Japan Day 10 P2

To continue from where Leecher left off, we headed over to Ginza (銀座) for shopping!

No no, we didn't take the Metro & walked from Tsukiji Fish Market.

The famous Wako building with the now-iconic Hattori Clock Tower. The building and clock tower were originally built by Kinataro Hattori, founder of Seiko.

Can't wait to start my day in Ginza!

Leecher was feeling upset as he couldn't get his morning cup of caffeine, as we were there at 8.30am! Well, we forgot that we were up pretty early for the fish market and didn't realise that it was that early when we reached Ginza. Most of the stores opened at 9.30am during weekends. Thus, we had to loiter on the streets for 1hr while my poor ears suffered from Leecher's constant rumblings.

As we roamed the streets, we came across this sight ~ hmm.....what's going on?

Long queue before the store is open? According to the dummy's guide, this meant that we have to join in the queue!

Baumkuchen, known as the "King of Cakes", is a kind of layered cake known in many countries throughout Europe. When cut, the cake reveals the characteristic golden rings that give its the German name, Baumkuchen, which literally translate to "Tree Cake". To get the ring effect, a thin layer of batter is brushed evenly onto a spit and allowed to bake until golden, after which, the process is repeated.

Baum Kuchen layer cake from Nenrinya Bakery Cafe, Ginza. Looks like our kueh lapis? In fact, baumkuchen is softer and lighter in taste as compared to kueh lapis. The coating of icing on top helps to reduce the buttery taste, which can be quite overwhelming after a while. Of cuz, the price tag differs tremendously. This small piece of baumkuchen costs 735Yen.

Love the Fancl white Xmas tree! So pretty & princessy :)

Shopping loots! I was busy emptying the products on the shelves into my basket(s). There are actually more bags, but I don't have the energy to lift it up for picture taking, so make do with just one.

9 packages of Fancl Cleansing Oil, which translates to 18 bottles. Leecher was amazed at how much I can buy. Well, the packaging looks so enticing!

What's a trip to Ginza without visiting Burberry?

My big shopping bag as compared to

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Leecher's small bag. LOL

Lesson learnt - the shopping bag increases proportionately to the amount spent in the shop. So want a bigger bag, buy more!

Japan Day 10 P1

Rise and shine! Today we tried to get our bums out of bed as early as we could, but sad to say we failed to make it for the morning auction at Tsukiji fish market.

Blamer and I tried to be adventurous by finding our own way there from the JR station.

It was freezing to the bones but a few street signs and helpful passersby later... ...

Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market! Although it is more commonly known as Tsukiji fish market. The market handles more than 400 different types of seafood from tiny sardines to 300kg tuna, from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar. Overall, more than 700,000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year at the three seafood markets in Tokyo, with a total value in excess of 600 billion yen (approximately 6 billion US dollars). Tsukiji alone handles over 2000 metric tons of seafood per day.

The market opens every morning except Sundays and holidays at 3:00 AM with the arrival of the products by ship, truck and plane from all over the world. Particularly impressive is the unloading of tons of frozen tuna.

The auctions usually end around 7:00AM. Afterward, the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped to the next destination, or on small carts and moved to the many shops located inside of the market. There the shop owners cut and prepare the products for retail.

In the case of large fishes, example tuna and swordfish, cutting and preparation is elaborate. This man here is trying to cut up his freshly bought tuna with a band saw.

Other fresh produce from the stalls located at the "outer market" (jogai shijo). I learned from some travel shows on TV that you can actually purchase and ask the stall owners to prepare sashimi right at their stall. But I guess we ought not to be so adventurous this time and stick to the sushi bars.

One of the highly recommended sushi bars on the web.

Judging by the crowds of people waiting to get in, seems like Blamer and me hit the jackpot.

But I must say, it was a really, really looonnngg wait. I think we stood for more than 2hrs in the queue before it's finally our turn.

It's a very small outfit with at most 12 guests at each side served by a max of 3 sushi chefs. No wonder we had to wait for so long.

All the fresh ingredients right in front of us. However, Blamer and I didn't really get the chance to look at their menu. The sushi chef took one glance at us and said, "Set?" To which we replied, "Hai, set," and we were quickly ushered to our seats.

This is the first time we are experiencing authentic, freshly prepared Japanese sushi right at the counter. *excited* The table setting with the wooden block which I presumed should be for the sushi.

First up, Nigiri of Toro (fatty tuna) sushi and squid sushi. The tuna sushi was heavenly.

Grilled eel and yellow-tail sushi

Another one of my favorite. Sea urchin and sweet egg omelet.

Tuna and salmon roe maki

Last but not least, another round of the heavenly fatty tuna and for the first time of my life, I ate raw shrimp! It was sweet and crunchy, not a hint of fishy smell. I must say the freshest sushi I ever had.

Japan Day 9 P2

We made another B&F trip to Bank of Japan (日本銀行, Nippon Ginkō), which is the central bank. The bank, established after the Meiji Restoration, has been in charge of maintaining price stability and to ensure the stability of the financial system, thereby laying the foundations for sound economic development.

The Bank of Japan is headquartered in Nihonbashi, on the site of a former gold mint (the Kinza) and, not coincidentally, near the famous Ginza district, whose name means "silver mint".

Lotteria is a chain of fast-food restarants similar to McDonald's, taking the name from its parent company, Lotte. As it is considered to be a follower if McDonald's, it's not surprising that both sell similar burgers on their menus.

As Japaneses are pro-recycling, we often come across these in the shops. Rather than a single garbage bin, a number of specialised receptacles exist (liquids, paper, plastic etc) can be found at all Lotteria restaurants.

Alighted at Shinjuku to proceed to our next destination. Shinjuku has the highest number of registered foreign nationals of any community in Tokyo. Being influenced by what I saw in the movie Shinjuku incident, I was expecting to see lots of mafias/secret societies patrolling the streets. However, Shinjuku is just another stop along the Subway line and is home to hotels, department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, located in Shinjuku, held the title of the tallest building in Tokyo from 1991 to late 2006. The building consists of a complex of three structures, each taking up a city block. The tallest and most prominent of the three is Tokyo Metropolitan Main building No.1, a tower 48 stories tall that splits into two sections at the 33rd floor. The building also has three levels below ground. The design of the building was meant to resemble a computer chip.

As with all observatory decks, you will get a paramount view of the city buildings which look similar after a while. The green field in the middle reminds me of Central Park, smacked in the middle of the city. How I wish I can visit Central Park one day! *mental note to start planning*

Headed to Yodobashi Camera for some electronic shopping for friends. In Shinjuku, Yodobashi has several stores close together, providing a wide selection of electronics. We were brought to stores after stores to look at cameras, watches and audio-equipments. No pictures thereafter, as we were busy doing damages to our pockets :P