Tokyo Fish Bowl Trip

• Depart: 09:15 Thursday Sep. 8, 2016 Denver, CO, US (DEN)
• Arrive:   11:00 Thursday Sep. 8, 2016 San Francisco, CA, US (SFO)
• Flight Time: 2 hr 45 min
• Flight distance: 967 m/1,556 km
• Flight: UA1840
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800

• Depart: 13:30 Thursday Sep. 8, 2016 San Francisco, CA, US (SFO)
  Arrive:  18:40 +1 Day Friday Sep. 9, 2016 Hong Kong, HK, CN (HKG)
• Flight Time: 14 hr 10 min
• Flight distance: 6,914 m/11,127 km
• Flight: UA869
• Aircraft: Boeing 747-400

• Depart: 23:05 Friday Sep. 9, 2016 Hong Kong, HK, CN (HKG)
• Arrive:  00:50 Saturday Sep. 10, 2016 Ho Chi Minh City, VN (SGN)
• Flight Time: 2 hr 45 min Travel Time:
  
• Flight distance: 924 m/1,487 km
• Flight: UA179
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
   Total Distance: 8,805 m/14,170 km
• Hotel:  9/10-12  Renaissance Riverview Hotel Saigon, Vietnam

Time changes for this trip based upon Denver, USA Mountain Time:
Hong Kong +14 hrs
Saigon +13 hrs
Tokyo +15hrs

Introduction:

The spark for this trip was the move of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo due to plans to turn the site into an on ramp for a new expressway to the site of the 2020 Olympic venues. Tsukiji is a Government operated Wholesale Market selling Marine Products and the site also hosts a Vegetable market. It is a wholesale market serving the Tokyo Metropolis and beyond. The Fish Market has gained some notoriety due to the Tuna Auctions held in the early mornings where giant tuna from all over the world are auctioned off to the highest bidder. And now it also a big tourist favorite. It has also supported a large number of peripheral Sushi Restaurants, Fresh Fish Stores and other consumer/tourist oriented establishments within the market and in the adjacent neighborhood.

On my last visit to Tokyo I wandered around the market, ate some great sushi and purchased bowls with a fish motif at a small pottery store near the Sushi Restaurants in the market. The bowls led to a discussion about picking up some more (6 large and 6 small) bowls on my next trip to Tokyo. Thus the name for the trip, Tokyo Fish Bowl.
I ended up booking a somewhat circuitous route to get there: Denver to San Francisco to Hong Kong to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City.  A two night stay to accommodate the weird middle of the night arrival/departures. Then a red eye flight into Tokyo with an early arrival and the direct flight back to Denver the next day. Some 17,000 plus miles over 6 days. Crazy travel plan for a final trip to the current Fish Market. Weather forecast is for rain everywhere I am going in Asia (monsoon season).

Some drama surrounding my passport. I had a month gap between the trip to Cancun and this trip so was an opportune time to get my China visa for my October and November trips. After some research it seemed the best way to get this done was to engage a local agency that specialized in obtaining visas. The alternative was to travel to the nearest Chinese consulate ( Chicago ) and apply. This would most likely take a week. So it seemed logical to pay the local agency to get it done. I dropped off all of the required documentation and was presented with a due date three weeks out. Unexpected time frame, still within my time budget but, as it would prove, not within my comfort zone. A week out from the Friday DD I called for status. It was “stuck” with the Chinese. One of the guys said he got it moving and said it would be in Denver the Monday after the DD. Monday arrived with no passport. It is now a little more than a week out from this Tokyo trip. Another phone call, passport still stuck. I’m promised that it will be here by Friday. I called Thursday, the passport “came out” and I picked it up Friday approx. a month after drop off. Big relief, and I now had a 10 year China Visa.  And then just when I thought I couldn’t have any more fun, I got notification from the company I used for my Vietnam visa on arrival letter that the $25.00 30 day single entry visa I had applied for had been replaced with a $135.00 1 year multi entry visa.  Guess I will have to go to/thru Vietnam a few times in the next 12 months.

Thursday September 8

UA1840 DEN-SFO loads up on Concourse B.
09:22 MT taxing
09:28 MT wheels up
Headed to SFO at 38000’

Good view of the solar mirror collector in the desert at Tonopah, NV (Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project). I first was aware of something in the desert on a previous San Francisco flight that was clouded over, however I could see the glow from the collector. It appears  this is the regular route to SFO.
Very polluted approach into the bay area, don’t think it’s foggy SF
10:37 PT On the ground
Sat on the tarmac waiting for a gate- finally off the plane at 11:05. Too long, but I have had these long waits here before.
Charging batteries and hydrating in the lounge – Flight 869 to Hong Kong sits at gate 102, boarding starts in an hour (12:45 PM PT) 747 seat 14K up on the top deck
I am on the United Airlines food plan for the next 24hrs and then I will move to the Renaissance Club food plan, then to the Marriott plan and then back to the United food plan.- So just fluids at this point – Too much coffee on the first flight. Long layover in Hong Kong so will tour the airport and find some noodle dish. 14hr plus flight from SFO to HKG.
Boarding on time and easy. Pre flight drinks and dinner selection.
01:48 pm wheels up
Advertising a 13hr 10 min flight, about a 40min early arrival. Cruising at 586 mph ground speed at 28,962′
I sit above the cloud scene that is driving east large, black and mean followed by white puffs with sunlight glowing floating large and serene.
Traveling so fast I see days of moisture pass below the aircraft wing, flowing waves of clouds heading east as we chase the sun.

1491 miles down still climbing, now at 32,456′ with 10 hrs 15min and 5632 miles to go
Ground speed 592 mph at 4:29 pm pst.

Half way – 8:25 pm pst

Noodle soup and Goose Island beer
35960′
3718mi down 3522mi to go
6 hr 26 min to go
Following the sun

Breakfast
1hr 19 min to go
6344mi down, 608mi to go
39,391′
Close to Taipei
Still daylight as we follow the sun
Very turbulent heavy cloud layer at 39,940′
Hard to eat anything my system thinks it’s 3am mountain time yesterday.
Still a long way to go after I get to Hong Kong.
It will be good to get off this plane. Got a few hours sleep, need to walk and stretch. Descending into Hong Kong is expected to be bumpy due to thunderstorms, temps in the mid 80’s, flight attendants are taking their seats. Miles and hours ago my phone photos became square, now switched back to standard. Down low on approach, visuals of the ships on the South China Sea, looks like they are navigating through the clouds. Final readout from the map app:
On the ground 6:06 pm HKG time.
Programming Paused
No final stats except now at 187 feet and 82 degrees

Friday September 9

Off the plane. Followed yellow transfer signs to a security check into the huge airport. Walked around for while and found an information desk for directions to the United Lounge. Long hike from gate 0 to gate 60 and the lounge. No gate assigned at this point for UA 179 to SGN. The lounge in Hong Kong is excellent, probably the best United lounge I have visited. Good real food and a good selection of drinks. At this time of day it is quiet and the lounge set up is spacious and airy. Borrowed a power adapter from the check in desk and settled down for the 4 hr layover.
Gate 508 is posted for flight 179 to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City. I am at gate 60. Not a linear setup so shouldn’t be a major hike. There are 530 gates at this airport! A map of the airport shows gate 508 at the north satellite concourse reachable by shuttle bus back where I arrived.

Easy to find the shuttle and check in/boarding was uncomplicated. Wheels up at 11:22 PM HKG and landed early, 12:26 AM, at SGN. The Government Visa on Arrival counter was not busy and yes they did raise the rate and duration of the Visa for Americans: 1 year at $135. The Visa person tried to explain to me that it went up due to the USA government, but I was too tired to understand the details. My bag was waiting at carousel 5 and I passed through the customs bag scan and headed out into the humid night. This is a busy airport and there always seems to be a large number of people outside waiting for the arrival stream. I did get on the free airport wifi and called for an Uber pick up, but the first couple of attempts failed. Third time I got a car to show up. 20 min ride to the Renaissance which is under remodeling so check in was on the 5th floor. Got room 1809 the same room I had in April.

Saturday September 10

A few hours of unpacking, charging batteries, checking mail and generally relaxing. Many hours of transit from Denver to Saigon. River view room next to the Lounge. Not ready to sleep at 3 AM so surfed the TV and eventually drifted off for a few hours. Around 7 AM got the day started with some noodles and OJ. Made some notes about places to visit:

Ben Thanh Market
Jade Emperor Pagoda
Vietnamese History Museum
Botanic Gardens and Zoo
I headed out for the Ben Thanh Market around 10AM Saigon time. Stopped at the ATM adjacent to the hotel then walked out Dong Khoi Street in the direction of the Opera House aka Municipal Theater where I turned left and zigzagged  towards the Market. Not as hot as April, but just as humid. Walked around looking for the sales spot where I got some shirts and shorts on my last visit, however not to be found or at least I did not recognize the location or the people.  Ended up with a couple of lacquer bowls and some shorts. Enjoyed a sit down under a ceiling fan and had some delicious spicy chicken Pho and a Tiger beer at one of the food booths near the north end of the market.  Walked out the North exit in search of a smoothie from the vendor at the food court up the street. Gone, sign in the empty booth indicating a new enterprise will be moving in soon. Walked back the way I came, stopped at the Ho Chi Minh statue and took some water lily photos (the water lily is the official flower of Vietnam according to something I read during the last day or so of travel…) and checked out the lobby of the Rex Hotel. Moved on and managed to end up at the river, crossed over to the river side despite the madhouse of traffic and walked back to the hotel (after surviving an additional street crossing).   Caught up with the world and some TV and some sleep.
I only made it to one of the places on my list. Got in a 4.5 mile walk.

Click on any of the photos in the following multiple photo mozaics to start a slide show:

To return to the post click the upper left X within the black.  Clicking the X above it in the white will abort the post viewing.

The storm that had been threatening all day finally moved in around 5:30 as I sat in the lounge with the computer and a beer. Good lightening show and then a hard rain obscured the view for a short time with some echoes of thunder and lightening flashes fading in intensity as the storm moved on. Tomorrow’s a late flight night so I have pretty much a full day to get in the remaining sights.

Sunday September 11

Breakfast in the lounge and I set up a 7pm late departure, for 1/2 room rate. I can checkout  and hang out in the lounge until I need to leave for the airport (around 8:30 pm). Expensive dinner but works for me. Plan for today is to check out the remaining sites on my list. I walked towards the Opera house on Dong Khoi. There was an event going on so I tried to take a look inside, but made it as far as the door where I was challenged and denied entrance. Looked like a high school aged celebration, maybe graduation?  However I didn’t fit in there. Walked past the Post Office and Catholic Church then headed east along Le Duan towards the museum, gardens and zoo where I headed north on Nguyen Binh Khiem in search of the Jade Emperor Pagoda. Crazy major roundabout was a challenge to get across and then I searched and searched and still no pagoda, I eventually found it tucked away on a side street. It was worth the search. Small Buddhist temple with a turtle pond.

My map, luckily no longer needed, was so soggy it ripped in two. I retraced the route back to the museum in need of some AC, but it was closed for lunch. With an hour to kill I bought a ticket to the adjacent botanical gardens & zoo for 50,000 VND. Hot and muggy, but somewhere to sit in hope of a breeze.
Found a bench near the monkey enclosure and tried to cool down. The sound of thunder got me moving and I walked towards the entrance as the museum reopened and the rain started.
15,000 VND got me in, but no AC and No photos. The rain came quickly with a big wind and big drops and I stood by an open window feeling some breeze and watched the rain in the courtyard and its pools. A Panama rain, intensity and duration, changing the humidity into visible torrents. I am not going anywhere for awhile. Interesting museum with many good statues, even some from Angkor, and pottery. Many Buddhas from 900’s AD on and there’s even a mummy!
More thunder as the rain continues. I have a few miles to go back to the hotel, I blew it, left my rain jacket and umbrella in the hotel room. So I needed to hang. As the rain eased, I left the museum. Fast walk back to the hotel (2 miles) through a constant rain, not pouring. Hanging clothes up to dry, recharging batteries and starting to prepare for tonights flight to Tokyo on JAL. 6hr flight, hopefully less. Looked up the NEX Train schedule between Narita and Shinagawa, I will try to catch Narita Express 10 at 945AM and return on the #20 Train at 13:20 or the 31 Train at 13:50.
7.4 mile day. Got in the 4 sites left on my list. The turn down person was persistent, but I didn’t need a room refresh. Reconfirmed my 7pm checkout details. Still rainy in Saigon. Rain forecast for Tokyo. This has been an interesting visit with some new/old discoveries. Familiarity is good, new is good. Took awhile to find the Jade Emperor Pagoda, if I wasn’t so uncomfortably hot it wouldn’t have seemed as long . I got to check out the street scene and neighborhood as I zeroed in on the place which was a bonus. Still having major issues with hot high humidity. Tiger beer and mini salmon sandwiches in the lounge. The lights on the Heineken signs across the river are coming on. Still raining. Time to finish packing and checkout.

Inbound Travel: September 11-13

Depart: Sunday 11SEP16 Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon VN (SGN) 11:55PM NH832
Arrive: Monday 12SEP16 Tokyo, Japan (NRT-Narita) 7:55AM
Hotel:   9/12-13 Tokyo Marriott  Shinagawa, Japan
Depart:  Tuesday 13SEP16 Tokyo, Japan (NRT-Narita) 5:00PM UA138
Arrive:  Tuesday 13SEP16 Denver, CO (DEN) 12:30PM

Checked out at the lounge a little before the 7PM  soft deadline. Dialed up Uber around 8:30 and the car was there as I emerged from the hotel. Easy drive to the airport, check in was open. Got a pass for the Rose lounge and moved through security and passport control relatively fast and headed for the lounge. The last time I was here the lounge was packed and it was hard to find a seat. This time it was wide open so I snagged a four top with power and settled in. Internet is good, messaged /emailed and had a beer. Boarding starts at 23:40 gate 16. The lounge is filling up and folks are squeezing in where they can. I am going to cruise the vendors to spend my remaining VND on my way to the gate. Seating is 2-3-2 Boeing 767 and I have an aisle in the middle – 28C. Maybe I can snag a bulkhead aisle like I did last time. No big deal, I will sleep anyway. Excited about the fishbowl hunt- I hope the pottery store is still at the market. Looks like I won’t have too much time on Tuesday for cruising around, but I also would like to get to a Senso-ji Temple and Ueno park.

ANA Boeing 767 with 2-3-2 seating in economy
Got on the plane seat 28 C, easy access through the Star Alliance Gold line
Pretty full flight, but I was able to move over to empty seat (s) F&G row 23.
ANA is very accommodating! Wow, very cool two seats for me!!!
That will make the trip easier – I will sleep like a baby – not sure but I think they serve a meal or snacks and drinks. It has been awhile since I had such limited legroom, guess I am spoiled most of the time. Advertised 6hr flight. This airline has a cockpit mounted camera and they show you the takeoff and landing.
Wheels up at 12:46 am.
33000″
Ground Speed 538 mph

ETA 8:10 am
And there is beer
I must have slept as we are less than an hour out and they are serving breakfast, omelette with mushrooms. The rest is not stuff I can eat at this point except for a small piece of watermelon. Cloudy at 37,000′. There was a spectacular sunrise.

Monday September 12
On the ground 8:13 am Tokyo time and it’s raining. Immigration, bag delivery and customs go quickly and I head out into the terminal and down the escalator to the JR East Office for a ticket for the NEX Train to Shinagawa. RT ticket purchased, for 4000 yen (about $40 US), I head to track 2 to catch the 9:15 AM. This was even earlier than the earliest non-stop I thought I could possibly catch so timing is working out. The train arrives, slight delay while the cars are cleaned and the seats are flipped around. First stop is Tokyo Station. Rain has stopped. Good views of the Tokyo SkyTree. Arrive at second stop, Shinagawa Station and I head out the west gate and climb the hill to the Tokyo Marriott. Despite the early hour I am received warmly and checked into room 2309. Again it seems I have been given the same room as my December visit. I catch up on the world and refresh. Prime objective for the day is the Tsukiji Market.

Tsukiji Market established 1935. Tokyo Central Wholesale Market: “a kitchen for 12 million people in Tokyo.” Reportedly the seafood market wholesales 2 thousand tons of marine products daily. There is also a vegetable market within the perimeter. The Tsukiji market is also called Japan’s food town. Tsukiji means“constructed land.”
There is an outer market – Jogai Shijo, and an inner market Jomai Shijo
Somewhat re vitalized I get a train map from a bellman and after a discussion of the best way to travel I head out for Shinagawa Station. I stop at the Convenience store on the hotel’s lower level and get some cash. Arriving at the station my first task is to replenish my Suica Card purchased on my last trip. The card isn’t recognized so I wait in line at the JR Office to get the card kick started which happens and I add 1000 yen and head for the Yamamoto Line following the Bellman’s directions. I get to the Tsukiji Station, however though it only involves one train change it is an awkward out of the way routing and I end up at the wrong Tuskiji Station (same as last trip!). You would think I would have worked this out, but at least I recognized immediately where I was and how to get where I needed to go. The sushi vendors on the periphery outside market are busy, but not packed and I get into the inner market around 1:30 PM only to find all of the merchants closing up for the day. I will have to come back (?) if I want a hat/shirt souvenir to celebrate this place before it goes away. I wander the alleyways in search of the Pottery Store which is open! I purchase the required six large and six small fish bowls and add a coffee cup to the mix. I also find the Sushi Restaurant that I visited previously. It is still open with a line of  10 people in front of me. Their sign says they are open until 3PM so I hangout and after 20 minutes I am seated at a table with a couple from Phoenix. I order the Nami Sushi platter and since they have a beer pouring machine I order an Asahi. All is good and having completed my two prime market objectives I can relax. The actual business activities of the market have died down for the day so not much to see in the warehouses. I head back to the correct station, Tsukijishijo on the E Oeda Line (E18), which is just outside the markets main gate and catch the train to the Daimon Stop (E20) where I leave the station and walk a short distance to the Hamamatsucho Station on the Yamanote Line where I catch the train to Shinagawa Station. My thoughts are to deliver the bag full of pottery to the room and then head out again after a short refresh.

Tuesday October 13

Trapped. All of the on the go from the past few days catches up with me and after one beer my get up and go has gone and went. I drift off and on with the tv showing a soccer game and then a talk show then some news. I awake refreshed around midnight but I have lost the afternoon and evening, no dinner or drinks. I start to plan my last day and by 4AM I am up and in the shower. I organize my packing and get the bowls and pottery items into the Istanbul Rug bag wrapped in the bubble wrap. Perfect fit. It will be a carry on. Raining as I go down to the breakfast room at 6:30.
What a difference a few months makes! When I was here in December, the food was good however the service was a little scarce. Maybe getting down here at an early hour made the difference? Anyway, great service and breakfast, got a fresh orange juice to go and even a hug from my server Grace. Still raining, I grab the rain jacket and umbrella and head to the lobby. Front desk ok’s a 1:30 PM checkout. I just miss the bus to the station, but it’s raining hard so I wait for the next one and head to the Shinagawa Station. The first stop will be the Asakusa station close to the Senso-ji Temple. Yamanote Line to Shimbashi, change to A Train to Asakusa. It’s the day to visit Senso-ji and maybe Ueno Park.

Raining harder as I climb out of the Subway station. Last trip I cut through a covered arcade of shops in order to take a short cut around the outdoor vendor market leading to the temple. By doing so, I missed the Street Gate at the head of the walkway. So I raise the umbrella and head out of the station towards the gates. Several blocks and I am in front of the main gate and walking to the temple. It is around 9AM and many of the shops are not open or are just opening. The rain has increased to Panama levels. The early hour and the rain has kept the numbers of visitors to a minimum, so easy to enjoy the temple and the gardens.
I check out an adjacent covered arcade looking for a Japanese Flag and a wall hanging. I see a hanging however the women says she doesn’t have any….. No flags there or in any of the quickly opening shops along the walk in. Still raining, walking in Ueno Park will have to wait for a drier day. I head for the Asakusa subway station to catch the train to the Tsukiji Fish Market to look for a souvenir to commemorate the visit and its history and enjoy another Sushi meal. But no, I make the mistake of getting off at the Tsukishima Station 2 stops before the  market stop and spend a good 45min checking out all the station exits (8) before I figured I was not where I thought I was…dumb. Anyway, back on the train I get off at the correct station, Tsukijishijo, and enter the market. By this time the line at the sushi place is too long for me to wait. My station screw up cost me a farewell sushi feast. Scattered rain at this point and no flag, wall hanging or hat or short sushi line to keep me in the market so time to head back to the hotel and finish the pack.
Plane is still on schedule for a 5PM departure. One last look around the room and head to checkout. I just miss the shuttle to the station, time is short so walk down the hill to catch the 1:50PM Narita Express. I stop in the JR “quick fix”small office to see what track the train is on and learn that the train has been cancelled due to heavy rain, but I can go across to the ticket office to get a ticket for the next train at 2:20PM which should get me to Narita at 3:27PM. I exchange my ticket and head to track 13 to wait. By this time the rain had decreased into an occasional shower.
Heading out to Narita finally. Hope this train doesn’t experience Heavy Rain. Arrive about 5 min late due to slow downs for heavy rain when it wasn’t raining. Easy check in and Security access through the Gold Line. Plane is on time and sits at gate 37 and I have about an hour prior to boarding so duck into the lounge for a couple of Asahi Machine poured beers and an internet catch up.
Flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner non-stop to Denver and I have seat 1D. 10.5 hrs later, poof!!!, arriving into the security portal on concourse A. Great flight, United up’d their game.

Summary:

The process and procedures to get the Chinese Visa did not go well.  The company I worked with was not very good at communicating status, meeting a deadline or providing the service advertised on their website.  While “China” may have been the cause of the lengthy cycle time for the Visa, the process didn’t seem to be managed well by the folks I hired to take care of business.  The increase in the Vietnam Visa fee was unexpected.  I would have been better with the increased cost if I was getting a 10 year Visa.

The flights were all on schedule and the surface transportation all worked out.  I like being able to use Uber in Saigon.  The Tokyo trains are convenient, mostly crowded and sometimes absolutely packed.  I got on a few going the wrong way and got off some too early, but for the most part I got where I wanted to go.  The Suica Card worked well once I got it kick started.  It must of timed out since I last used it in April.  The hotels were well run and their lounges were the source of much of my daily nourishment.

I hope the Fish Market moves well to its new location.  On line sources indicate that the new market has been in the works for years, it is a new location closer to Tokyo Bay.  Some talk that it won’t be as tourist friendly in terms of logistics and access.  I wonder what the plan is for the many tourist/retail businesses that have become dependent on the Markets for their incomes.

The time changes of this magnitude on a short trip are hard to overcome. The humidity in Vietnam continues to be overwhelming.  The people I met and interacted with were for the most part welcoming and interesting.  My daily walkabouts were always interesting.

The Fish Bowls were well received, I had a great trip and it was good to get home.

And then there is this excerpt from The Japan Times:

In December 2001, the metro government decided to move the Tsukiji Market, well-known for its fish auctions, to a site in the Toyosu area, which was home to a Tokyo Gas Co. plant.

Since toxic substances were found in the soil at the site, the key buildings of the new market in Toyosu were supposed to be built on a thick layer of clean soil.

But it came to light in September that empty concrete chambers were built instead, raising concerns over possible contamination and the safety of food at the new market.

While the Toyosu market was supposed to be open Monday, Koike in August decided to delay its opening amid concerns about soil and air pollution immediately after she became the governor.

My next trip, Xi’an China, home of the Terracotta Warriors and the Western end of the Silk Road is scheduled for October 19-25.

The following slideshow is built from some iPhone Photos.10/20-25.