Fish Market and a Long Ride Home

Look at the size of that knife... he is cutting fresh tuna. Don't get in his way.

Lotta shrimp!

Tuna auction...yellow sheet shows who bought it.

Very loud, lively tuna auction.

Ick!

Eels.

Today is the day I leave. I will arrive home in Norfolk before I leave Tokyo. That International Date Line really makes things weird.

This morning I woke at 4 am to go to the fish market. It was bustling at 4:30. You have to be on your toes…these people are working and working hard. They don’t want a bunch of tourists in their way…and they would tell you so in their mannerisms. They were fast and efficient. I saw hundreds of very, very large tunas being auctioned. First the buyers inspected the tuna and then the auctioneer started his yelling. Very quickly the tuna was sold and carted off to another area in the fish market where it was carved up. I also saw live eels, huge shrimp, lobsters, and tons and tons of fish. Surprisingly, it didn’t smell fishy there. The must have been at least 100 vendors and all were preparing their specialty. Right off the property of the fish market there were many, many little restaurants serving sashimi, sushi, and noodles…at 5:30 am.

Staff waving goodbye...probably glad we are gone.

Come on bus #6....get a move on!

Kara-oke place!
I have packed…and I’m 5 pounds under. I was asked if I wanted to go shopping, but I don’t have room to bring anything back. So, I have re-arranged my pictures and worked on my follow-on plan. My students next year, will get a heavy dose of US/Japanese relations. Plus, there are so many fun things to learn about Japan.

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am even here. I have experienced something that few Americans will ever have the chance to do. For all the teachers out there, I recommend you apply for this program. There are teachers from all grade levels and all disciplines. I would be glad to help you with the application and the proper things to bring…or not bring. LET ME HELP YOU! THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM. We had access to things many Japanese people probably haven’t seen or experienced. I heard, and I don’t know if it is true, that the Japanese Government pays approximately $20,000 per participant! Unbelievable…thank you Japan!

So the wait starts….the plane doesn’t leave until 6:30 tonight and it is 10:30 now. Suitcases are gone and I am about to read for pleasure. What? Pleasure? What is that? Once I get home, I have two huge books to read before I depart for NYC. Sayonara.

We waited and waited and waited in the the lobby of the hotel..until 2 PM. We had to be out of our rooms by 12 pm. Finally bus #6 arrived and we loaded the luggage and peeps. The airport was about an hour and a half away from Tokyo.

Upon arrival at the airport, we stood in long lines to get checked in. Everyone was sweating the weight restrictions. I was under by a tad, so all was good. We went through security and think of the irony here…didn’t have to take our shoes off.

The race to the gate was on. We picked up snacks and water. We were a large group of about 50 going to Chicago. After boarding, on time, we settled into steerage at the back of the plane. I was in the middle of people not in the group. This can be good…because you can rest and bad because you can’t fall asleep ON them. The movie selection included: Jumper, Penelope, 27 Dresses, Fool’s Gold, 10,000 BC, and something I can’t remember. I dozed enough to have a package of ramen noodles waiting on my lap when I woke up (uncooked that is). So eleven hours later, we arrived in Chicago…with sore knees and back. We had to wait in a looooooonnnnngggg line to go through immigration and then retrieve our luggage and check it in again through customs. We, Kathleen from Charlottesville and I had about an hour wait allegedly. It turned into a 5 ½ hour wait. The plane bringing us to Norfolk had not even left Colorado Springs. About 9:30 pm (we were supposed to be home by then), finally arrived and we boarded about 10. We sat on the runway another hour plus. Long story….I arrived home at 3:21 am. The lovely Sami and the Great Doug were there to meet me and we drove quickly home through the smoky haze of Tidewater.

This morning, the lovely Sami and I went through my mountains of stuff. All is good and I now need to read for the next adventure. It starts Sunday the 6th. I hope you will stay tuned.

Sage is glad to see me!

See you soon...July 6th "LIVE FROM NEW YORK"