Late Night Picnics: Tokyo Day 4

When we were planning our trip to Japan, there were two things I was most excited about - the Ghibli Museum and the Tsukiji Market. On day 4, we finally visited the Tsukiji Market. We were supposed to go really early. The restaurant we wanted to go to opened at 5am and it's really popular so a long line will start forming on opening time, or maybe even before then. We were too tired from the past 3 days of walking around Tokyo, so we couldn't get up at 5. We agreed to leave the house at 7 though so we'll be at the market by 8. This was also the first day we could use our 7-day JR pass, so we took a JR line to the Tsukiji station. When we got off, there weren't really any signs pointing to the market, so we wondered whether we were at the right station. We asked several people for directions and it took us a while before we finally reached the market.

Tsukiji market by the outer market

There was an outer market and an inner market. I don't think we ever went inside the inner market, but Sushi Dai, the sushi restaurant, was at the outer market. So, that's where we spent most of our time. When we got to Sushi Dai, there were already three short lines formed right outside the restaurant. However, that's not where the line ends. By the restaurant, there's a sidewalk. Another line forms on the sidewalk, two blocks long.

At the end of this line, is where we started

MM and I alternated standing in line. One of us stood in line, while the other walked around the market. MM went around first. I stayed in line for about an hour and a half. By the 30 min mark, I started a stopwatch on my phone. I had feeling we were going to be standing there for a long long time.

Shops around Sushi Dai. Nothing much to see or buy.

When MM came back, she brought us a cup of tamago to share. Delicious! She told me about where she went and what she bought. I just had to see what she saw. So, it was my turn to walk around. I got VERY detailed directions from her because I knew I would get lost otherwise. There was so much to see, eat and buy! Lots of seafood - fresh and preserved, whale, eel, salmon, scallops, you name it! Everything was delicious, but I was saving my stomach for Sushi Dai. Plus, it isn't very fun to be eating alone.

Whale

Crab, among other fish

Tamago? Or maybe tofu...

After walking around for about an hour or so and after getting my family some dried scallops, salmon and squid with cheese and getting my brother a couple bags of mixed crackers, I headed back to accompany MM in line. I was relieved to see we had already moved a bit to the front of the queue, but still quite far back. We must have waited in line for another hour and a half before getting a table. MM was reading her book and I started playing candy crush, but after a while, candy crush can get pretty tiring. Eventually, we befriended the couple in front of us. They were from Thailand, but I don't really remember what we chatted about. The sushi was so delicious it can make you forget everything. :) When we finally got a table, we took our time in eating. Our feet needed rest from the standing and we had to savor every bite. I'll save the restaurant review for another blog post.

With our very friendly chef

After lunch, we walked around the market some more. I needed dessert, so I bought an ice cream cone. Ice cream in Japan is AMAZING! They have soft serve ice cream in all flavors!

We went back to the hotel to leave the things we bought so we didn't have to carry them around. I pretty much forced MM to go to Akihabara with me because she was thinking of not going. I mean who goes to Tokyo without going to Akihabara?!? We saw tall Sega buildings with 6-7 floors of electronics. They have all kinds of appliances there in all shapes and sizes.

Akihabara!

Disney phones! I was sooo tempted to get one!

Surfaces with Japanese keyboards

A very VERY tiny iron

Very very tiny rice cookers

We were planning on going to the Tokyo Disney Sea at night to get the 50% off night-only passes. Thanks for the tip, S! So, we didn't spend a lot of time in Akihabara. Once we got to the Maihama station where we would take a monorail to the park, Disney was everywhere - from the walls to the music playing in the background. We didn't really have a plan once we entered the park, so we just went wherever our feet led us.

Entrance to the park

I visit a Disney theme park at least once every two years and I never get tired of it. Everything is just so magical when you enter the park. The lights, the music and the sweet treats in the park make me forget all worries and just think happy thoughts :)

Didn't really get to go to the mountain, but is this Space Mountain?

Mermaid Lagoon

Toy Story Mania had a looooong wait :(

I think Disney Sea is better than the other Disney theme parks in terms of food. Their snacks are more catered to the Japanese crowd, so instead of American hotdog on a bun, we got black gyoza sausage. It's a good thing MM dragged me to share one with her. The gyoza sausage was actually a giant gyoza and the bread's better than a hotdog bun.

Black gyoza sausage

All around the park, there are also popcorn stands selling different flavors of popcorn - strawberry, apple and cinnamon, curry, milk tea, black pepper, etc. We got the curry popcorn first and it was addicting. It tasted just like Japanese curry. Yum! Though we were already so full from everything we ate that day, I had to try the milk tea flavored popcorn. Unfortunately, it wasn't as accessible as the other flavors. It's hidden at one end of the park where cape cod is and though our feet were already so sore from all the standing and the walking we did that day, I limped to the popcorn stand to get my popcorn and I'm very glad I did. It tasted just like royal milk tea! It has the texture of caramel popcorn but the flavor of milk tea :)

We've also been wondering why we haven't seen bubble tea stands around Tokyo, so when we saw that the cookhouse was selling a mango drink with grape jelly and tapioca, we went and got it. It was delicious!