Day 10 - In Tokyo, Japan

The eagerly awaited day had finally arrived - woo hoo Japan!!! The early start was a bit depressing, as it was a rainy & cold exit from Taipei. We seem to have brought the wet weather with us to Tokyo as it is a bit dismal (and a might cold) over here.

After an early start, waiting for and then the two and half hour flight, an over an hour long train trip to metro Tokyo, and a slight misadventure (got on the right train, but in the wrong direction), we finally caught the right subway train to our stop. We then were assisted by a friendly Japanese woman who even called our hotel to find out the location, and then a short walk from the station we were not too eagerly welcomed by the front desk staff / woman. Asking for twin beds turned out to be OVERLY difficult to communicate to the silly woman who obiosuly did not have ANY English (not that I expect this but a bit of patience and personality goes a long way). The funny thing was when we realised that she was actually speaking japanese at us even though we had no understanding, we were expected to understand what she was demanding. Anyway end of rant. Once we were in (our thankfully TWIN room - I wasn't paying money to share a double with my brother) our room. The exploration of the quirks was amusing, such as the heated toilet seat withh front & back bum washing capabilities, the bizarre stove stop (1 cup only) jug and dubbed spiderman movie - to count a few. Jut wondering how I can fit the heated toilet seat into my suitcase.

Then as we were a bit hungry, we went for a stroll to the centre of Akusaka, where there is a temple and a maze of stalls selling lots of bits & pieces. Having browsed the stalls, we went to a Japanese (surprise suprise) Restaurant where we sampled the fare. I was going to have a nigiri platter as I have been craving it for a few days although decided to get Sashimi, which is some thing slightly different which had the similar meats as would be included on a nigiri platter - without the rice. It included pickled radish, a bowl of (hot) rice, and some miso soup. Not bad for the price, especially when compared to the nigiri platter which Sean ordered.

The Temple was then visited and some more borowsing of shops. Sean had a go at the Pachinko machines which is the Japanese eqivalent of a "pokie" machine - ike a mix between a pinball machine and a pokie machine, served up in a amusement parlor setting. A bit boring in my books, but then again I am not a gambler. I don't think Sean was impressed either.

After a bit more shopping, a trip to the local supermarket (love visiting supermarkets in foreign cities) we meandered home for an early night as we have a big day planned for tomorrow (not sure exactly what - but I am sure it will all be revealed in time) ...