One of the things we were most excited about in revisiting Japan was savoring the freshest catch in town. Big fat sushi, pinkest sashimi – the mere thought of these made us drool the entire time we were planning our trip! <3 Truly, nothing compares to the taste of high quality raw fish from the land of the rising sun itself.

—

—

On our first full day, we hurriedly did our morning business & dashed off to Tsukiji Market for brunch. This market is A MUST for Tokyo travellers, old & new. The Tsukiji Fish Market has appeared in probably every guidebook about Tokyo and is still high on most visitors’ Tokyo bucket list.

It wasn’t just the largest wholesale fish market in Tokyo and Japan. Tsukiji also had a famous tuna auction held before the sun rose most mornings. While the tuna auction and wholesale market at Tsukiji is now closed & has transferred to the new Toyosu Market, there is still a bustling outer market area to explore.

Much of the old Tsukiji market was for wholesalers only, with many areas restricted or off limits to the public. But as the market was so popular with visitors for its lively atmosphere and fresh produce, the Outer Market developed. After products had changed hands from producers and sellers to wholesale buyers in the Inner Market, they were then sold on to small eateries and shops at the Outer Market, where the general public had access to them. So this is where we found ourselves on our very first morning in Tokyo!

After stuffing our faces with all things delectable & imaginable at the outer market, the kids wanted to explore Shibuya to do some serious Christmas shopping. Whenever we travel, Kap & I would give the kids a generous amount of pocket money so they can be financially independent, budget it wisely, and buy only items they really like – kesa yung maya’t-maya kalabit ng kalabit hehe. Bahala sila kung uubusin nila yan, or save some for a rainy day/another trip. Tbh, more often than not, abonado pa ako hahahaha!

Babyson lucked out & was able to score a very limited pair of Sakai Nike Varsity Blue/Red at Rinkan Shibuya (hypebeast speciality store) at a hefty, but slightly discounted, price because we begged & begged until the very amiable saleslady gave us a price we could live with, lol. So don’t be shy to ask. Normally, retail price for this is just around 8k php BUT, alam nyo na, because it is very limited & a collab at that, resellers queued up & hoarded, then repriced it at an exorbitant amount that only stupid kids like my Babyson would make patol! ;P He received a very generous angpao from her ninang/akim last Christmas & this is where he spent it on. Ubos agad!

In collaboration with Japanese high-fashion label SACAI, designer Chitose Abe fused two iconic Nike shoes for a hybrid, double-themed design. This special-edition silhouette combines the Nike LDV and Waffle Racer and features double tongues, shoelaces and Swooshes with a co-branded Nike x sacai logo on the heel tab.

Meanwhile, Kap was able to buy 2 more-reasonably-priced shoes at Onitsuka Tiger. The limited Tiger Cosair Sakura Pink & Picachu Yellow sneakers (photos all in the video above).

After an afternoon of shopping, we parked ourselves at Katsu Midori Sushi (also in Shibuya) where of course, there was a loooong line. Ang daming kainan sa Tokyo but Ate insisted she wanted to eat ONLY here, kaya tinyaga talaga namin – 1 hour waiting time hayz. Sulit din naman kasi masarap at madaming pagpipilian sa conveyor belt.

After a very happy & fulfilling day, we headed home – bruised ankle, nagbabagang kalyo & all. Paano, ang titigas ng ulo nila, lalo na itong 2 babae. Always fashion over comfort. Bago kami umalis sinabi ko nang wag bagong sapatos ang gamitin, waley, ayaw makining sa nanay. Ayan tuloy.

Hopefully, tomorrow they’ll have learned their lesson & will wear something more comfortable. Sayonara for now.