Tokyo in the Rain

October 11, 2025

遣らずの雨 (Yarazu no Ame): "The rain that doesn't let you go.”

-Japanese Proverb

It started raining around 8 am.  Whether this was a remnant of the recent hurricane or a new front we didn’t know.  The clouds descended and enveloped the city in a light fog.  It wasn’t a heavy rain though.  It was soft, cool, persistent and continued all the day.

We were already up of course thanks to the joys of jet lag but we slept better last night and felt ready for an early start despite the misty skies.  There was more to explore.

We left for the Ginza district.  For Tokyo,  our commute was not very crowded.  It is simply remarkable how clean and commuter friendly this city is, at least in the parts we visited.  There is no way to see all of this place anymore than one can go everywhere in New York.  You visit neighborhoods and what impressions you do form come from that small slice.

We were headed for the old fish market.  There is a new one closer to the bay where the famous tuna auction is held. That building , while interesting, is a large warehouse that oddly enough has a dense smell of fish. Who knew? But this one was the original and now houses a lively collection of smaller vendors and street food.  The alleys around the building are narrow and atmospheric.

Negotiating the narrow lanes was a bit of a challenge with the many umbrellas. Small crowds would congregate around stalls due to the Japanese custom of not walking and eating. No matter. The alleys were filled with expats and locals smiling under the umbrellas.  The touts were lively and fun.

Being outside amongst all the umbrellas in the rain made for a surreal visual.  Many were clear and made the scene akin to Moon jellyfish floating along gently in the current.  They would bump into each other softly frequently but then move away unharmed.  It was like a mesmerizing ballet.

I came across a Wagyu beef vendor who sold cuts of the famous meat.  Wagyu simply means “Japanese cow” and has become famous for its rich fatty taste. Only 4 breeds in all the world (all Japanese) produce the flavorful meat - Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu) – most common, known for intense marbling, Japanese Brown (Akage Washu or Akaushi) – leaner and slightly stronger flavor, Japanese Shorthorn (Nihon Tankaku Washu) – more robust, beefy taste, and Japanese Polled (Mukaku Washu) – very rare, mild flavor.  Authentic Japanese Wagyu is still tightly controlled and traceable from birth. Japan today has banned further export of live Wagyu cattle to protect the breed’s purity.

The picture below shows the intense marbling of the meat which gives it the distinctive flavor.  You may heard of the name “Kobe beef”. Kobe is a town here in Japan and the title simply.  refers to the area of the country where many of the Wagyu cattle are farmed. This stand sold A5 quality which is the highest you can achieve.  It is expensive, even for street food, but one of the things in life you simply have to try. At least I think so.  I can attest it was delicious, easily the best steak I have ever tried.

We worked our way through more stalls. There were may Yakitori stands and despite the misty conditions they gave off wonderful aromas from the open grills.  This stand sold seafood skewers and we tried octopus cooked over coals. The meat itself was mostly bland but when combined with the sauces applied was surprisingly good.  We found a stand selling a very popular item of fruit on a stick.  The strawberries or melon is covered in a hard candy coating and pierced with a stick creating a sort of fruit corndog. Wonderful!  You could see why it was popular.

I do not know what this is...and I don't want to know

It was getting close to lunch time so we left the market in search of a sushi place we heard about.  As we walked along, we both thought it was surprising the shear volume of restaurants here. You can walk block after block with all kinds of cuisine.  We did not see any major chain stores except Starbucks and , oddly enough, KFC.

After awhile we found the place.  There was a long line of locals waiting to get in which is always a good sign.  After a rainy wait, we were at last let in.  There were two seats right in front of the chefs and we got to watch them work.  The knife skills and precision was a show in of itself.  I have had a lot of sushi over the years in the States, but this was different.  The fish was incredibly fresh and the rice was the perfect consistency.  Each bundle was like a little piece of art.

We left to walk off our meal.  On the weekends, they close the huge boulevard along the main shopping street.  We joined the crowd walking past very high end stores.  In this area, nothing is cheap but it didn’t manner.  If you could afford something here, you aren’t walking in the rain. It was the people watching that provided all the entertainment you could ever desire.

The National Kabuki Theatre (It was sold out...we tried)

A Shinto Shrine on the street

Yep, I know - some type of art piece was our best guess

We finished the day at a small park and a tea house. Although the matcha tea was warm, it was not a favorite.

We headed back to the hotel for some rest.  Our time in Tokyo is brief and we left a lot on the table.  But that was part of the design.  We want to get out of the city to see what lies beyond these lights.  Tomorrow is another travel day as we take a train north.