Japan - Tour Day 3 - Tokyo

We started today by heading out on the subway to explore the Tsukiji Outer Market (f.k.a., Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market). This market opened in 1935 and flourished both as a popular tourist destination and an internationally recognized brand before the core fish merchants were moved into a new state-of-the-art facility known as the Toyosu Market in 2018. While the core fish merchants were moved, the ‘outer’ market has remained a vibrant hub for locals and tourists alike.  Tsukiji Outer Market is Japan’s “Food Town,” where you may come across all kinds of traditional Japanese foods. A mixture of wholesale and retail shops, along with numerous restaurants, line the streets.  Again, due to the holiday, it was extremely busy. Long lines for eateries even first thing in the morning. A whole variety of shops selling various seafood, Japanese style omelets, kitchen knives, strawberries, shaved ice, etc.

From there, we traveled by subway again to a ‘National Geographic Journeys Exclusive’ Sushi Making experience. It sounded a little cheesy when we first heard we were doing it, but it actually turned out to be very enjoyable. There are three main different types of sushi:

•  - Maki (seaweed on the outside, rice and fillings on the inside)
•  - Nigiri (thin slices of fish (also cooked shrimp and egg omelet) are dabbed with a light smear of wasabi paste and placed on molded sushi rice (vinegar rice)
•  - Temaki (seaweed rolled into a cone shape and stuffed with fillings)

We made all three types! Some of us seemed like pros and some of us seemed like rookies. But, we all seemed to enjoy it. And, the best part was, we got to eat our own sushi in the end!!

After that, we had a free afternoon. Some of us girls spun off and went to the Ginza District known for its high end shopping - just to window shop. Then, we decided we were close enough to the Imperial Palace to take another stroll through there and share the experience with Karen and Sally who had not seen it yet. Did I say the weather was beautiful?It was a high of 80 today, so we thought we should splurge on some ice cream on the Imperial Grounds while sitting under a shade tree. It was a lovely way to spend the time with good friends!!

Then, back to the hotel because it is our next ‘pack night!’