Day 8: Tokyo

Things on my list I did NOT do today:

• Go to Tsukiji Fish Market
  

Before my parents' left this afternoon, my dad and I thought it would be fun to hit Tsukiji Fish Market. So we got up at 5:00 a.m., and took two subway trains to get there, only to discover no one was there. Okay, that's an exaggeration. There were several other confused tourists from various countries wandering around, probably wondering, just like we were, why it didn't look anything like Pike's Place in Seattle.

My dad and I peeked down a smelly alley where it was pretty obvious they usually sell or prepare fish and found one lone man sitting on a table, reading a newspaper and eating nigiri (a rice ball). He explained to my dad that it was a holiday, and no one was in the market that day. Dejected, we went back home.

That's Dad on the subway, staring at the Tsukiji Fish Market map.

Today was actually a quiet day. I saw my parents off as far as the Tokyo Station, and then I went back to the hotel where I spent some time talking to Maria and playing with Brooklyn. When Shane got home, we had okonomiyaki for dinner.


Shane describes it as a "Japanese pizza pancake." It contains some sort of flour-based batter, cabbage, egg, and meat of your choice. I had pork, Maria had beef, and Shane had "mixed" which contained, among other things, squid. I have to admit, it was pretty good. Shane explained to me that this is also a "drinking food" and it's Japanese translation is something like "cook up whatever you like."

The best part was how cute Brooklyn looked in her matching dress, hat, and shoes.