Tokyo!!

If you die on the Metro in Tokyo, nobody will ever find your body. After three days in Tokyo, Clare and I are (miraculously) still alive to tell the tale...

Our first night in Tokyo we went out in Shibuya, a bustling neighborhood of winding streets and tiny bars. Our first experience with Tokyo sushi had us hooked-- we now eat raw fish for breakfast. We are also completely addicted to the noodle soups, though we rarely know what's in them. It's a don't ask, don't tell culinary experience around here.

There is quite literally a sea of humanity in Tokyo. We have somehow found our way between the various neighborhoods-- usually by looking hopelessly lost, waving a map around, and pouting until someone comes up to us and asks in perfect English how they can help us. Harajuku (of Gwen Stefani fame) is exactly as promised with everyone trying to out-insane the person next to them. There appear to be three fashion options in Harajuku: the corpse bride, little bo-peep, and the "simultaneously wearing everything in my closet" look. Bonus points are available for cross-dressing, carrying large stuffed animals dressed in a matching outfit, or t-shirts that say something absurd, incoherent, or profane in English. Needless to say, we love it here.

Tuesday morning we went to the famous Tokyo fish market to see what all the fuss was about. We nearly died. Contrary to Lonely Planet's "bring your kids to the market" version of things, this is a high-paced working environment where the workers (six hours into their shift when we roll in at 8 am) have no patience for our cameras and flip-flops and giggling disgust. So they tried to kill us-- fair enough. At one point, wandering through endless stalls of fish and weaving forklifts, we saw a worker grab a huge fish from a tank and it slipped from his hands, flopping and twitching on the market floor. He laughed, picked it up and laid it on his wooden board, and unceremoniously dispatched with its head in one giant chop. Clare and I cringed and ran away, much to the delight of the people around us.

Here's all you really need to know about the fish in Tokyo.

Before:

After:

Enough said.

Tuesday afternoon included Yoyogi Park, a gorgeous sanctuary in the middle of this otherwise frantic city. As expected, Clare is an absolute spectacle in Tokyo with her red curls and baby blues. One particularly enamored admirer asked to take a picture and then engaged in an extended photo shoot. Clare Orr: Tokyo's Next Top Model.

This morning we are off to Kyoto where we are hoping to slow down the pace a bit. Until next time...