Author Topic: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun  (Read 38300 times)

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #60 on: October 02, 2015, 03:28:58 PM »
some are kosher:
tokyo-43 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr
tokyo-44 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr
tokyo-49 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

and some are not:
tokyo-46 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr
tokyo-48 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr
tokyo-41 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr
tokyo-40 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #61 on: October 02, 2015, 03:35:24 PM »
tokyo-36 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-38 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-37 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-28 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #62 on: October 02, 2015, 04:33:15 PM »
Wow, that's really cool that fish market. It may be something I can do in February, especially if the crowds are smaller than during the summer. Thanks for sharing!

Offline Dan

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #63 on: October 02, 2015, 04:35:46 PM »
Wow, that's really cool that fish market. It may be something I can do in February, especially if the crowds are smaller than during the summer. Thanks for sharing!
The neat part is the auction. But you need to go really early and the trains don't operate at that hour.
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Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #64 on: October 02, 2015, 04:36:30 PM »
The neat part is the auction. But you need to go really early and the trains don't operate at that hour.
So you're stuck taking a cab?

Offline Dan

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #65 on: October 02, 2015, 04:40:10 PM »
So you're stuck taking a cab?
UberBlack would be about $25 from the PH to the market, if it's available at that hour...
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Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #66 on: October 02, 2015, 04:43:06 PM »
UberBlack would be about $25 from the PH to the market, if it's available at that hour...
Hmmm....I guess I'll have to see if I'll be able to get up at that hour after landing at 9pm...I'd really love to though.

Offline yakrot

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #67 on: October 02, 2015, 04:47:44 PM »
What are those white squares on the tuna? Dry ice?

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #68 on: October 02, 2015, 04:52:50 PM »
What are those white squares on the tuna? Dry ice?
Yes

Offline tov hashem

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #69 on: October 04, 2015, 02:10:33 AM »
Did you buy any fish? (To enjoy with the shwarma spice?)

Offline Hatastah

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #70 on: October 04, 2015, 06:31:25 AM »

The neat part is the auction. But you need to go really early and the trains don't operate at that hour.
Don't they limit the amount of visitors allowed to enter the auction? Is there any way to guarantee admittance?

Offline cozmohoot

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #71 on: October 04, 2015, 02:57:12 PM »
Travel across the world to see a fish market? Aren't there many in the usa...

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #72 on: October 04, 2015, 03:05:05 PM »
Travel across the world to see a fish market? Aren't there many in the usa...
I wouldn't travel there just for that, but once I'm there I'd like to see it.

Offline MosheD

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #73 on: October 06, 2015, 11:40:37 PM »
I can only imagine the stink  :o
I have trouble in regular fish stores

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #74 on: October 07, 2015, 04:18:11 PM »
I am not sure how they accomplish it but Tsukiji did not smell too bad. We did not purchase any seafood to the great disappointment of Shwarmabob Jr. who was planning to have a barbecue in our apartment. We were not heading to our Tokyo home after the market so there was no way to schlepp a fish around in the summer heat.

On the outskirts of Tsukiji several blocks of small retail shops and restaurants line the narrow lanes. You can find all sorts of seafood and kitchen related goods and tourist souvenirs for sale here. If you don’t keep kosher this supposed to be a great place to eat sushi, but you have to be here before noon for the freshest catch of the day.

Unidentified spices
tokyo-17 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

Lines for a good sushi
tokyo-50 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

As we wondered along the alleyways, Mrs. Shwarmabob discovered several knife shops and declared that she is not leaving here without a good kitchen knife. There is an overwhelming variety of knives on sale here, some resemble a samurai sword more than a knife. We left with a Santoku, a Japanese version of the standard chef’s knife that can be used for slicing, mincing, and dicing, the “thee virtues” that Santoku stands for.

tokyo-14 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-16 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-65 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

As we are walking out of the market, we discover that there are fans of Yeshiva University among the fishmongers here. I try to look for a similar t-thirst for Mir, Lakewood, Torah Vodaas, perhaps 770. All of the search was to no avail, Tsukiji Fish Market is firmly in the grips of the Torah Umadda weltanschauung. Rabbi Dr. Belkin, student of the Chofetz Chaim, would be proud.




Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #75 on: October 07, 2015, 04:22:08 PM »
I am not sure how they accomplish it but Tsukiji did not smell too bad. We did not purchase any seafood to the great disappointment of Shwarmabob Jr. who was planning to have a barbecue in our apartment. We were not heading to our Tokyo home after the market so there was no way to schlepp a fish around in the summer heat.

On the outskirts of Tsukiji several blocks of small retail shops and restaurants line the narrow lanes. You can find all sorts of seafood and kitchen related goods and tourist souvenirs for sale here. If you don’t keep kosher this supposed to be a great place to eat sushi, but you have to be here before noon for the freshest catch of the day.

Unidentified spices
tokyo-17 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

Lines for a good sushi
tokyo-50 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

As we wondered along the alleyways, Mrs. Shwarmabob discovered several knife shops and declared that she is not leaving here without a good kitchen knife. There is an overwhelming variety of knives on sale here, some resemble a samurai sword more than a knife. We left with a Santoku, a Japanese version of the standard chef’s knife that can be used for slicing, mincing, and dicing, the “thee virtues” that Santoku stands for.

tokyo-14 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-16 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

tokyo-65 by Shwarma Bob, on Flickr

As we are walking out of the market, we discover that there are fans of Yeshiva University among the fishmongers here. I try to look for a similar t-thirst for Mir, Lakewood, Torah Vodaas, perhaps 770. All of the search was to no avail, Tsukiji Fish Market is firmly in the grips of the Torah Umadda weltanschauung. Rabbi Dr. Belkin, student of the Chofetz Chaim, would be proud.


Lol about the T shirt.

Offline stbaum

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #76 on: October 07, 2015, 04:28:12 PM »
i just noticed the watermark. LOL
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Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #77 on: October 07, 2015, 04:29:07 PM »
i just noticed the watermark. LOL
Ha! Lol

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #78 on: October 12, 2015, 12:48:44 AM »


The weather is not very cooperating, it is 100 degrees (38 Celsius) on this August day. To escape the heat we make our way to Edo-Tokyo Museum.

This museum as it's name suggests showcases the history of Edo/Tokyo from Tokugawa's rise (1600) until today. The museum looks like a not-too-attractive spaceship from the outside. However, it compensates for its unsightliness on the inside. Several life-size models of buildings, houses, Japanese homes from hundreds of years ago, figurines and maquettes make the exhibitions exiting, somewhat Disney like, that even children can enjoy.

The life-size replica of the wooden Nihonbashi bridge is a good start for our museum walk. Nihonbashi means the bridge (bashi) of Japan (Nihon) in Japanese. This was the last stop of the samurai on their yearly pilgrimage on the Tokaido highway that connected the capital of the emperor, Kyoto, to the shogun's capital, Edo. This is sort of our first stop on our way to the imperial Kyoto.

William Adams, the English samurai, traveled this road in 1613 and observed the orderliness of Japanese society that made getting around a pleasure even back in those days: “Saris was astonished when he saw the quality of the road. Its sand and gravel surface was "wonderfull even" and "where it meeteth with mountains, passage is cut through." The road was divided into leagues, and at the end of each league was a marker in the form of a "faire pine tree trimmed round in the fashion of an arbour"… There were few dangers on the road… Adams explained to Saris that Japan had a tightly regulated system of local government, which imposed a rigorous discipline on the population: "[There is] not a lande better governed in the worlde by civil pollecy." Each town had a governor, and every street was gated. Houses were divided into clusters - with a headman charged with maintaining order - and everyone kept a close eye on the doings of their neighbours, especially after dark when a curfew was imposed.”



As we wonder about the museum, we marvel at the details of the models of cities and castles, sit in ancient carriages and bicycles, observe a tea ceremony. We spend a couple of hours here and are having a great time, that is except one of us who is not a museum fan and “cannot take it any longer”. This person shall remain unidentified. Nevertheless, we have to leave out of consideration for this mysterious individual.





Tati at work


Mommy at work and young Yamato observing


bookshop in 1797 on the Tokai highway


Storefront during WWII


Some sort of AZ festival


If you have time or the the weather is bad I highly recommend visiting the Edo Museum.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Shwarmabob's adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun
« Reply #79 on: October 12, 2015, 12:54:31 AM »
Cool museum. 100°F+ heat stinks in August, but it's even worse on Oct (see LA's forecast for the lady few days).