Day 3: A fun-filled day in Tokyo

I woke up today at 4:00 am to head to the Fish Market! Although it didn’t feel early because the time change is still affecting me. The subway didn’t start until 5 and we didn’t want to miss anything so we took a cab. The driver couldn’t speak English, but he did try hard to talk with us. We told him where we were from and he made the instant connection to baseball. He didn’t know where PA was, but when I mentioned the Yankees he lit up. He even tried to say something about Matsuie who just signed for the Boston Red Sox. Not bad, huh?
It was pretty exciting to try and navigate our way around the market without really being able to ask for help.We must have stood out because a few men tried to point us inthe right direction. I knew we were in the right spot when I saw the only english sign reading “Visitor Passage entrance.” I’ve never seen so much fish at one time and I had no idea tuna could be that big. One was between 250-300 kilograms! The inspecting of the meat and then the auctioning was quite an experience. Boy do I have some good pictures too, of octopus, eel, and any other seafood you can think of.
Both of our presentations today were also great! We learned a lot about Japanese education and some of their key problems. Then there was a panel discussion with six school Superintendents and how their American and Japanese couterparts work together towards providing global cultural education. I can’t wait to get those relationships started when I get to Fukuoka!
At night we had a dinner reception to honor the 1oth anniversary of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. We saw a video clip of one of the earliest trips and how the expectations continue to grow. A few of us also enjoyed some traditional karaoke out on the town!
Ok, well this is a long enough entry, but there’s so much to talk about.