Taking it easy

We have taken it easy this morning by sleeping in, doing the washing, catching up on the diaries, ringing Mum. Bill has been endlessly fascinated by the construction site opposite the apartment. The skill and finesse of the workers has impressed him no end. The site is always kept tidy and the workers  very skilled with their machinery. 

We have been so impressed with the service and attitude to work here. There are  a lot of people employed to assist everywhere in shops and stations. That is why it is so clean and efficient here.

Eventually we went off to the Issey Miyake exhibition via the Suntory exhibition of Hara Yasusaburo Collection of Utagawa Hiroshige woodblock prints. They were first edition prints made in the 1850s. They looked so modern and the colours so bright.

We were mis-directed to Roppongi Hills to see the Issy Myaki exhibition only to find it was back where we came from! We finally found it and what an amazing building it was. The exhibition was so interesting. What a creative man. It was fascinating to see the graphic flat designs that you lifted up to be a dress. 

We returned via Shinjuku and a new way home. It was exciting to see a new area. Irene was suffering sore feet and glad to return.

Thursday 9 th

This morning we went to the Tzujiki Fish markets. This required an early start but we were not committed enough to make the auction of the Tuna at 5:00 am.  We were there early enough to see the wholesalers. What a scary environment with little trolleys zipping every which way. The most confronting sight was a fishmonger scaling and then slicing a live fish that flipped and flopped while he cut it. Ann saw a tuna heart still beating while it was being sliced! Wandering around the outer market was so interesting too. There was a huge range of sea products that I had never seen. After the guys had been shoved aside a few times we decided to leave. We settled on a breakfast at a street stall on the main edge of the market and had sashimi with seaweed and rice which was amazing. The cleanliness of the staff was outstanding. We kept getting these whiffs of bleach!

Leaving the market I went home to meet up with Hiko my friend from walking the Camino Fraance in 2012.  

 Some of the produce

Baby eels alive

 Ann eating fresh crab

I was so hot I had to have a shower before meeting them. Hiko had prepared lots of questions and checked off all the things I had seen so far. He was very pleased by all the things I had seen. We used the Google translater and his electronic translator to converse. His wife was a lovely person who had some English. They bought a gift of a Shinkansen train for Ziggy and some Yokohama biscuits for me. We had tempura in a little place around the corner then off to coffee. I invited them back so I could give them the chocolates I had bought. They are such kind hearted people. I was embarrassed that when I brought them up to the apartment that the others did not hear my knocks so I went down again to the letterbox and tried to put my hand in. Hiko and his wife both tried too without success. Back we went upstairs and I knocked harder this time and finally the door opened. We all came in and I gave them the chocolates. They stayed for a cup of tea. I was exhausted from the effort of concentration. 

Outside the Tempura restaurant

After a couple of plum wines I felt restored. We finished the evening off with a fabulous dish of noodles from one of the restaurants under the office building opposite our apartment.

Wednesday 8th June

Today was a shopping day. We hit the local shops in search of a Yucata and any other enticing things. I found a  great jacket with lots of pockets for travelling!  We lunched at another 'natural' food place where Irene and Bill parted ways with us and Ann and I took the train to Ginza to explore that area. We found some great gifts for Ann to take home and I was frustrated again with the search for Ziggy's shirt. 

We returned home and this time ate local food so we were all happy! Especially the keeper of the kitty.

 A sculpture in the shop at Tokyu Central Plaza.

Tuesday 7 th June

Anne and I decide to complete the bus tour and use it to return to the market section  at Akihabara to explore a less glitzy part of Tokyo. We catch the train to the central Maranouchi business area to pick up the bus and also try to find a place to print the voucher for the Robot Restaurant we are to attend tonight. We are somewhat disoriented when we get out of Tokyo station and need to walk around the block before we identify the exact pick up place. That was so interesting because you could see how so many office buildings have shopping and food courts in their basements and lower floors. We tried to find a printing place at a variety store but found the printer was out of action! At the same time I received a message from the restaurant saying that my phone would be acceptable so the search had been a waste of time in one way but very illuminating in others. It was a good feeling for both Anne and I to be roaming free. Unfortunately the weather has changed and when we boarded the bus we were issued with white poncho type raincoats. Mine came down to my ankles and really we looked hysterical. Caspar the ghost with pregnancy. Our bags were covered as well.

 We enjoyed the ride and learned and saw a few things we missed from the day before. Arriving at our destination we wandered the stalls and shops and saw that this is where a lot of locals shop. I finally bought a Buddhist prayer bangle. We tried our first vending machine cafe and after getting help to get the sequence correct we ordered a dish of scallops, Chinese Vegas and noodles. It was delicious and we were impressed by the efficiency and cleanliness of the two young women who were working there. They were brilliant. They didn't stop! It would be hard work standing all day over the woks. We had to hustle then to get back to the apartment in time to freshen up before the restaurant.

We arrived in our white raincoats which caused the others to collapse laughing. I was sure I knew were we were going but once I checked the phone I realised we were going In the opposite direction. We turned around and then checked with a passerby who insisted on taking us all the way there! She was a Taiwanese student who has stayed on as a translator. The restaurant was up where we had eaten the first night. The show was a hoot. A cross between kitch and electronics, high energy music and youthful enthusiasm. The actors were having so much fun it became infectious. 

Tokyo Skytree and bus tour

Today we decided to visit the Tokyo SkyTree and do a hop on Bus tour to get a sense of the city. The sky tree is the tallest communication tower in the world and an amazing construction. It is quite beautiful and moves from a triangle to a circle in shape. As a huge attraction the crowds were enormous  but also so well organised that we didn't wait long to get up to the viewing platform.  Unfortunately the day was heavy with cloud so viewing into the distance was limited yet it still gave us a great view of Tokyo and greater Tokyo. Actually we were amazed. There are several canals and the river as well as the harbour. Seeing on ground level helps to give sense to the extensive train system.

 After  lunch in a restaurant featuring fresh farmers produce we decided to take the hop on bus to get a ground level sense of the place at ground level. It proved to be good value as we covered from one end of the city to the other and saw some amazing architecture along the way.  

 Everyone is a really tired and bit tense after being in such close quarters and on the go for so long. When we got off the bus we were hungry and needed a pick me up. The others are still not ready for Japanese food yet so we spied a Tapas restaurant and ventured down to it. It was quite atmospheric but the English was a problem as usual. We managed to get some tasty dishes and there was the usual indecision about are we eating dinner or snacking.  I am over the dithering. Kim was initially just having snacks but then it was decided that it was too late to snack.  Those of us who keep irregular hours versus those who keep regular set times, those who snack and those who don't, it all just got to me but we ate there and then didn't get the meal we anticipated. I had ordered a platter of pork and chips but only the pork came. I insisted we get the chips.  When the bill arrived there was consternation about the cost and I found myself reminding people that if you eat other than local it is going to cost you a fortune. 

We decided to go to Shibuya to see the famous crossing - the scramble. It was fascinating observing how the crossing pavements swelled until the are about overflowing then the lights go green and all four corners plus the diagonal cross at once. We participated by crossing over all corners. Then we went home! 

Tokyo Imperial gardens and the Museum of Modern Art

PKijiro Ota Rice planting 1883-1951

 My favourite painting

Just had a massage and the girl worked me over well and truly. My legs feel so light now but oh, the pain when she worked on my calves and my shoulders. Lots of hot towels too so feel very relaxed.
Visited the Imperial Gardens and the National Museum of Modern Art. Saw some beautiful art especially magnificent screens and a few coloured woodblocks. I kept thinking about the artist in a book I read before coming to Japan because some of the art was post war and he had been a famous Japanese artist over the pre and post war period and had broken from painting tradional methods. We were impressed by the influence of European styles/tecniques with Japanese interpretation..

  Painting on silk

Tomorrow we will go to the Sky Tree Tower and a tour around .

We are now back at the flat relaxing. Almost time for Plum wine.

Tokyo

Arrived in Tokyo after a smooth trip on bus from Naichisan to Katsuura, train from Katsuura to Nagoya then on to Tokyo via Shinkansen. I was quite reasonable with 620 yen for bus, and 16,340 yen for the trains with reserved seats.(about $230) it took us from 9:00 am to about 3:30pm  door to door. Fortunately when we arrived in Tokyo we were helped by a man who noticed our confusion and just walked us exactly to where we needed to go and showed us how to get the Pasmo train pass. He was  so kind. Then when we got to our platform another younger man took us under his wing and not only showed us the way but got off the train and took us right to our apartment. I embarrassed him by giving him a box of the Australian chocolates but we were so appreciative. I thought that was wxtraordinary to get off the train to help us. We were actually a bit early for our check in ( we needed to  avoid the concierge because AirB&B is illegal here though apparently according to the hosts Yumi and Koichi will be legislated for shortly). We decided to go into a cafe named Jonathan's to have coffee and some western afternoon tea. A treat!. Koichi arrived at 5:30 with iced espresso coffees and proved to be a most npgenial young man. He has his own electronics business. I am sure they are doing extremely well as young entrepreneurs.

The flat is very well situated and though tiny well designed. There are two bedrooms with western beds and one ( study ) with two futons. Anne and I took the futons because we have had the least trouble sleeping this way. The futons proved a little thin so we found an extra one and I have a do a under mine. 

 

We got settled and started to look for a supermarket but at night with no real map and general directions we gave up and had dinner at a Turkish restaurant. It was a group decision because everyone except me was over rice.  Kim, David and Irene were really struggling and David who eats no seafood was hanging out for meat. The meal proved very tasty and even I really enjoyed the change. It just emphasised how wide the Australian palette is with flavours from every country a part of our ordinary eating. I admit to missing salad and fruit of which we had very little for the last two weeks.

The restaurant also had a very Japanese Belly dancer who encouraged us up to make idiots of ourselves, Kim, David and I first then Irene. It was a hoot but considering we were still recovering from our arduous walk I think we did quite well.

We proceeded home and stopped at the closest family mart, mini supermarkets that are dotted everywhere. Had a glass of wine then collapsed into bed. In my case to not sleep at all. The noise seemed to be extraordnary with sirens blaring, motorbikes, trucks. I just couldn't get to sleep. ann was exhausted and sound asleep. My backpack with the earplugs was propping open the door so I took the Donna and moved into the lounge where the couch is and attempted to sleep there. I finally fell soundly to sleep at about 4:30 when it seemed to quieter down!

The 4th June was spent doing our washing, catching up on diaries sharing photos etc. the first day we haven't really been on the move  and with reasonable wifi which is in the apartment.  We ventured out to a supermarket which was more like David Jones's food hall. The presentation of everything was magnificent and the range of goods so broad. Fruit was perfect and very expensive. It cost us about 200 dollars for dinner, breakfasts, and probably lunch today and Plum wine which we finished off in one night! 

 The gang all doing the Age newspaper crossword.