Wednesday 30th Sept

Dan and Charlotte went off to Disney today so Jo and I decided to go to the famous Tokyo Fish Markets again. They are actually called the Tsukiji Markets ( Tsukiji means built up land so the whole distict is reclaimed land )

Here's a coiuple of shots from their day out at Disney and yes Dan knew what was coming when they took the second photo whilst they were on the Indiana Jones  ride from our previous trip.

On the way to the markets we stumbled upon the Tsukiji Hongwanjii Buddist Temple.

The original Tsukiji Honganji Temple, with an Indian-style exterior, was built in 1617 near Asakusa, but was burnt down in a huge fire that swept through Edo (Tokyo) in 1657. The Temple was then rebuilt on the present site, but destroyed again by the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 1923. The current main building was built in 1934.The main building possesses a distinctive ambience not found in other Japanese temples, due to its variety of architectural styles. 

After the brief stop it was off to the fish markets- I hadn't been there since '09 when we visited with Grant and Cassie although Jo had been last December when she was over here for Charlotte's schoolies week with Emily. It was nearly lunch time so there was lots of people lining up for some of the  best sushi at the markets.

 We opted instead to visit a district a few train stops away called Tsukishima which is littered with lots of restaurants serving the local dish called Monjayaki. Miku brought the girls here last December so generally not many foreigners visit here.

Monjayaki(often called simply "monja") is a type of Japanese pan-fried batter with various ingredients. It is similar to okonomiyaki but monjayaki, a specialty of the Kanto region is made with a dough more liquid than is okonomiyaki . The ingredients are finely chopped and mixed into the batter before frying. The mixture is far runnier than okonomiyaki, and it has a consistency comparable to a pool of melted cheese when cooked. It is then eaten directly off the iron grill using a small spatula. 

Post the Monja lunch with a few largies of Sapporo we headed off to the Edo Tokyo Museum which Joey had been hanging out to go to again.

The Edo Period or Tokugawa Period , is the period between 1603 and 1868 when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional  Daimyo. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order,  isolationist foreign policies, popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restorationon May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo.

The most interesting bit I found was the displays on the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 which struck on 1st September around lunchtime and measured 7.9 . Because the earthquake struck at lunchtime when many people were cooking meals over fire, many people died as a result of the many large fires that broke out. Some fires developed into firestorms that swept across cities. Many people died when their feet became stuck on melting roads .The fires destoyed most of Tokyo over the next couple of days.

Post the muesum we travelled home on the train which is usually a good laugh with some of the characters you see along the way

 Arrived home for pre dinner drinks followed by dinner at a local restaurant which had a local magician entertaining the customers

Funnily enough frrom our table we could see the Hyatt where we had dinner for my birthday- didn't take long to go from the penthouse to the shed house

 Eventually caught up with the kids back home and yes you guessed it more fire works by the pyro tech rounded off the day.

Tuesday 29th September

Jo and I caught a train to a little village called Kawagoe about 40 minutes outside Tokyo

Kawagoe is famous for its sweet patatoes and the local "Candy Street" sells such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Koedo Brewery.

Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of theEdo period (17th to 19th centuries). Prominent sites in Kawagoe include the bell tower that serves as the symbol for Koedo and rings three times a day. Other sites include the 500 Rakan statues at Kitain, a prominent Buddhist temple. A fire in 1638 destroyed most of the  city  so to help rebuild it they moved some building from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Due to the earthquakes and WW2 in Tokyo these are the only buildings from the Edo Castel that remain today.

Locker for your shoes 

500 Statues of Rakan

There are actually 540 of these statues representing the disciples of Buddha. They were carves between 1782 and 1825 with no 2 statues alike. It is said if you feel among the statues in the dead of night you will find one that is warm.Mark it and come back in the morning and you will see it is the statue most resembling yourself

Here's a photo of the old Storehouse Tower in town and a shot of the main street

Followed by the birthday lunch at a local restaurant

Arrived home at the apartment about 5 and was meet by the pryo tech on the way home from the bottle shop showing me his new tom thumb puchases from his outing with Char to Harajuku for the day. Then a couple of quick vodies before getting ready for dinner  at the Park Hyatt new York Grill and Bar on the 52nd floor with absolutely spectacular  views of Tokyo . Food was excellent with Jo having the pork , kids having lobster and myself the Tuna for mains after entre followed by a little birthday cake.( Jo had organised with the restaurant for a birthady message on the dessert). With a few beers and bottle of wine I think the final tally was AUS $834 by the time we left for home and another Daniel fire works show

Monday 28th Sept 15

Daniel and Charlotte went shopping in the morning whilst Joey and I went for a walk to the Sumitomo Building which was  one of the original tallest buildings in Shinjuku and had lunch on the 52 nd floor- great views over Tokyo

Char went and caught up with one of her girlfriends, Miku for dinner so the 3 of us went to one of the best Sushi bars in Shinjuku for dinner however we had to stop off on the way so the pyro technician could pick up an assortment for the show later when we got home

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On the way home from dinner we came across an baseball driving range so Dan had to give it a go for 300 yen

Char was dropped home after dinner with Miku and joined by her mum about 10.30 so good to have a quick chat with them

so then the Tokyo River Fire show could get under way .. just can't work out if I can upload a video of Dan and the fireworks  on the deck of our apartment

Journey to Tokyo for 50th Birthday

Here's the photo from the start of our trip on Jetstar from Gold Coast

Flight went well with a few crownies on the way

Got in to Narita about 8.30pm and then to our apartment at 10.30 followed by dinner at a nice little Jap restaurant just after 11pm