Japan to Australia via Eastern Europe - Part 5 - Day 3 - Tokyo / Nikku

We had a dead-early start with a five-thirty am start. We were planning to head out with the Julie Crew to the Fish Markets and you really need to get there early before everything gets snapped up.

After showering and stuff - we reached the Julie Crew Motel at 6am and all headed out (via subway tracks) to the fish markets. When travelling to somewhere we haven't been before - Ant and I normally check out the subway street maps to try and orientate ourselves before heading out... but with Julie and her crew - she just walks out in a vague direction before getting lost... After about 10 mins of this craziness - Ant had enough and took control of the situtation after my mum decided to head down the wrong direction down the wrong street. After about 2 mins of Ant being in charge - we got to the fish markets.

I was sort of expecting the fish markets to be a "somewhat relaxing" Saturday morning experience - however I wasn't expecting it to be a "somewhat death-trap-y" sort of experience - with hundreds of mad Japanese kamikaze forklift drivers manically trying to run down every tourist on site. You couldn't fart without a kamikaze forklift driver trying to mow you down... or something.

The Julie Crew and the Ant/Nick Westside Pose all split up (because it was going to be way too painful to stick in the one group). The fish markets were full of all sorts of amazing fish and stuff. I never really thought of tuna as being a big fish until you go to the Tokyo fish markets. There was all sorts of gory machine blade cutting of fish and blood and stuff - and talking to Sacha after this experience - he said that we probably saw whale somewhere...

Ant and I tried to find the auctioning part of the market - but alas we thought we were too late. After speaking to Sacha later about the markets - he said that they have closed the auctioning section of the market to the public as all the tourists were starting to pish off the locals too much... Maybe in some sort of revenge on tourists tactic - they are now instigated a "Kamikaze fortlift driver" scheme on tourists...

One of the lowlights of the market was the Styrofoam Mountain out the back of the markets. They package everything in styrofoam crates and then go mental with a forklift to try and grind everything up... Very dolphin/environment friendly...

After 45 mins of the market (which was more than enough) - we met up with the Julie Crew to try and find some breakfast. My mum began scouring the streets trying to find something Japanese for breakfast (how brave)... However - after about 3 mins of doing this - the Julie Crew revolted against her and headed in the general vicinity of the Golden Arches and Jonathon's (a sort of Denny's-esque American diner). As two renegade groups split up (with my mum chickening out to Jonathon's) - Ant and I are hardcore the whole way and opted instead for some Japanese (we think) noodle soup with pork... eaten on the street...

After we hooked up with the Julie Crew - my mum said "I was going to have japanese...!" - yeah right. She is just not hardcore enough for the Ant/Nick Westside Crew... (Ant gives me a disapproving look whilst I'm writing this).

The Julie Crew were going to head out to Ginza (which we had already been to - not to mention it was all shut at this time in the morning) - so we left the crew and took a train back to Asasuka (spl is wrong but what the hey)...

We went to the (wrg spl) Asasuka station, looked strangely at the ticket machines for 10 minutes until we walked over to the counter (to the guy that spoke engrish) and got some express tickets to Nikko - a nearby town which the Rough Guide (our "rough" guide book to Tokyo) recommended to the extreme...

After about a two hour trip (on a little grungy for an Japanese express train-train) we arrived at Nikko - which according to the signs around the town "Nikko is Nippon". The town itself was giving me the image of a "Goulburn" as a japanese town - it was very country and not that many shops around the place.

As we made our way up the main street - it started pi$$ing down with rain like it was 1999. Ant and I said - nuts to this - and we tried to find somewhere to have lunch until the rain died down a bit. After being rejected at a Vegetarian Cafe (it only had four seats - all of which were occupied) - we went next door to a Korean restaurant. It was the whole "take off your shoes/sit on the floor/lose all feeling in your lower half of your body" deal. There was this nice elderly couple running the place (obviously in their living room) and the food was pretty good if a little expensivo (but everything here was priced at tourists). The old woman and Ant was watching TV throughout lunch - there was some "World Championship" of eating copius amounts of crap without vommitting - where some Japanese girl won. We sort of guessed that it was taking place in Bangkok - cause there were some grossly obese lady boys handing out the prize. The TV show got all emotional when she won - in true cheesy Japanesey style...

After lunch - the rain died down and we headed to the big tourist site of Nikko - lots of buddhist temples. We were a little wearing as the place was designated as a UNESCO World Herritage Site and we have had a bit of mixed experiences at them (see our Chilean blog from 2005/06 for a bad experience and our Chinese blog for a good one)... However - this was definately a good one. All of the temples were pretty and all set against a dramatic backdrop of huge "Return of the Jedi-Ewok" style trees. In true Shinto style - there was heaps of commercialism to be had in the temples (with chessy giftshops and money blessing activities everywhere). There was even a monk messing around with fire - a pryo monk (a man after my own heart... burn fire burn hah hahah!). The whole place was very kodak moment-y and is well recommended. Finally - the Rough Guide to Tokyo gets something right.

We strolled back down the main street to the station whilst trying to avoid my new nemesis - some white guy who kept overtaking us on the street - only to stop and stare at a shop - and to overtake us again and so on... You get the picture.

We had idiotically pre-booked tickets here at 7pm - but as it was about 5pm and we had done all that we could do - we attempted to get on an early train. Luckily - the nice guy exchanged our tickets with no fuss - and we were on a local train instead.

The journey back to Tokyo was pretty uneventful - apart from the three middle aged Japanese business men who brought with them swags of Sake, Whiskey and snacks and started to do shots... as you do on public transport.

Back at Asasuka - we did our typical "wander past the Julie Crew Motel" and funnily enough - they were there. As it was dinner time - we decided that maybe we could tag along - however everyone wanted to do Italian (very adventurous... cough). As Ant and I are hardcore travellers - we opted out and decided to do Ticket Restaurant instead. Matthew also tagged along. The meal was decidely cheap and good (350 Yen - approx $3.50AUD) as was the beer.

Since this had been my third day in Tokyo without Karaoke - I was starting to get a bit edgy and needed a Big Echo experience. I talked everyone into it and headed to the nearest Big Echo (across the street). However there was a 30 min queue to get in (not surprising as it was Saturday night). So I gave the Big Echo attendant my name - and we all wandered along the banks of the "mystery" river (as we don't know its name and I don't have the guide book with me). It was very scenic - with the cherry blossoms now out in full bloom - plus the added attraction of the latern boats in the river.

Big Echo was a bit of a blast (as usual). Ant and I had a couple of huge beers and Matthew started to get into the vibe of things and sing along. Highlights included 1999, Don't You Want Me and It's Raining Men (Ant's choice).

We headed back to the Julie Crew Motel for a "big announcement by Sacha at 10pm sharp". I was guessing that Taeko is pregnant - but all Sacha was there for was to make sure we got to the wedding on time tomorrow. Whoopie-doo... That was a bit of an anti-climax.
Ant and I tag along with Sacha (and Sid who was Sacha's best man at the real Australian wedding) who were making tracks to the Sakura Hotstel to meet up with Pranav (another Australian groomsmen) who had just arrived in Japan this afternoon. We organised to meet up with Pranav at midday tomorrow at the Julie Crew hotel - so we would all make our way to Harajuku together.