Come Away with Me

A Park, a Musuem & a Fish Market

Retail therapy is fun and necessary but as with anything, too much of a good thing can lead to overkill. In anycase, it's not like we could afford the time and money to do nothing but shop.

Included in the 9 day long itinerary were visits to the largest park in the city, Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Musuem (which is located inside the same park) and the largest wholesale fish market, Tsukiji.


A really huge park covering a vast area with various attractions such as a zoo, many museums big or small and numerous little shrines and temples, something for everyone.


There happened to be a peony exhibition going on while we were there. Mom just loves flowers of all kinds and is probably the only member in the family with a green thumb so you can imagine her joy when we spent almost an hour wandering among mazes of peonies of various colors and sizes.


Ameyoko, an open air shopping arcade selling mainly foodstuff near the park. Here, me and mom got lost among the shops sampling free nuts, dried foods and lamenting the lack of a kitchen when we saw the many fresh produce and seafood that we couldn't lay our hands on.


At the request of the History grad, we spent an intellectual afternoon pouring through Japanese history and other archaeological artifacts in the musuem. Even though I've been to Tokyo on numerous occasions, it was my first visit and though not much of a museum person, it was a pretty good one I would say.


On mom's request, we made a trip to Tsukiji fish market to have a feel of the local market scene. The peak period at the market proved overwhelming and we couldn't have made it to the actual wholesale center to witness the auction so we were contented to just hang around the peripheral area where there were many shops selling fresh seafood, sushi and other produce.


And here's Rob and Jac posing with the hardened bonito fish from where bonito flakes are derived when you shaved from the wooden block; Mom looking happy with fresh wasabi plant, yes fresh ones and not the green paste we are used to seeing in the Japanese restaurants back home.


And what would a trip to a fish market be like without sampling the freshest fish available?

posted by テレサ @ 12:58 PM