Final Hours in Tokyo

For my last night in Tokyo, I decided to stay at the Conrad Hotel. The Conrad definitely lived up to it's reviews and it was located in one of the most picturesque parts of the city; right across from the Hamarikyu Gardens and overlooking the bay. If you have time for it, I definitely recommend having afternoon tea at TwentyEight . They have a great selection and their sweets were divine.

One of the other reasons why I stayed at the Conrad was it's proximity to the Tsukiji Fish Market. People start lining up outside the market as early as 2:30 in the morning to have a chance to catch the famous tuna auction, so having it within walking distance was key. 

The Tsukiji Market was one of my 'must-sees' for my trip to Japan. The best sushi chefs from around the city come to the world's largest fish market to pick out their cuts for the day. 

As a tourist, you are given a yellow vest and a small area to stand and view the auction. I was completely fine with this considering that you are getting to observe the real Japan. As long as you do your best to stay out of the way, you get to see some pretty interesting action. And, at times, I'm sure the bidders found us equally as entertaining as we did them.

After your 25 minutes is up, you are escorted out of the auction. Keep your eyes peeled for the massive amount of men on carts flying around the market. These guys won't stop for anyone!

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The only way to end the experience is to indulge in some delicious, fresh sushi. Sushi Dai is by far the most popular place in the market, but Daiwa-Zushi is a great second option. Expect to pay upwards of 700 yen per piece of fish, but trust me when I say, it's worth every last yen.

Romping through Roppongi

Around 2:30am this morning, I was woken up, or shaken up rather, by a not-so-pleasant surprise. A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit Fukushima and subsequently made it's way up to Tokyo to scare the living crap out of me. While I envisioned myself waking up to the sunset in my apartment in Shinjuku, I was now sitting straight up in bed praying that the pictures on the wall didn't fall off, or worse the whole building didn't crumble underneath me. Luckily, neither of those things happened, and after taking a few deep breaths, counting to ten, and confirming with the Twitter world that it indeed was an earthquake, I managed to fall back asleep. 

Not too terribly long after, I was woken up by the sun peaking through my shades. Much like I did in Santa Barbara, I quickly assembled my camera and made my way out to the balcony to capture the sunrise. It was a sign that I should put thoughts of my shaky morning in the past, and continue on to the beautiful day that lay ahead.

After breakfast, I journeyed towards Roppongi. Roppongi is known to be the least Japanese part of Tokyo, where most of the expats reside, but it is also home to the Tokyo Tower (technically in Minato, but right on the boarder) and some of the best sushi in town. After getting off at Roppongi Station, it is a bit of a walk to Tokyo Tower. You pass a lot of consulates along the way, heavily guarded by police men. Although in uniform, they always offered a nod and a smile. After about a 15 minute walk, I made it to Tokyo Tower. It was 820 yen to go to the main observation deck, where you could see just about everything.

For lunch, I headed back towards the center of Roppongi to Fukuzushi, which is situated in an alley off of Gaien-higashi-dor. It was around 2,600 yen for a set nigiri lunch. Not too bad for the area. I sat at the bar and had a pleasant conversation with the Itamae-san. Between my sub-par Japanese and his broken English, I think we did a pretty good job. 

The sushi was divine. This being my first official sushi in Japan, I had high expectations, and they were surpassed. I have never had unagi (eel) that melts in your mouth like it did. The tako (octopus) was so tender, and the ebi (shrimp) was the sweetest I have ever tasted. And not to be forgotten, the akami (lean tuna) was by far my favorite.

Afterwards, they lead you to a separate part of the restaurant for dessert and tea. The best way I can describe the dessert is something like 'coffee-jello' topped with a dab of chocolate sauce. I sat there and drank my tea and read for about an hour before heading back to Shinjuku to get ready for my first Friday night in Japan.

Sunglasses: Kate Spade

Tonight, I am planning on heading back to Omotesando to have a drink or two at Den Aquaroom. Here's to hoping there are no earthquakes that wake me up tomorrow morning. xoxo