the elegant courtyard shaded by big trees, and observed with interest a wedding procession in tradition costumes taking pictures before the shrine. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">17:30</td> <td> <p> When we returned to the ryokan, it had started raining ... </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">19:00</td> <td> <p> We braved the cold rain and had curry rice and udon noodles for dinner at a small fast food place near the ryokan. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">20:20</td> <td> <p> <table class="right"> <tr> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3904.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3904.JPG"></a></td> <td><a href="photos/DSCN3903.JPG" target="blank"> <img class="h" src="thumbnails/DSCN3903.JPG"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Menu on the wall.</td> <td>Drinks and free appetizers.</td> </tr> </table> With the parents back at the ryokan, CK and Emily were wandering on the streets when they came across an interesting pub. Packed with locals, the place was clearly a popular local watering hole. We ordered yakitori and sake, but more interesting was the free appetizer: raw egg yolk in ground turnip. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="time">21:10</td> <td> <p> We would be leaving Tokyo tomorrow to see the most famous volcano in the world. </p> <p style={text-align:right}><a href="d03.html">next day</a></p> <td> </tr> <tr><td colspan=2> <hr> <p class="bottom"> <form name="nav" method="POST"> <div align="center"> Jump To: <select name="xfer" size="1"> <option value="../../private/index.html">CK's Home Page</option> <option value="index.html">Japan Trip</option> <option value="d01.html">Day 1</option> <option value="d02.html" selected="selected">Day 2</option> <option value="d03.html">Day 3</option> <option value="d04.html">Day 4</option> <option value="d05.html">Day 5</option> <option value="d06.html">Day 6</option> <option value="d07.html">Day 7</option> <option value="d08.html">Day 8</option> <option value="d09.html">Day 9</option> <option value="d10.html">Day 10</option> <option value="d11.html">Day 11</option> <option value="thoughts.html">Thoughts</option> </select> <input type="button" onclick="location = ''+document.nav.xfer.options[document.nav.xfer.selectedIndex].value;" value="Go!" /> <div style={font-size:75%}> (These pages were developed with Internet Explorer and may not align correctly in other browsers.) </div> </div></form> </p> <p align="center">Created on 9th Jun 2009. 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