"Travel is so rewarding that it should take precedence over other things younger people spend money on."
New York Times: Advice on Finishing With No Regrets (via quickandcurious)
Today I went to the Tokyo Sea Life Park and Kasai Rinkai Park. The giant tuna tank was probably the highlight. It was a strangely quiet part of Tokyo, right on the edge of the bay. The weather was ideal today, a nice change from the past few windy days.
Today in Tokyo - The National Science Museum which has this 360 degree theater which is super cool. You actually don’t believe you’re standing still, you feel like you’re floating/flying. Also ate some tasty ramen at Kyushu Jangar in Akasaka.
I have visited Shinjuku, Roppongi, Shibuya, Harajuku, Hie-Jinja and eaten a lot of good food in the past 48 hours. Here are some photos.
Since 4am this morning I have been at Tsujiki Fish Market, which is the world’s largest fish market. I’m going to make a whole post about this alone, because it’s definitely the highlight of Tokyo (so far anyway).
To see the tuna auction at 5am, you need to arrive pretty early as they let so few tourists in but it is definitely worth it. Seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tuna in front of you is a bit surreal. Bidding happens pretty quickly and neatly and the tuna are carted away promptly.
After the tuna auctions we spent some time wandering around the non tourist-prohibited sections of the market, which is a bit boring compared to the tuna auctions but there are some interesting vegetables/dried goods/etc to see.
At 7.30 am we decided the join the line for Sushi Dai (probably the most well regarded of all the sushi restaurants in Tsujiki Market) to get some breakfast. It took until 10am until we were seated in the tiny restaurant, with only 12 seats. For 2500 yen we were each served 7 nigiri, sushi rolls, rolled egg, homemade miso (very different to packet miso) and green tea. Our nigiri had fatty tuna, two kinds of mackerel, shell fish, sea eel, squid and a 7th fish we missed the name of. The fatty tuna and the shell fish were the highlights for me, but all were genuinely amazing. This meal (which some claim as overpriced) was definitely worth every single cent to me. In all honesty it was without a doubt the best seafood I’ve ever had, if not the best meal I’ve ever had.
After this we walked around the different parts of the market for some time looking at various vegetables and sea foods. Anyone who visits Tokyo needs to visit Tsujiki Fish Market, it is such a good experience.
Today was my last day in Seoul and it was probably my favourite. Amongst other things, I saw Namdaemun Market, got a good view of Seoul from the rooftop of Shinsegae Department Store and ate bindaetteok in Gwangjang Market.
At the Gwangjang Market, the lovely lady above made our bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) and gave us some form of battered fish and vegetables while we waited. She and some good-hearted local men also eating at the same food cart showed us how to eat the bindaetteok, commended us on our chopstick skills and shared their rice wine with us, despite the language barrier. Such a good day here in Seoul.
Today for Seollal (Lunar New Year) I went to Namsangol Hanok Village, which was hosting a festival for the event. There were traditional dancers/drummers, tightrope walkers, food, games, traditional costumes and a bunch of other stuff. It was a fun day, even though it was intensely cold at minus 17 degrees. I also had some really tasty food today, hence the photos.
Yesterday I went to the War Memorial of Korea which was a really great place to visit. They are far more open about explaining the logistics of war, it was about 1 part memorial and 3 parts science museum. It’s housed in a really nice building. Seeing as it was -12 degrees last night I couldn’t bring my self to wander the streets looking for a restaurant, so instant ramen had to suffice (which was far better than any instant meal in Australia, might I add).
It’s meant to be -17 here today, and I’ve planned to go to the Chinese New Year celebrations at Gyeongbokgung Palace which are outside. Wish me luck tumblr!
Today in Seoul - I visited the fish market, which had so many sea foods I didn’t recognise but want to try so badly. I also visited the 63 Sky Art Deck, which had a good view of Seoul on this rainy/hazy day. Last night I ate some strange salad with a marshmallow and vinegar dressing which was neither good or bad, just confusing.
Photos from Gyeongbokgung Palace and the surrounding area, today in Seoul. From what I’ve seen so far, Seoul is a pretty cool place. There’s a strange mix of old and new and a lot of young people.
