Konichiwa Tokyo!

First View of Tokyo from Airport Train Station

We FINALLY made it to Tokyo!!!  Greg did great sitting next to me for 13 hours! His ears are not bleeding. :) The time actually went by fast---I watched 3 movies...Bad Moms, Mother's Day (think I am missing Ethan and Dylan already?) and War Dogs (had to stop the tears from the first two movies).  Greg pretty much slept the whole time, I have never seen a big dude like him curl up in a 3-seat plane space quite like he did!!!

During the flight, we came up with a list of words we "needed to know."  These included please, thank you, do you speak English, hello...which have been working out well. Greg knows them for about 5 seconds and I completely blank when starting to talk. None-the-less, Greg got us easily through the monorail and subway to our hotel in record time and without having to use our Jap-English. Impressive because most things are written in symbols....and all the symbols look the same.

Lanterns at Tsukiji Fish Market

By the time we got here and got settled, we had time for a quick walk down to the Tsukiji Market---the world's largest fish market for a fresh sushi dinner.  To say it was the best sushi we have ever had is an understatement.  It was so, so, so good.  Greg took the fresh part to the max and was a complete stud, representing us well (because you quickly eat what is put in front of you by the sushi chef who is watching your reaction).  So, when he put down three big seaweed pieces---one filled with huge tuna eggs, one filled with fresh (read icky) sea urchin and one with tiny baby fish eyeballs and everything...Greg looked at me and asked which one I wanted.  I looked right back at him (mind you the sushi chef is watching but does not speak a lick of English) and I ask him which he prefers me to barf on the counter.  He quickly consumed all three, saving me and making us look like good tourists.  I just sipped my soup in support.  Then, as his last delicacy, he ordered the "twitchy shrimp."  And, by twitchy I mean that the darn thing comes out wriggling on the tray.  The sushi chef looks at you while he pulls his head off and says "sorry shrimp," places it on rice and hands it over.  Yes, it is still moving, I mean twitching.  Greg snapped it up in his chop sticks and chewed it up.  I was glowing proud!  In fairness to me, I had a small bite of the dead tail (done twitching) and it was amazing!  Sweet lemon fish taste.  Three weird things and then a twitchy tail!  This is why we came to Japan!   

We stopped quickly in a pachinko parlor on the way home and then we each got the best cream puff!!!  Time for sleep, we are exhausted.