Gundam Wins!

Last nigh my Gundam beat out the internet. Sure, I could have got online and wrote a little something or two, but we had been shopping and I bought a few different Gundam models, one of which was the green guy you see to the left.

For those who don't know, Gundam models are essentially the same as building your own action figure.  Seeing all over Japan you will see old men, young women, children and teens alike, toiling away to make these robots, I take no shame in being too addicted to take the time to write. Besides - Josh was doing it too.



Outside of model building, yesterday was filled with shopping.  Most of us had been saving the bulk of our money to spend in few locations we had scouted out, but prior to that Josh and I woke up a little early for a special treat.  Okay, so really early.

At 4:10 in the AM we headed out to catch the first train out of the station bound for the Tsukiji fish market, where approximately 60,000 people work each day.  If you asked me how to describe that place I guess the only words I could use would be, "organized chaos," or "ten-thousand accidents waiting to happen."

Why the reason for such danger?  Well you see, there are these little flatbed-like trucks with a barrel for a steering wheel - oh lets say, around 2,000 of them - and they are all filled with assorted fish products as the driver whiz through the dense crowd of tourist/restaurateurs - at 25 mph.  Add to that a bunch of wooden carts laden with frozen tuna bodies being pulled by older men, waiting to lug them over to one of the many active band saws, add you can imagine how things could get crazy.

The amount of things going on at that market, rather it be watching barrels filled with writhing eels, live crabs breading themselves or the shouting of the tuna auction, things seem to move a much crazier pace then any farmers market you've been to.

The only downside to the market was having to find our way back.  The nearest JR station is a 15 minute walk, and I had to ask for directions the majority of the way so getting back seemed near impossible - but hey, we're men, so we tried anyway.  Now, also like men, we got lost, but thankfully it was right into a Denny's, where we enjoyed french toast followed by a trip on the nearest subway we could find back into the heart of Tokyo.

After a quick change out of pants that reeked as if a fish had directly piddled on them we woke up the girls and headed out for their breakfast as Starbucks before a long days work of shopping.

The rest is history - we bought a bunch of things - had a lot of laughs - made a lot of Gundams. Well, okay, only one.

To see yesterdays pictures - click here.

Fish market pictures at home.