Tokyo Blond Is Not Porn

Tokyo Blond is not a porn blog, about hair or even, as one pithy friend remarked, a micro beer or late 1980s glam metal band ("Dude, I just saw Skid Row and Tokyo Blond opened and played a killer set").


The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences in Tokyo - poignantly, visually, irreverently - for fun.


Anybody can tag along...that is if I like you. This blog will endeavor to be entertaining and honest and frequent enough to keep those following interested including me.


Monday, July 19, 2010

But the Fish Are Bigger Than Me


During my first trip to Tokyo, beside looking at apartments I did get out once or twice and see other things.  Like the Tsukiji fish market, one of the largest in the world.  It was in walking distance of the Conrad hotel.  And since I was waking up at 4am anyway, I took a look.

Basically the fish market is in a huge warehouse on Tokyo Bay.  It starts out with produce and then gets fishy fast.  The closer you get to the dock the fishier it gets.

Warning: not for the sqeamish or people who don't like fish.

It started out benign enough.  Ok, I can deal with this edamame.

Boxes of fruit - nice.

Wow, this fruit is gorgeous!  They're peaches if you can believe it.

These however, are not peaches.  They're octi

And these are gigantic mussels.  That's a machete knife, not a kitchen knife.

 Live shrimp.  Pretty much everything was still alive.


Well except for these. Gross!  I was literally walking through guts! 
Now I understand why the guidebooks suggest boots!
That fish head, the one in which you see the inner cavity was bigger than a basketball.
Hungry yet?

Eels Good eaten!

These are tuna.  Yeah, like chicken of the sea.  They're larger than me. 
They're auctioned off for over $100k per fish.  No joke.


My favorite part about the fish market, besides the blood and guts, is the men.  No, not like that.  
They have these old, craggy fishermen, in waders and bloodied aprons who use a chain saw to cut the tuna.  And most of them have a lit cigarette dangling out of their mouth.  For all the health precautions this society takes, (masks, airport health offices, etc), I can't believe they allow smoking. 
 I didn't take a picture for obvious reasons.



Japanese Harrods

Later in the week Russell and visited the nearest grocery store.  We like to go this wherever we travel.  It's facinating to see what they sell and how they package it.    These pictures were taken at Mitsukoshi which to me, is like a Japanese version of Harrods - only the best store in the world (so far).

Beside mens and ladies wear, cosmetics and lingerie it had a whole floor of food!  Not just any food
groceries and specialty items like I've never seen before:

Prepackaged fish - what a nice assortment.

Their meat is like art.  Look at the marbling!

I'm beginning to learn that you can buy ANYTHING on a stick in Japan.

Um, yeah, that's a square watermelon on top. It costs over $100.00.

Fried food - but nothing like KFC - light, crispy, light

Various dried fish goods - just what I always wanted!

Gift boxed for your pleasure.

I haven't tried this yet but what up with the gelatin facination?

But wait there's more.

Back to the glorious fruit basket.

Local Japanese Supermarket

And then we went to a very local Japanese supermarket where they spoke no English and only
accept cash.  Most local supermarkets only accept cash.

Yes people that is a rose made out of fat!!! Are you supposed to eat that too?
And do you see how much meat you get for 1,500 yen otherwise known as $18 USD

Not very much.

How nice, you can buy live fish at the local grocery store too!

Random photos of other places we visited that first time in Tokyo.

Sapporo Museum

Beer headquarters & museum

Beer shrine - no Budweiser in sight

Restaurants

Gonpachi - the place where they filmed the crazy 88 fight scene from Kill Bill
And the food is GREAT!
Sake good, very good

Totally weird noodle place with stadium seating.
Oddy but goody. 

Entrance to a fancy French restaurant we went to.

A closer look

The dining room - gorgeous
And the food was as beautiful too!

Parting Shot

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