Japan Day 2

JAPAN DAY 2: The Tsukiji Fish Market was unbelievable…. Definitely ranks in my top life experiences. The warehouse reeked of fish and was full of workers driving flatbed carts, salesmen organizing their stands, and interested buyers circling with clipboards. The actual action took place in the restricted back section of the market, but that didn’t stop me.  After exploring and trying not to be flattened by the carts zooming around, Margaret jumped on the back of one of the carts and was taken away into the restricted area.  I followed after her on foot but by the time I got back there, she had already disappeared around another corner.  The fish in the back area were enormous and there were even more people participating in the auction.  I circled back to meet up with the other girls and we waited for Margaret to return.  After fully exploring the market we went in search of a fun spot to get green tea just outside the market.  We enjoyed our two-hour breakfast of rice and tea before wondering around the surrounding market area.  Seeing as it was only 9am, we made a stop back at the hotel to plan our day and shower.  By late morning we were out on the town again and ready for our self-planned walking tour of the city.  We had lunch at an amazing back-alley dumpling spot in Harajuku where we sat at the bar and watched our dumplings being prepared right before us.   The rest of the day we explored all of Harajuku, Roppongi, and Shibuya by foot picking up some souvenirs along the way.  Shibuya is home to the largest intersection in Tokyo, which was truly a sight to see as hundreds of people flooded the crossing at once. Roppongi was full of restaurants and shops selling bright, cheaply made clothing.  The teenagers wore very short skirts and patterned tights with platform shoes and mismatched bright, layered tops. Many had harsh hairstyles or dyed hair.  Some people also wore doctor face masks to protect themselves from airborne sickness.  That night we met up with our guy friends in the Ginza district of Tokyo and had dinner over there.  The cheese pizza I ordered was so satisfying after all of the sushi and noodles I’d had so far.  After dinner we made our way to a karaoke bar in Shibuya- ‘Smash Hits’.  This underground, local hangout was definitely a highlight of our stay in Tokyo.  We performed on stage until 4am when the bar closed.  Since it was only a Wednesday night, we were the only people there besides another group of 6 locals working for Merryl Lynch (all knew perfect English).  They bought rounds of drinks all night long and had the best time performing with us.  I really enjoyed talking to them and learning about business in Japan.  One man, in his late 20s, told me all about his comparison of working for an American bank versus a Japanese one.  He said that the American style is much more enjoyable and straightforward.  For example, he explained how in America if one’s boss has an issue with his employee he will call him into his office, explain the mistake, and then make amends by going out to get dinner or drinks.  However, in Japan the employer will give positive reinforcement all day to the employee but when the employee finishes his grueling 13 hour work day and gets home, he will find an email from the boss outlining his failures and will have cc’d multiple people on the email making the issue public.  My conversation with these professionals close to my age really spurred my desire to work abroad at some point after graduation.  I truly hope to immerse myself in a foreign culture while working for an American company.   After a long 2 days we went back to the hotel for a short 3 hour nap before starting our 3rd day in Japan….