Azumabashi

A busy day today. We had an early start, packing up and checking out by 7:00 am to get to the meeting point for our tour of Tsukiji fish market. As it turned out, we were the only ones on the tour, and we had two guides as one was training. They were so nice and chatty that it just felt like we had hired some friends for the morning (knowledgeable and Japanese speaking friends). We walked through the outer market trying samples and getting snacks along the way. Tour groups aren't allowed in the inner market, so our tour guides dropped us off there and we went in for a quick look around. The markets are so busy so you constantly feel like you are in the way (which you are) but they are fascinating - rows and rows of every kind of seafood imaginable, huge hunks of tuna, live crabs, massive mussels and abalone. Even turtles ! Again, no photos allowed.
Sumo was scheduled for the afternoon, but we had time for a coffee and to spend some time in the Hokasai museum, located near to the Sumo Stadium in Sumida (where Hokasai was born and spent most of his life).
Sumo was quite an experience. We all sat in a little box on individual cushions. Although none of us really understood the rules it was amazing spectacle and hard not to become swept up with the crowd excitement - which increased as the afternoon went on and the big stars started to come out. Three well dressed women in their 60s were sitting next to us and chatted politely with me and Ivy in English. When a certain sumo came out later in the evening they went nuts - screaming and waving the banners they had brought.
On the other side of us were some young guys who sounded English but turned out to be brothers from Canberra. They shared their (basic) knowledge of the rules, and we shared our wifi. Later we connected on Facebook so that they could send us some of the photos and videos they had taken. Travelling around as a young person must be completely different (to when I was travelling as a young person) in these days of social media.
When one of the sumos won the second last round the entire stadium erupted !!! (we later found out it was a controversial result). All of a sudden cushions were being hurled around the stadium. The last bout started and we decided to make a run for it because I was worried about the crowds. Leave it to the Japanese, however, to have everything sorted. The crowds all went from stadium to station in an orderly manner and there was no problem getting on a train. We were back at the hostel to pick up our bags by 6:30 pm and by 7:00 pm we were in a taxi headed to the Disney resort and the greatest day of our lives...Read more