May 23, Tokyo: Sushi, Sumo and More: A Normal Day in Japan

7 AM was the latest I could sleep today; my body felt completely confused by sunlight this morning. I took my first shower in this country; thank God I’m not clostrophobic, as ducking was required for fitting into the shower. More on that another time.

After a coffee and bagel at a local chain, Chris had to spend the morning with a perspective employer. This left Alex and I on our own for the morning and early afternoon. Given Chris’ aversion to seafood, sushi was a must for lunch.

But first, we trekked out to Ryogoku to purchase tickets for the afternoon’s sumo match. Our ability to navigate the subway has gotten better; we only made two wrong turns before finding the correct path. Upon getting to the station, Alex and I kept asking guards questions. The only common word understood by both parties was “sumo,” but we found the ticket counter and picked up the cheapest tickets; 2100 yen for each one of us.

We jumped back on the subway around 10 AM and transferred to a train line that did not connect to the broader system – it reminded me of the Long Island RR in NYC, with a separate fee. Again, suits dominated the subway – I’ve still not seen a single bum or cartwheel-pulling young kid like the A train on the west side of the city.

We arrived at the Dobiya station on the south side of Tokyo, near the Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo Bay. Like every other trip I’ve taken this week, the subway was dead silent. Alex and I arrived to a view of Tokyo harbor and a minature Statue of Liberty:


Across the street from the statue was the Fuji building, with a 25th floor observatory. Alex and I took in the views, surrounded by Japanese and no explanation whatsoever in any language:

We departed to Lawson’s in the base of the building for a snack and some water. Unfortunately, the store wasn’t quite as imagined – Alex and I settled for a roll-it-yourself tuna roll before heading out to the rest of the walking tour:



As we departed the Fuji building and continued the walking tour through the harbor area, we were stopped by several Japanese middle school girls, who asked us in broken English for our names and to sign a small book with a few sentences for their class. We signed the books and posed for a picture:

We headed to the fish market area after this trek in search of sushi. The market is closed on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (this was the 4th), but the watering holes were in full swing despite this closure. We found a relatively busy, respectable-looking establishment after some delay and entered. We were a novelty; the restaurant was filled with patrons, two of whom guided Alex and I through a menu that was completely in Japanese. We pointed, ordered, and tried our best. My stomach hasn't been the same since this meal, but rest assured: this was the freshest fish I have ever eaten. See below:


After this adventure, and a quick trip through the Sony showroom, Alex and I returned back to rendezvous with Chris. We met back up and headed out for the sumo match.

The sumo experience was, in a word, ridiculous. We arrived in time to see the junior heavyweights wrestle before the arrival of the main event. Each competitor for the main event emerged in unique dress as pictured below:


We watched two hours of sumo, accompanied by a few beers and some sake. The throwdowns were the best:


By 6:30, the event was over, and Chris, Alex, and I headed back to the hotel for a change of clothes before heading out for the night. Our plans: to meet up with our friend, Emory Volz, studying abroad here in Tokyo, and from there, who knows?

Hope you’re enjoying the diary of events – enjoy the photos, and please leave comments and feedback!

Mike