Ikebukuro Royal Hotel Tokyo

... I bet you there is one.!! )<br><br>7.30...as scheduled again and we stood in front of the Shinjuku subway station. I don´t know how many people live in Tokyo, but with the size of the subway station there must have been at least 1 million of them underground.!! The hostel told us to get off the bus at Shinjuku...okay so inside and there was a Subway Lines &amp; Schedule as big as 3 bedroom walls. And with all the colours of the rainbow. So puzzle-time ...

... Once you reach the actual produce center, you are relatively safe except for the occasional splash of fish blood that can be narrowly missed if your lucky. They have everything there from clams to octopi to sea cucumbers and cephalopods.<br><br>After almost getting killed again, we found ourselves in a little Sushi restaurant owned by a man who was like the fisherman who never made it in the fisherman world. He was a tiny little guy who was so eager to please and teach us ...

... America that we got lucky a second time round as we spotted two actual Geisha walking down the street, no doubt off to a tea ceremony or other such silly Geisha business. Pictures do them no justice, as they hold an oddly captivating reverence in the way they seemingly glide down the street in their kimonos and lavish makeup. As for the temple itself, a lively atmosphere and spectacular views of the city made for an enjoyable evening.<br><br>The following day, however, marked not ...

... of locking heads, slapping and body slamming. Seriously, the first match, some guy got<br>flipped. Like, somersaulted in the air. Not to mention how great it is to enjoy watching the flabby powerhouses as they get flung out of the ring and land dangerously close to some poor soul who paid for a front row seat.<br><br>All in all, Tokyo has been very cool. And surprisingly lacks, besides the unquestionable amount of people, that big city vibe so far. The people are ...

... fall asleep to save my life, I was glad to find our Hostel tucked snuggly away behind a tacky Pachinko Parlor. And I must say, it is suuuh-wingin. The hostel that is. Free Internet, DVDs, evvverything. But of course I'd rather be fluttering around the streets of Tokyo than watching a DVD or playing minesweeper.<br><br>Yesterday proved to be interesting, the subway system is incredibly easy to navigate and we ended ...

... but a student of mine told me he thought it was Japanese strawberry farmers who started promoting the idea, as a way to sell more fruit. I saw television ads for Christmas cake as early as November! The big holiday is New Year's, and from what I understand, you're supposed to finish everything up before the 31st of December, in order to start the new year with a ...

... was masterful and the expression: timeless. Aside from its age, I completely understand why so many people travel so far to visit the kamakura daibutsu...its truly a beautiful symbol of the past as well as a testament to the longevity of buddhist peace and serenity. On the way back from the daibutsu we stopped in Chinatown to get some of the most amazing steamed buns ever--quite different than those Derek and I experienced at the onsen (hot baths) the following ...

... district of Akakuskanon, both packed with Japanese enjoying some Sunday shopping. Shopping, I gather, is Japan's national pastime. We also saw a demonstration on culturing pearls which was Matt's highlight, mostly because he had given Leslie some pearls. Everything in Matt's world is connected to Leslie. After our tour, Matt caught some sleep to make up for last night and I used the spa and sauna at the hotel, well ...

... ways to keep the supply of housing low. We spent the first four days of our two week trip in Tokyo visiting the various districts: * Chuka-gai - China Town located in Yokohama (part of greater Tokyo) and is the largest China town in Japan. It is the cleanest China town I've seen and the majority of restaurants were high end. * Shibuya - A fashionable shopping district. Also where some of the most expensive real estate in Japan is located. At the ...

... about how much we weren't missing work. Day 2: We got up bright and early for our first full day in Japan. We saw Chikako briefly before she went to work, ate a delicious breakfast cooked by Shoji, and headed out to explore Tokyo on our own. Time to brush the dust off my Japanese! We started at Asakusa, an area of Tokyo with a really cool shopping arcade (a really long outdoor/indoor market street) and one of the biggest temples ...