The Roving Reporter

Something's fishy in Tsukiji...

Posted by: Amy Reiter

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 8:23 AM

This morning I started bright and earlyish and took the Tokyo subway to Tsukiji, which I've heard is the largest fish market in the world. My Lonely Planet guide tells me there's a fish sold here every four seconds, and I believe it. There must have been miles of narrow walkways, each with dozens of vendors selling fish.

Some probably weighed as much as a cow, others could fit on a quarter. Most were dead, but a few were still wriggling. They came in all sorts of colors and shapes, ready for restaurant chefs and kitchen cooks to haggle over them before they could get to a plate that night - or even that morning, with breakfast sushi restaurants surrounding the area.

I thought it would smell pretty rank, with millions of fish under one roof, but like all of Japan, it's cleaner than I would expect of a huge city, and smells pretty airy.



After Tsukiji, I walked through the pricey Ginza neighborhood, walking past businesses and some designer shops. I came to Shinbashi Enbujo theater, where I decided to purchase a ticket to the show, then changed my mind and walked away, then changed it again and walked back. It was perfect timing. A woman was standing next to the ticket counter and when she saw me coming, asked if I needed a ticket for that day's show. I did, but I was cautious. She said she had a 12,500 yen seat (about $105) she'd sell me for 2,600 yen (about $22), because her friend who was going to come with her had a sick relative.

I figured this was a sweet deal or a scam, and either way it'd make a good story for later. Thankfully, it was the former, and she and I sat fifth-row center for the premiere of Harudanzi Katsura, starring two well-known actors I'd never seen or heard of, but the woman, Noriko, said the male lead had been a teen idol in his youth, and the female lead was a famous comedic actress. Anyway, I didn't understand a word of the play, but seeing the traditional Japanese kimonos and obis on the actresses and the cool sets representing Osaka in the early 20th century, I was still very glad to be there.



Next I walked to the Imperial Palace, where I saw the giant gates to the palace, but couldn't go past them. It was pretty, but also rainy and chilly (it's way colder here than in Kaohsiung, Taiwan), so I headed back to the subway and went to Harajuku.



If you're a Gwen Stefani fan, you've probably heard of Harajuku, since the crazy clothes on all the teenagers were an inspiration for her. And the fashion in the district is crazy - rainbow-colored hair, women dressed like little girls and little girls dressed like old women, walking all wobbly in their high stiletto heels. I found a shop selling antique (or maybe just used) kimonos and obis, and I bought a cool orange patterned kimono jacket, kind of like I'd seen in the play. It was $42, so I'm not going to feel more than mildly guilty about it.



Anyway, for my last dinner in Asia, I went to an organic restaurant and ate my tofu with chopsticks. By tomorrow night, they'll be replaced with a fork. It's a little bit sad to leave - especially to leave this city I've just begun exploring - but I can't wait to get back home. Champaign-Urbana, here I come.

Word of the day (Japanese):
Sayonara = good-bye

Amy

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