Pachinko: I Don't Get It

Our first night in Tokyo we stuck our heads in this Pachinko parlor. Pachinko is sort of like playing the slots, only in Plinko form. Plinko/Pachinko...I get it now. Anyway, no video in the world could really give you a glimpse of just how surreal that was. Although if you spend any time in Vegas, you get the hint.

Some other things we did in Tokyo that don't have their own blog entry here:

We went to the fish market, as early as we could manage it. Supposedly 5am is the time to go, when you can witness the auction, but that's a little early for us. Still we made it by 7:30, in time to catch some of the frenzy. The fish market is HUGE, and services like 14 million people daily, so it's dizzying. I felt a bit out of place there--you're actually just wandering around a giant working warehouse, with pallet jacks whizzing by and white-coated fishmongers slicing frozen tuna on bandsaws. It doesn't smell nearly as bad as you'd think; that's the benefit of truly fresh fish. After getting in people's way for an hour or so, we had a sushi breakfast...and it was some of the best sashimi I know I've ever had. Although I have to say--its equal can be found in LA. Maybe we just didn't hit the right place.

Also in Tokyo we went to the electronics district, which we thought would be aisle after aisle of the newest innovations, but actually just turned out to be a bunch of high-and-low-end electronics stores (they like their tiny laptops in Japan). It was a bit of a bust, made slightly more curious by the women in maid outfits handing out flyers for coffee shops. While we were down there, we tried to find internet, and accidentally stumbled into an internet cafe with private rooms and showers. We didn't realize what it was at first, then we saw the 'mop boy' with his bucket and sponge and rubber gloves...uh, yeah, I'll find a different place to check my flight info.

Of course there was the usual assortment of bar and restaurant hopping, and gift shopping, with nothing too interesting to report. I did buy Alison (and myself) a really nice knife from one of Tokyo's oldest knife stores. It was hand-crafted carbon steel, and the guy sharpened it himself. It's really really sharp--we love it.

Overall, I think Jonny and I both loved Tokyo--the city and its denizens. I'd really like to return to Japan one day to see more.