I’m back in Japan for the month of May. I always felt if I came alone again, it would be the same trip. So this time I have most of my family with me: Robin, Steve and Charna. And already it is a different trip. Steve talks to everyone. He is clearly enjoying all the differences and it has become a richer experience for me.

We are staying in an Airbnb in Tokyo for our first seven nights. It is a real people area, almost no other tourists. We have a tiny house surrounded by large apartment buildings. I don’t know whether the house was here and they built all the other buildings because the owner wouldn’t sell, or they built all the other places and found they had just enough space for a tiny house.

We have enough space, the beds are ok, although we were so tired when we finally got here last night we probably could have slept anywhere. Only the towels and hot water could be better.

This morning we all got up early but took a long time to get out, there being only one shower. We went to Tsukiji fish market, a place I had never been. I love markets, particularly food markets, and this was terrific, although very crowded.

Salmon Jerky

Robin took more pictures than I did so I will borrow some of hers. We had great sashimi and then walked through the market continuing tasting and eating street food, until tired of the crowds we entered the grounds of the Hongan-ji, Buddhist temple.

This temple has many memorials on the grounds, for fishermen, for the founder of the temple and surprising to me, a memorial to the leader of the Chushingura uprising to avenge the death of Lord Asano. Chushingura is the legendary story of the 47 ronin, famous in Kabuki plays, ukiyoe prints and modern film.

After all this we dragged our jet-lagged bodies back to the house and then proceeded to dinner at the home of one of Steve’s colleagues. Very special, since invitations to visit at home are rare here.