Aizuya Inn Taito

Alright. There are two days to cover and still 146 pictures to upload because we`ve been lagging behind. The videos seriously take forever. Last night we were here for a couple of hours and only got about forty-eight pictures/videos up. But that`s not really of any interest to anyone, I suppose, and so I`ll move on.

Yesterday, we decided to go back to Harajuku because it was Sunday and all of the strangely-dressed folk were ...

... here in Japan... cant go in a shop without Gaz or Misuzu as everything in japanese... but theres a lot of english here... strangely enough along with japanese... mixed up.. (odd!!).. so not eating so much as i usually do in england... so easily full here after a small portion... maybe thats a good thing!!!! today its rainin in japan, so me, misuzu and gaz have come to a entertainment place where pool, darts, net etc (where im typin this now)... cheap 3 ...

The focus of the next month is kendo, which I will spare the reader details of. Interspersed between these sessions is more organising and visiting areas in the Tokyo region. First up came a trip to Roppongi and the Chinese embassy there. An imposing presence with whitewashed walls and heavy security. A country definitely trying to make an impression. After a series of queues, I get my visa application underway and head to the towering streets of Shinjuku for a bit more exploring. A ...

... organised by Japanese pacifists. The food was still delicious; the obsession with perfection, and the green Japanese countryside the same. Something new, and a highlight, was the visit to the world's first Women's Museum of War and Peace, in Tokyo's busy Shibuya area. Comfort Women and Article 9 The conference site was outside Tokyo, near a boring industrial town. The organisers brought Japanese culture to us-a fantastic concert by musicians who ...

... we all know and love. As I write this, at 5 in the afternoon, simply sitting in my apartment in front of my open window is enough to have not just a healthy sheen of perspiration, but actual DROPS OF SWEAT forming on my body. It means more laundry, because clothes get damp and stretched out of shape so fast. It means carrying around little face wipes to freshen up after the incredible exertion of walking all of the ten ...

... thier website. All I had to go on was a name and a vague recollection it was near a temple & an amusement park - should be good enough so I headed out. Since I came out of the subway station near a very large entrance to the Sensoji Temple & Asakusa Shrine, I got a little cocky. I walked down a cool street market that was just closing up, which I later learned is the historic Nakamise shopping street leading the way from ...

After a 14 hour sleep, I awoke to a blisteringly hot, cloudless day, the temperature being about 28 degrees. I don't know why I didn't notice it yesterday, maybe it was the jet lag, maybe it was the carrying a huge backpack, but I am assured it was the same. I flicked through the Lonely Planet for something to do, and decided on the Imperial Palace gardens and then the Ginza district. This may not sound ...

... home furnishing, electronics, and DVDS/CDs for cheap, which is hard to find around here in Japan. The exchange also has cheap american food, brought from the US. we were eating cheerios and having hot dogs, and you can get everything from subway to taco bell on base. Kinda creepy. It's easy to see how you can go 3+ years here and not speak the language. Just live on base, eat american food, and avoid Japan. it's not hard. There's even a gas station on base. I'd never ...

... the reality of Japan is tht I might JUST find a laptop... A friend in my house has 3 videos, 2 TVs, a bookshelf or 2, a stero and a table.. all from gomi. All it cost him was carrying it home.. I actually have seen a couple of TVs out for gomi, but they were over an hours walk from home.. if I had bike or something then I might actually consider it.. butthings are slowing starting to come together for me. Yesterday for the first time I really cried.. A wave of homesickness ...