Japan - Day 5 (Tsukiji Market & Hakone)

Our initial plan was to visit Tsukiji Fish Market (TFM) on Day 3. TFM is most famous for its tuna auction. The plan was to wake up 5am, take the early train to Tsukijishijo Station, reach there around 5.40 and be right in time for their early morning auction. Well... we overslept! Luckily we were still in Tokyo and made it on Monday morning, before we left to Hakone.

We set all the alarms we could think of, all at 3 minutes gap. :D We woke up, left the hotel as planned, all good. Reached Shinjuku Station 5 minutes early and we thought we were well covered to take the first train to TFM. We were so wrong! We were so early that our usual route were still closed! We had no choice but to take another route and since Shinjuku Station is so huge, we were lost in there. The guards on duty barely speak much English. It was a good morning exercise, asking and running around trying to find the right platform, going in circles... at one point we both felt that if there's a camera crew following us, we would fit into the Amazing Race picture perfectly!

We were still early when we reached TFM, approximately 6.30am but too late for the morning auction. Oh well... at least we were there and had some really fresh sushi breakfast. We did not managed to get a lot of photos of different type of seafood... TFM was getting more busier by the minute. It makes sense since they supply fresh seafood to restaurants daily.

Entrance of TFM. Very hectic!

Before TFM packed with people

The auction room - it would be filled with huge tuna during auction, stacking on top of one another

The unsold tuna in the auction room

The tuna is really huge. Some are about the same size of a human

Different type of squids - 1

Different type of squids - 2

Different type of squids - 3

Different type of squids - 4

Different type of squids - 5

The Process of Slicing Frozen Tuna

Tuna lined up ready to be sliced

Cutting the frozen tuna into smaller pieces

Axing the frozen bits of tuna

Tuna ready to eat - 1

Tuna ready to eat - 2

Tuna ready to eat - 3

Other types of seafood in TFM - 1

Other types of seafood in TFM - 2

Other types of seafood in TFM - 3

Other types of seafood in TFM - 4

It was so hectic in the market that there's a need for traffic controller

Eateries at Outer Fish Market

We had the freshest tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, salmon roe ans sea urchin for breakfast. It was so fresh and tasty that I had to order another plate of salmon sashimi. Too bad all the eateries does not allow us taking photos. Manged to find one in the net, similar to what we had.

Fatty tuna, salmon roe and sea urchin on rice.

Front of the shop we had breakfast. There's a long queue at each eateries

We left TFM around 8.30am, gave us plenty of time to check out from our hotel and still be in time for our shinkansen to Hakone. Both of us were quite excited leaving Shinjuku, not because we didn't like it there, we were about to try the world famous bullet train. :D

We took the shinkansen from Shinagawa to Odawara, catch a connecting train from Odawara to Hakone and then catch shuttle bus to our hotel for the next 2 days, Kansuiro.

Our ride at 1.04pm on Kodama 557

Time Schedule in English

Our shinkansen ticket to Hakone via Odawara

Us in shinkansen - 1

Us in shinkansen - 2

Our lunch in shinkansen, only 750yen! very cheap!

Sceneries of Tokyo from shinkansen - 1

Sceneries of Tokyo from shinkansen - 2

Our connecting ride at 1.16pm from Odawara to Hakone

Sceneries of Hakone - 1

Us in Odawara train (connecting train)

Us in the shuttle bus to Kansuiro

When we finally reached Kansuiro Ryokan, which was 5 minutes drive away from Hakone station, we were warmly greeted by the staffs. An man aged mid-forties at least came out and took our luggage to our room. We both felt sorry that he had to carry for us. We insisted to do it on our own but our room were not ready yet and they had to put it aside while waiting. Oh well... One of the staff gave us a tour around Kansuiro, showing us where the public bathrooms are, public and private hot springs and in-house rules.

When the room was ready, a lady brought us up. We were pleasantly surprised because it was much better than what we saw in the internet. Our luggage was all nicely placed in the room and the lady gave us a quick tour of our room. We didn't know what she was saying, we just pretended that we do. :D

We didn't go far, walked around the area, which was a very pleasant one. Dinner was served at 6pm so we had to get back in time for dinner. Yes... our accommodation provides breakfast and dinner. Really delicious and beautiful meals.

Us at Kansuiro

Kansuiro's garden

Our tatami room

Our huge toilet - by Japan's standard

Our in-room hot spring

Sceneries from our room balcony

Our welcoming desert

Our welcoming tea

Our room key

Us in our room

Kansuiro hidden by autumn leaves - 1

Kansuiro hidden by autumn leaves - 2

Stephen with Kansuiro at the back

Lily with Kansuiro at the back

Us at the front of Kansuiro

Our dinner - starters

Our appetizer

Our seafood soup - they managed to tie a knot out of a fish fillet

Our grilled fish - very flavorsome and tender

Our seafood noodle dish - FRESH!

Seafood + vegetable tempura. Not only at all!

Our desert - 1/2 of paw paw

We were so full at the end of our 10 dish, we could not move! Then few knocks on our door. It was one of Kansuiro staff came to make our beds. It was 7.30pm! We looked at each other wondering "Are they serious? Making our beds at 7.30pm?" Lucky we brought our notebook along and watched some animes and tried on the in-room and our door public hot spring. Very nice! Very very relaxing!

Our beds. Finally a comfortable huge bed. :D