Hotel Com's Ginza Chuo

... and didn't know how to stop it and didn't wanna flood the place or worse shoot me in the eye. So I started to press the other buttons to stop it. I found it and it stopped. So that was the third button. It was the stop button. One way or the other, I figured out how to finally use their toilet. Let this be instructions on how to "NOT" use a Japanese toilet and a warning of what can happen. "Ode to the Japanese Toilet"!

Due to the super-efficient and punctual nature of Japanese public transport, we made our transfer from Narita to Haneda in record time. Finally, I was back in a country where I don't feel like a stick-in-the-mud for doing things efficiently and within agreed timeframes.

... also managed to disturb some locals with my appetite for sushi at a standing sushi bar - and to have a White Russian on the 39th floor of my hotel. Puha, that was a lot - I really felt like a tourist ! So, my honest opinion about Tokyo ? An impressive city, no doubt. It has everything - and then again, it lacks something ! I don't know if it is soul or what it is. It just doesn't have the beauty and charm of a Paris or the city-that-never-sleeps of New York. Many will disagree with me ...

De afgelopen 30 uren waren 1 lange dag. Op 9 december werden we door Mia en John naar Schiphol gebracht. De afspraak met het `uitzwaaiteam` bij de nieuwste aanwinst van Nederland (Starbucks) ging, wegens overgewicht niet door. Voor vertrek ben ik samen met de koffers op de weegschaal gegaan. Er was slechts sprake van kilo`s overgewicht (nu heb ik het natuurlijk over het gewicht van de koffers ;-)) Een koffer mag 20 kilo ...

... you realize that this imperial palace is quite huge and that it take almost one hour to to go around... Anyway, even if my feet does not agree, it was a nice walk, and I could discover the place around and the very good security level all around the place: policeman everywhere. Finally, I went through the street to be lost as I've loved in a big city, and I end out first in the Japan theater and ...

... twice a year. But the day had warmed up so we were content to take our photos and withdraw to the surrounding area: some fountains, statues, and an outer garden, which is really more like a park with some grass and cool evergreen trees. One thing did happen that I think is worthy of mentioning. Dane and I were taking some photos in the park area when an older Japanese man came up to us and said, "I can show you a spot for a really nice picture." He led us ...

... fans are clapping in unison, chanting one of the team's well-known chants; conversely, after a strike or an out (when Nippon Ham was hitting), the Marines fans roared and clapped and voiced their approval. Like their batters, each team's fans took turns on the center stage. When the Ham Fighters were in the field, the Mariners fans (including me on this night) were saying things like, "Let's go Lotte," "Matty, Matty," (when American Matt Franco ...

... Japanese girls seem really into their hip-hop, and a lot of their clothes are pretty "street" and "blinging". Some of them were really kooky and fun. Some were just plain awful, but actually it was really good to have so much choice! I tried on a load of stuff in each of the shops (without harassment!) and bought 2 pairs of cropped combats, 2 dresses and some jewellery. I wanted to buy soooo much more as I love all the choice and how eclectic their stuff is - as well as the fact ...