Tokyo 东京

Oct. 19, 2023: Our 16-day cruise from Seattle to Tokyo concluded, but we remained on board to commence the second leg of our journey. Sailing home on a cruise ship for the first time has been quite an extraordinary experience. Initially, we anticipated relatively few passengers on board for the first leg of the journey due to long stretches at sea with few port stops. However, it was quite the opposite; numerous passengers were on the ship like us, returning to China or Japan. We encountered many others continuing on the second leg, and some even embarked on the third segment. The ship was essentially fully booked, making it even more challenging to find seats during breakfast at the buffet.

Since we were staying on for the journey but had to switch cabins, we just packed our belongings, and the room steward handled the transfer of our luggage to the assigned rooms, alleviating our worries. In the morning, we disembarked and headed to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. The market was bustling with crowds, making navigating difficult, with long queues everywhere for food. Embracing the lively atmosphere, we queued up to purchase some bluefin tuna sushi and Japanese omelets. The flavors were delightful, and the prices were reasonable.

After exploring the market for a while, we attempted to find more food, but the overwhelming crowds and queues led us to abandon the endeavor. Departing from the fish market, we visited other attractions before indulging in sushi, egg soup, and sashimi rice at a nearby restaurant, all for less than twenty-five dollars. It was indeed a remarkable value.

The weather in Tokyo had been delightful since our arrival, in stark contrast to the rainy days we experienced during the first leg of the journey. We continued to explore the area near the cruise terminal.

Upon returning to our room this afternoon, our travel agent surprised us with a bottle of red wine and chocolate-covered strawberries, signaling a promising start to this leg of the cruise.

十月十九日：我们西雅图东京十六天游轮今天就结束了，但我们继续留在船上开始我们第二段游轮。第一次坐船漂洋过海回家也算是一次特别的经历。原本以为这第一段游程海上航行时间长而停靠港口少，船上游客也许会不太多，但完全出乎意料，船上有不少像我们一样回中国，回日本的。碰到不少像我们一样继续坐第二段的，更有一些继续坐第三段的。船基本上满客，早餐吃自助餐时，都找不到位子。

今天换房间，我们不用管，早上就下船去东京渔巿场。市场里人山人海，走路都有点难，到处都有排长队买吃的。我们也去凑个热闹，排着队买了二份蓝鳍金枪鱼寿司和蛋饼，味道还不错，价格又便宜。在市场里转了一大圈，还想找点吃的，但人实在太多，队太长，排了队又放弃了。离开渔巿场后又去其他景点转一转，然后在一家寿司店吃些寿司，蛋汤，生鱼片饭，花了不到二十五美金，真是价廉物美。

来东京后，天气特别好，非常舒服，与第一程许多阴雨天完全相反。昨天到达时，码头上敲锣打鼓欢迎我们。今天下午回到的房间，我们订票代理送来巧克力裹草莓和红酒一瓶，看来这一段游轮有个好开端。