2/25 Tokyo to Seoul

2/25/2013: The Tsukiji Fish Market is the world's largest fish market, and supposedly offers the freshest possible sushi. Sash and I met in the hostel common area around 8:30am, not because that's when we most want sushi, but because that's apparently when the fish market is open and busy. We took the Oedo line train a few stops down to the Tsukiji-shinho station (the name was something like that) and wandered around, finally finding the fish market. You would think that it would have been easy to find because the place would just reek of fish, but it actually didn't. I was still a bit congested though, so maybe it did. The guide book says to be on alert at the fish market, since it is not actually a tourism spot and people are actually trying to do their jobs moving fish around. The place was teeming with little carts and other vehicles, so we froggered our way across some streets and into the market. The market had a lot of seafood, none of which was being served in an edible form. It was, I assume, meant for restaurant owners and other people that buy the fish in bulk and then serve it somewhere else. It was a fascinating place, with all sorts of weird sea creatures. I didn't have much time before I had to head to the airport, so we wandered back out and found the nearest sushi restaurant. I'm not sure if we did the "fish market" right, but it was fantastic sushi, even at 10am. I had "naturally rich tuna" (more expensive than regular tuna and it appeared to just be fattier), some salmon, crab, and sea bass. The tuna was the best, but they were all good. We hustled back to the hostel and I made my way to the airport for my flight to Korea. The fish market was fun, but I wish I had more time to spend there. The hard core tourists / fish enthusiasts can get to the market at 4:30am and witness the tuna auction. I didn't find anything anywhere that explained why it is worth getting up so goddamn early to see a tuna auction, but apparently that is a major event for tourists. I don't regret not having done that.

Overall, Japan was a great experience. I wish I had spent less time traveling between cities and activities and more time seeing the various sights, but I think I made the most of my 10 days in Japan. The Japanese are extremely friendly - I never had a negative encounter with anyone. One girl chased me down to offer me her spare umbrella while walking around in the rain in Kyoto, and the hotel worker in Sapporo lent me his own jacket so I could get to the post office in time to withdraw money. My best day of the trip was my 2nd day skiing at Rusutsu. My best meal was probably the Japanese pancake for my final dinner in Japan. I feel like I didn't see enough of Japan, and I would love to return in the spring to see a different side of the country. I also didn't do enough in Tokyo and would like to spend more time there when it isn't bitterly cold and windy.

• Ride bullet train: done
• See Mt. Fuji: done (from bullet train)
• Eat sushi: done
• Ski Japanese powder: done
• Eat lots of noodles: done
• Drink sake: sadly no