As we walked around the city of Tokyo, one thing became clearly apparent. There were no trash cans anywhere. Coming from a place where we throw trash away freely, it became awkward for me to carry around trash in my handbag until we found an area where we could dispose of our bags and wrappers. Sometimes, I even held onto our trash until we returned to our hotel room!
We never had to think so hard about throwing away our trash before, which made me feel a little guilty of how we don't think about it much at home. However, the Japanese people do not just throw all of their trash into one can. Instead, they separate their trash according to certain categories.
Some compartments are labeled: aluminum cans, plastics, glass.
Others can be labeled burnable and nonburnable.
If you eat at a fast food restaurant or have a meal at a food court, you also need to separate your trash when returning your tray. It became a healthy habit wherever we went. We also realized that the Japanese people hardly use napkins or paper towels. We watched as they used their own handkerchiefs they carry with them.
After exiting the wholesale market, we walked around the perimeter of Tsukiji and were surprised to find so many vendors. Some of the shop owners look as if they've been sitting in that same spot for decades, as their smiles reveal their happiness in the amount of customers that flood their stores. Strolling through the area proved to be one of my favorite past times in Tokyo as we viewed everything the outside market had to offer.
There was a mix of shops and food stands
You'll find shops selling knives that are especially good for cutting fish.
Dried fish products are everywhere.
Yummy ika!
We even found a store full of different kinds of nori. There were so many to choose from!
We ate the whole way down the street, and I had one of the best musubis ever!
Lines to sushi bars were quite long as Tsukiji boasts the freshest sushi in the world!
Save a day for Tsukiji Fish Market on your trip to Tokyo!
When visiting Tokyo, Tsukiji Fish Market should be on the top of the list. This famous wholesale fish market is considered to be the one of the world's largest, handling every marine product each day. Most of the market is off limits to visitors, but you can walk through the wholesale market after 10am. Just be careful of all the busy workers!
Through our Hyperdia search, we took the Marunouchi Subway Line from Tokyo Station to Ginza and transferred to the Hibiya Subway Line to get to Tsukiji Station. When we walked up the stairs from the subway station, we followed a line of people through the open market which led us to our destination.
There weren't many signs pointing us in right direction so we walked around and followed these little orange carts that were driving through the area.
The carts moved quickly, and the ground was wet in some areas, so we walked carefully into the wholesale market. Since this is a serious business area, most of the workers inside go about their daily tasks as we walked around.
As we entered the market area, we were met with an endless array of beautiful seafood.
There is so much to see, as the market houses rows and rows of marine products.
We spent some time watching the workers prepare the fish that were being sold.
That's a sharp knife!
Look at all the shellfish!
After seeing all of the fresh seafood, it was time to eat!
Strolling back to the hotel after breakfast one day, we stopped to watch the business men and women walk to work as they exited Tokyo Station. Dressed in black and white, they created an endless sea of marching soldiers as they left the trains and subways of the station. They spilled into the streets and kept walking in unison to their workplace destination. It was surely a sight to see.
Since there are hoards of people running through Tokyo Station daily, the indoor "city" provides everything the Tokyo traveler needs. From omiyage, to getting a haircut, to getting a drink with friends, to finding a new outfit, spending one day inside Tokyo Station is just not enough!
The first floor of department stores are filled with food counters that offer so many choices of delicious Japanese dishes.
There are no tables to sit down to enjoy your purchases. Many of the Japanese people will take their food home on the train to eat there.
Each night after dinner, our kids loved coming to watch them make candy right in front of their eyes.
How did they do that??
If you're lucky, you'll get to sample a taste of their sweet treats!
Just across the candy makers was the Kit Kat counter!
Walk around Tokyo Station, and you can see bakers make just about anything!
Another favorite area of Tokyo Station is "Character Street." This part of the station features 21 stores with themes according to well-known popular
characters. You can also find pop-up shops that are open only for a limited time.
My girls love Rilakkuma!
The Totoro Store!
Visit Tokyo Station and enjoy all this Tokyo landmark has to offer!
Located in the Marunouchi business district, Tokyo Station stands near the Imperial Palace and Ginza commercial area. It serves as the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo and is the busiest station in terms of the number of trains per day. In fact, this Tokyo landmark is not just a station, but inside you'll find a city that includes hotels, department stores, restaurants, shops and services that serve the busy travelers running through the station each day.
Take a stroll on the outside of the building and enjoy the beautiful architecture of Tokyo Station.
Inside Tokyo Station
As we walked down the stairs into the main terminal of Tokyo Station, we jumped into the fast-pace moving traffic alongside thousands of people. It became clear that Tokyo Station is absolutely enormous as there were different levels, wings and also plenty of construction sites inside.
We started on our trek to find the Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo Marunouchi. We tried reading signs for the Nihonbashi exit and moved in that direction, but as we made our way through the twists and turns, we decided that we were lost. After asking for directions four times, we finally found the Nihonbashi exit and found our hotel
The front desk is located on the 27th floor of this building.
When first entering the reception area on the 27th floor, the floor to ceiling view of the city takes your breath away. You'll also see a replica of Tokyo Station in the lobby that houses a running train. We were greeted by a team of female workers who stood near the front desk and after checking in, walked us to our room as they pulled our suitcases for us.
Replica of Tokyo Station
Although the hotel is very stylish and the service was impeccable, the room was tiny!! There was just enough room for the bed and a chair and table and nothing else. Luckily, we were hardly in our room and having the hotel connected to Tokyo Station was so convenient that we got used to the cozy quarters. Who would've thought we could spend so much time just in the train station alone!
