As soon as the train doors open at Tsukiji station the slight taint to the air tells you we're close to the fish markets, the atmosphere only builds from there. On the street we follow the crowd but end up circling the markets themselves checking out all the little stands and restaurants ringing the markets. 

The Hats & T-Shirt stalls give way to the Matcha and Pickle guys before the little restaurants start to appear. We're getting closer and closer to the main action. I'm keen on a sit down for some sushi or sashimi but I can't convince the others. We're close enough to the action now, seafood appears, but hardly anything normal - monster oysters, giant crab claws, octopus tentacles, rest were all colours and shapes none of us knew how to identify.
 
Down the road is a Manga Cafe, the photos make it look more like a library, but we decide to check it out anyway. We get to the door and it's wall to wall Manga DVDs proper library vibe here, the dude behind the counter even gives us a nasty stare of making too much noise when we came in - clearly not our scene.

Ok Pokemon time, there are 3-4 different stores and Fid elects for Sky Tree mall, we're on our way. Ohh there just happens to be a World Beer Museum, a Disney store, a massive cheese shop, all great reasons to go. As we arrive we see discover there's also a Doraemon cafe, now a new target for our visit. 

Fid and I are moving at a cracking pace, behind us the girls are ohhing and ahhing their way begging us to slow down, but there's strategy in our pace. We find the Pokemon store, little man is glazed over with excitement. He wanders in like he just been accepted through the pearly gates, the awe on his face is unmissable. I quickly realise he'll be here for hours, the girls will shop for hours too. I seed the idea we should go set up camp in the Beer Museum and it holds, result!

On the way we pass an area where they're filming a TV game show, wicked! Over 200 beers available here, with Franziskaner topping the list. A quick lunch and the others are off shopping while I conduct some important research. They're back top quickly and bragging about their loot. Fid has found some game where you win Pokemon cards with QR codes you can use to launch characters in Arcade units or on your DS. The girls went to Hello Kitty Japan and Disney bringing back Umbrellas, bags and a ring!
 
We have tickets for the Robot Restaurant tonight so head over to Shinjuku to see if we can get some seats at Star Club before our show. There's a note explaining why Star Club is closed at 6pm on Saturday, but we can't read it. We grab some eats in the Thai place underneath then head off for our show.

Boo has taken to making running commentary vids this trip. In the one where we're trying to find our way in to the Robot place she is reading out all the signage around us - "Men's Ultimate Relaxation and Hyper Media" is a more memorable sign she found, gives you an idea of the kind of neighbourhood we're in.

We mastered the tricky path to exchange our passes and get inside. The waiting bar looks like something Imelda Marcos might have designed, glitz and glam everywhere if it isn't gold it's 15 shades of eclectic. We descend to the bottom of the earth, or 4 floors depending on which one of us is describing it, and we take our seats. This isn't a story show, really you're here for the spectacle of it. Over the next 90 minutes (that felt more like 10) we're taken into a range of epic battle scenes none of which mean anything to my western history mind. But they're everything you'd image of eastern battles, Good forest creatures band together to battle their evil oppressors, a tribe of monkey, panda and fox I think, battle some other evil wrong-doers, etc. None of that matters, you're here for 100% sizzle theatre, the plot is just an obligation.

We pour out with the crowd and hit the pub next door. Across the road is a fishy foot treatment store just like in Better Late Than Never. Odd tickly feeling but 15 minutes later my feet are super soft. I make friends with a Canadian lady here with her Columbian husband who decided to meet up with his Sister from Melbourn in Tokyo. It's that kind of city, if you're not hearing Japanese you're just as likely to hear Deutsch or Danish or any other language if this city is full of a Americans they don't seem to outnumber anyone else.  

It's after midnight and time to head home, little one is busted, so busted she's starting to lose it - often, in this mode she's just as likely to be adorable as she is to need a straight jacket - tonight is no different, to bed me thinks.