Udon is our favorite meal

(Katie)

Alright, I'm back again to cover yesterday!

Yesterday morning, the three of us woke up bright and early at 4 AM, and headed to one of the most famous tourist attractions in Japan- the Tsukiji Fish Market! Even before we were out of the subway station, we could smell the fresh fish (even now, if I really think about it, I feel like I can still smell it). 

Unfortunately for us,  we missed the main auction, so we walked around looking at all the vendors. What left the biggest impression on me was the incredible work ethic of all the people there- all the workers did their job quickly and efficiently, and when they were done with that, they moved right on to their next task. Very admirable.

Anyway, since we couldn't spend that much time at the fish market, we headed over to Asakusa for some breakfast. There we went to the oldest temple in Tokyo, the Shinshouji temple. It was very cool, with large statues and a beautiful interior, and we met a nice man who had lived in LA. Afterword, we headed over to the 7-11 down the street (Yes, they have them here. And, in my opinion, the food selection in Japan far outstrips America's) to get some lunch. 

When we went back toward the temple to eat our lunch, an elderly Japanese man came up to us, and we had a very enlightening (though rather strange at times) conversation about Japan and "internationalization." The man spoke very good English, and essentially told us that Japan was modernizing culturally, that it was becoming a society with fewer gender barriers, etc. It was very interesting, and not precipitated by anything other than the fact that we were foreigners. 

Asakusa was a very fun place to walk around in, vendors were lined up on the streets, and it was pleasant to browse their wares and observe the crowds. Sherri and I ate this one thing (I'm not sure what the name was...Mine was custard fried with tempura dough on the outside) that was really, really good, and I got some doughnut-like treat from a sweets vendor. 

After that, we briefly walked around Akihabara, the anime/manga district. It was interesting, and I took a few pictures, but didn't actually end up buying anything. 

Feeling kind of exhausted from our early morning, we then headed back to the hotel and rested for a bit...Always good to pace ourselves!

After that, we went on a rather frustrating search for an ATM machine compatible with Sherri's card...We finally succeeded, after circling the same floor many times over. Then we went to a Japanese bookstore, where Katya found a book she'd read (translated from Japanese to English), which she will later try to translate herself (good initiative, Katya!). After that, we headed to a nice little Udon place by our hotel. I had a pretty successful Japanese conversation with the workers there....Ruined only by a small, silly question at the end. Oh, well. It was only the second day, but I did feel so much more confident in myself that the first day!


*So, about the subject line...It's true. Udon is great. We've had it twice now, and it's very good, pretty filling, and absurdly cheap. Seriously, it's a full meal for 390 Yen (a bit above $4)...THAT'S REALLY GOOD!!!!

 A sign (one of a series) by the Fish Market.











Katya by the vendors in front of the Temple

It was too bad this shop never opened

Katya didn't want to be photographed