Tokyo in 2 days

 Tokyo is a HUGE modern city, mostly upscale from the parts I have seen although I am sure there is more.  Significantly destroyed by US firebombing in 1945, and mostly built from wood in the first place, we have seen disappointingly few "historical" areas.  Nonetheless ...

We started with a visit to a foundation that is maintaining the ancient art of woodblock art.  The artisan applies each color individually from the blocks that the carver has carved.  We watched her create four copies of the Great Wave at Kanazawa.

Of course, after the demonstration there were plenty of pieces to buy.  I would have bought a copy of the Great Wave that I had just seen her create, but that was for demonstration purposes only and would be destroyed.  Nothing so imperfect could leave the studio.  What a shame.

For lunch we went to a restaurant to have authentic Japanese pancakes with meat, fish, and vegetables.  I pictured something like a crepe with the fillings of our choice.  Instead, we were each given a bowl of ingredients including a raw egg.  We mixed it all together and cooked it on the grill at our table.  Seemed like more of an omelet than a pancake.  No complaints.  It was very good.

A visit to the National Museum and a walking tour completed our first day.

On the second day, we walked through the fish market, sampling goodies and buying sushi and sashimi for a picnic lunch.  We started with a breakfast of unrecognizable fish.  I think they were marinated but tasted nothing like ceviche.  Maybe they were smoked?  I'm trying everything (as long as it doesn't have potatoes in it.)  We watched the Sushi Princess slice the tuna for us that she had bought at the wholesale market earlier.  I mean earlier.  She gets up at 2:30 every morning to buy a single tuna which she sells over the course of the day.  And then does the same thing the next day.  Needless to say, the fresh sushi and sashimi lunch was REALLY good.  And as you can tell from the life-size picture ... I am smaller than a tuna.

In the afternoon, we visited the Meiji Shrine.  I have been studying Japanese history, so I now know that the "most important" shrine in Tokyo is dedicated to the Meiji Emperor from the late nineteenth century.  People come to pray, not to Buddha or Allah or God, but to an emperor?  Clearly I am missing something.  Maybe in a hundred years or so we will have a MAGA shrine in America where people can pray.  Makes sense, no?

Finally we finished our Tokyo trip with a short visit to the Ginza.

Quick factoid about Japan:  it has roughly one third the population of the US in an area the size of California.

Off today to Kanazawa.