Fish, Fish, Fish

The entrance to my new apartment...more pictures will be coming soon! :)

The "scramble" crossing at Shibyua...TONS of people!

Me and Carole

Things have remained quite busy here, and I feel like I am finally settling in, especially since I was able to move into my apartment on Friday!  After school, I was brought to my apartment and it almost felt like Christmas-I arrived home to an apartment full of furniture and boxes that had just appeared while I was at school!  I began opening them up to see what sort of surprises were inside, however, I didn't want to spend that much time unpacking since my friend from Lux, Carole, had just arrived the night before, and I wanted to take her to my favorite area of Tokyo, Shibyua.  It's famous for its "scramble" crossing,which literally has crosswalks going every which way with hundreds of people crossing each time there is a green "walk" sign!  I think I could people watch there all day long and never get bored! 

Death Row for fish!

Me and Carole woke up bright and early on Saturday morning...5:30AM to be precise, to experience the Tsjkiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world!  I have to say, it was the quite the experience!  Words can't really describe what I saw - there were lots of Tuna fish the size of a 3yr child, being seared and sold, live fish waiting their death call (some in water, some out of the water and flapping about), and even live eels being beheaded, among other things!  There was blood and guts everywhere, but it was the freshest fish I've ever seen.  There was not any smell of fish, a clear indication of the quality of it!  Wandering through the fish stalls, I had to be quite careful not to get run over by one of the many small trucks, driven by standing individuals, weaving in and out of people.  I could have ordered fresh sushi on the spot at one of the outer market stalls, but it was too early in the morning for it, not to mention I had a queasy stomach from watching it all!

Look at the size of the tuna!

Yummy!

One of the many performances

If you can believe it, I stumbled upon another festival here in Tokyo!  We went to Yoyogi Park Sunday morning, and upon arrival, there was a massive stage and people in different costumes everywhere.  We stayed to watch, and there seemed to be performance after performance by a variety of groups.  My personal favorite were these older Japanese women dressed up as cats!  We then headed to the Meiji Shrine, which is in the park, and stumbled upon a traditional Shinto wedding.  The culture here is really rich and considering its completely different from anything I know, I try to capture it with my camera and just snap away.  In fact, I've come to the conclusion that it makes sense why the Asians take so many pictures...because I do the same when I'm in their territory! 

Traditional Shinto Wedding

Me and Carole at the Shrine

Cats!

Traditional Japanes Garden

I had many other highlights this weekend, especially the gourmet food hall at Takashimaya.  It reminded me of the food hall at Harrods for those of you who have been there.  The selection and presentation was incredible...and I'm sure I'll find myself going back there!  We each found something to bring as a picnic lunch to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a stunning place with a beautiful Japanese traditional garden.  There was yet another festival going on there, but I guess in a city with over 8 million people, that's necessary! :)

Me and Carole at the Shinjuku Gyoen

Oh yeah, much to your dismay, I do also have a job here in Tokyo!  School is well underway and the girls are great, much like the students at ISL.  They all love PE class, so it makes my job much easier.  I did have the challenge of making cuts for the middle school volleyball team, not an easy job, but nonetheless, necessary.  The sports here are a little more intense than in Luxembourg: practice 5 days a week, mid-week games since much of our competition is close by, along with Saturday games too. The staff has also been very welcoming and I'm enjoying my new colleagues.  Besides the heat and the fact that the gym is the ONLY place in the school without air conditioning, work is good! :)  I'm just glad my office has AC so I can cool down on my planning periods!  Much love to everyone!