You know there are some people her who I don't think leave the hostel. Every morning I see them, and they are here when I return. What a waste. Glued to their laptops! One particular gentleman has been playing some sort of retro game on his iBook, it's sounds like the train stations, don't know why he doesn't have earphones in! Crazy man, also fairly annoying!
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Been on pretty much exclusively metros today, they have no English. At least the trains have English announcements and a LCD panel above every door scrolling the name of the station in Japanese then English. No such joy on the metro, one has to have ones wits about so as not to miss the stops!
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I decide to head to another shrine today, Sengaku-ji. It wasn't so much that this shrine was spectacular to look at, it was more the story surrounding it that was so interesting. basic gist is that some boy insulted an other boy, he was angered and raised his sword and wounded him. Now you can't go raising your sword, so he was sentenced to death. His samurai became master less and so were called ronin, they lay in wait for two years the avenged their master. So that's the Craic, 47 ronin graves here because they turned themselves in after and were sentenced to death. Not before they brought the severed head of Kira here and washed it in a well before offering it up to their master, Asano. Crazy ronin! So got to check out the well where Kira's head was washed. Nice!
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Got on the monorail to odaiba, it's a train with no driver! Bit scary to be honest. Fully automated fun! It's way up in the sky, easily 10 floors high, snaking through the skyscrapers of Tokyo! Wow! That's all I can say. Outstanding. So I arrive at my stop and I can see an illuminated walk way down to the riverside view back out over Tokyo. I can see the skyline and the bridge that I came over. Down for a few snaps. It's nice in the evening by the sea, a nice breeze and it's not too hot. I take a panorama shot with an app I have and head to the Starbucks nearby to upload. It really is quite special, everything I had hoped. They have turned this reclaimed island into a tourist mega city. It has loads of museums, theme parks, and Disney Tokyo, non of which interest me, although I hear that Disney Tokyo has been a resounding success.
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The Odaiba Onsen Mitagouri is what I'm here for. A 30 minute walk and I've arrived, it's about 10 and I think I'll probably be quiet in here. Wrong! There are bus loads of people turning up! Now I had read that this place is kinda like an onsen theme park, my suspicions are realised when I get a locker key that I charge everything to, then check out and pay for whatever I have spent. You get to choose your yakuta from a selection, I go for a nice green number with a mustard belt, turns out its not a popular choice as I appear to be the only one wearing this combination, fitting in nicely again. There are loads of places to eat, drink and play games. All costing exorbitant amounts of cash. Anyway in to the onsen. Kinda pleased that I have one in the hostel as I know exactly what to do and don't have to wander round lost. Unlike my onsen there are divisions when you are washing, a welcome addition, and the place is finished of in a black and red marble effect, very classy. They have half a dozen interior baths, at different temperatures, and two outside ones. I'm straight outside lying in the bath looking up at the stars. Reminiscent of Iceland, without the Woodford Reserve, ohhh yeah, and the fact I'm naked sharing a pool with at least 20 guys!! I spend about and hour moving between the pools. Very relaxing, a nice bit of down time. I finish with the bathing and head in to get a pint. Easily 300 people here, it's 11.25. I can stay till 2 for about a £10 so it's not too bad, in fact perfect for what I have planned as I need to be leaving about that time to head to the fish market.
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So after relaxing its time for the trek, I work out its about 8k, so at a pace I should have that done in 2 hours, taking in to account getting lost and stopping for drinks and rest I leave at 1.45. The journey was long and painful, though there were plenty of Lawson for me to stop at to get drinks and snacks. I check the map regularly to avoid making a wrong turn, can't afford to make a mistake as I've gone to significant effort to get here. I'm not feeling particularly tired, which is good, though perhaps slightly delirious as I'm singing Elton John songs quite loudly down the street. The view over Tokyo is inspiring, although they do turn out a lot of lights on notable buildings, probably save a fortune. Don't pass too many people on my trek, nice and quiet, maybe that's why I started singing? Missing the hustle and bustle! Ha. Then, I see it, the market. Quick time check, 3.15. Perfect, here in plenty of time, as I'm storm trooping over the last bridge a biker flys by with Eiffel 65 - Blue blasting out of his bike, I start dancing and singing, then burst in to hysterics, clearly sleep deprived.
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So I get here at 3.15 so that's an hour and a half of walking, or storm trooping should I say! I'm the first one here!!! Result! Tuna auction here I come! I'm told that the reservation for the auction spaces starts at 4 and that I'm too early! Rather that than miss it, they only allow 120 people in, 60 from 5.25 to 5.50, then 60 after that, then off to enjoy some refreshments. I can't wait, my feet are sore and raw, I'm soaking, feeling tired now, but I don't care, I can't wait to see the frenzy! So we get bibs and sit in a room waiting. The wait seems forever, and I can't get comfortable sitting on the floor, I'm still soaking, which is very unpleasant. 5.25 arrives and with it day light, as I am first I lead out behind the official. We wander through the bustling dock area. This place was mental, guys buzzing around on wee trucks, carrying fish and polystyrene containers. They have no regard for people, often brushing past so close I practically get to taste the fish. We are ushered on to a room where we have a small corded off area to stand. As I'm in first I have to go right to the end, not really the best view, but what can you do. So either side there are fish laid out, with local tradesmen checking out the stock to see how much they are prepared to pay. Each tuna has a flap hacked in to it at the end, this appears to be of great interest to the bidders. They all come along with their torches, pull back this wee flap and take a look inside. I over hear someone in the group stating that the flap is there so the quality of the fish can be checked, apparently equal bands of fat and muscle are what the best tuna have. These tuna are massive, easily bigger than me. When they are caught they are frozen, so as they are sitting here they are thawing, there is a sense of urgency about proceedings. Suddenly a bell starts ringing so I spin round and see some boy up on a stool ringing a hand bell. He rings it for what I would say is longer than necessary. Then he starts shouting out a whole heap of fast frantic Japanese, the bidders are throwing up their hands while another boy runs round painting things on the tuna. There is not as many bidders as I'd thought, I had pictured London Stock Exchange, it was more like Cash In The Attic. It was this that disappointed me. Only as my expectations had been higher. 25 minutes were up and we were lead back across the gauntlet, bibs removed and bid farewell. That's what I walked through the night for! 25 mins of Cash In The Attic bidding on tuna! I'm too tired, sore and wet to fully process my disappointment.
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I go for breakfast with some americans, 6am sushi breakfast, different. The sushi was good, very expensive though so I only have a few pieces, along with my green tea. Which I have discovered is disgusting, tastes like grass or hedges, some type of foliage anyway. I force myself to drink the cup. I wander round the market with the Americans, but as it is so early every stall is setting up and we seem like a hindrance rather than a potential customer. My patience is tested as these Americans are getting so excited about everything, the guy, can speak Japanese and is conversing with all the shop keepers then relaying it back to the two girls. They seem so impressed and in awe of It all, this is doing my head in, so I leave. I go and get a coffee, some local place, the guy treats me like crap, I drink it outside, it was disgusting.
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I get to a metro and head to Roppongi, as I need to get my visa today. I'm overjoyed to discover that the metro station I stumble across is on the right line. Grab my ticket and land at Roppongi. Now, I have been here before, but for some reason when I try to navigate my way out of the subway labyrinth I emerge somewhere unknown. I can see Tokyo Tower, I had wanted to go to it, but I had decided I was too tired and too sore and that I would give it a miss, however emerging here I thought I would just dander over, it's 7.30 and the travel agents won't be open yet anyway, when will I next be in Tokyo? So I trail my sore feet over to the tower, I'm directly underneath it which gives me a nice perspective. I literally take 2 photos and move on. I don't know where I am. I find a police officer an ask directions to the nearest subway. 750m away, this seems like a marathon to me. I get there and buy another ticket to Roppongi, turns out I had walked 4 stops away, I don't understand! Back to Roppongi, take 2. I manage to get out and I can see Roppongi Hills which is where I'm going, though I still don't understand why I couldn't come up the same exit as I had earlier in the week, I get over it. Stop at the Starbucks, I need to rest. At this stage I am like a dead man walking, I'm getting frustrated at everything, I'm hungry and my feet are the in the most pain they have ever been in. That something considering the state I was in after playing football every week. I make it to the travel agent and get my visa. I check the visa and that it's my photo inside. It's all good, so I head home. It is only when I am walking on my sore feet that I realise how many steps I have to climb up moving from trains to metros. I don't like it. I'm being passed by grannies. Unacceptable! Eventually I get home, have an onsen. It burns my feet and chaffed inner thighs. I check out my blisters after, the size of 50p, one on each foot. Nice! I burst one, patch up my foot. I can't burst the other one because it's so deep in my foot, maybe tomorrow. I have to stay downstairs because from 12.30-3.00 the clean, though I am yet to see any evidence of this cleaning. 3pm comes, bed. I wake at 8 to get something to eat and see how to get where I'm going tomorrow, might be important. I struggle in to my trainers, which are better than my sandals. I'm embarrassed to admit I went to Burger King for dinner, purely because it was the closest. I pick up some scissors and gauze for my feet and head home. I take a cursory glance at what I'm to do tomo and go to bed. I am so pleased to be lying down.