Japan [Day 4] - Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

The sun has finally started to come out, so we decided to check out some popular cherry blossom sites. I love how everything is accessible via train. The first place we checked out was Chidorigafuchi. As soon as we stepped off the train, cherry blossoms were blooming all over the city.


On the way to the sakura location, we stopped by Yasukuni Jinja (shrine) to check out the architecture and scenery. The sky was clear and blue, so it made a nice backdrop for the jinja.

The cherry blossoms at Chidorigafuchi literally drape over an old moat, which makes for a beautiful scene. You could actually rent a boat and sail around the moat to get a closer view of the cherry blossoms.





For the afternoon, we decided to go to Ueno, so Ami, her mom, and aunt could do some shopping. It was my perfect excuse to explore the city on my own. Ueno also had a famous cherry blossom setup. In true Japan form, it was very crowded there.
The cherry blossoms lined either end of the sidewalk, creating a canopy.


Along the sidewalks, the locals were camped out with blankets, chairs, alcohol, food etc... At night they light up the cherry blossoms, and, basically, it turns into one big party. Supposedly, new hires at companies are sent to the park to reserve spots during the day so that their co-workers can come by after work to kick off the party.

On the other side of the park, vendors were lined up all around the temple. They were selling some pretty tasty stuff and other items not-so-appealing.


From Ueno Park, this is a shot of the city landscape. Unfortunately, the lake was littered with empty bottles and tons of trash. I tried to find the least cluttered spot to get a shot.

There were some pretty impressive cameras out there today. Everyone was taking pictures, and lots of hardcore photography types were out in full camera gear. This is Japan, so even the non-photographer was at least armed with a camera-equipped phone. Every five feet, I would bump into someone trying to shoot a photo using their phone.


Here are some close-up views of what sakuras really look like.

Japan [Day 1] - Rikugien Cherry Blossoms

After the morning trip to the Fish Market, we took a short break. No rest when you are on vacation. :) We went to Rikugien (near Komagome) to check out the cherry blossoms that were just starting to bloom. Japan is packed with these trees, and when they all bloom at the same time it's like looking at a painting.

There is an old shogun estate in Komagome at a place called Rikugien that had a few cherry blossom trees. They hadn't quite bloomed, but it was a good sneak peak. Later during this vacation, we check out some of the more well-known spots, but here is a sneak peak of what they look like.
It may have been spring but it felt like winter. Kai was bundled up head to toe today. Japan is not stroller-accessible, and it's been a pain trying to find elevators and escalators at train stations, stores, restaurants, etc... Otherwise, Kai has been loving Japan so far (he's addicted to rice crackers and Anpanman). Anpanman is a Japanese children's cartoon character. I don't quite get the fascination with Anpanman, but he is the rage here in Japan for all the kids.


Day 1 was a long day (4:00 am start). Ami's aunt took us to a local favorite restaurant. There is supposedly a better tempura restaurant we are going to later but this was still the best I've had thus far. Unlike in the US, authentic places in Japan only lightly batter the tempura. It's so tasty you don't even use the usual dipping sauce when you eat tempura. Instead, they give you this special type of salt to season your tempura (I think it is some type of toasted salt). You can see the toasted salt below.

The sashimi salad was rockin! As you all know...I'm really into food so I'm expecting to gain at least 10 lbs on this trip :) More food pictures to come.

Japan [Day 1] - Tsukiji Fish Market

We’ve been up all night traveling and our personal clocks are a wreck….so what to do? Well…how about we go to the Tsukiji Fish Market around 4am to watch the auction and eat some of the best sushi around? Done and done.

When we got the train station around 4:30am it was a ghost town. It is a sharp contrast to rush hour when it is a mad house. When we got to Tsukiji the auction was already shutting down so we caught the tail end of it. It’s amazing to see the fresh/frozen fish auctioned off…and walking through the Fish Market isn’t for the faint of heart.







I have no idea what the heck this is…




We asked one of the local fishermen the best place to eat sushi in Tsukiji and told us about Sushi Dai. He warned us that the line would be long. Yes…this is the line for Sushi Dai (e.g. 2 hour wait).



After we finally got in I was starving…I still don’t know what exactly we ate but it was all damn good. I know there was some toro, uni, clam, bonito, etc… It was all so fresh…straight off the boat. Tsukiji is absolutely the best sushi I’ve ever had.