Isesakicho Washington Yokohama

... so I hung onto it. I then went to one of the largest fish markets in the world - Tsukiji fish market. It is unbelievable! I faced my fear head-on and wandered through all the corridors of fish, all freshly caught. There were so many kinds that some things were completely alien to me. And I had no real idea quite how massive Tuna is. It's about the size of a human torso! Anyway, I then went to a stall and ...

... cloth flowing was beautiful. I then went into the gift shop and bought some items (a book, postcards and picture) and it didn't kill my pocketbook!!! The more I am here in Tokyo the more I see that Canada is so over-priced for what we have...its pathetic really. So onwards to the rest of the museum (sorry folks no pics here....no cameras allowed). I saw Samurai warrior costumes, scrolls, kimono's, pottery, buddhist statues ranging from 1300 BC until 1950 ...

The first day of my stay in Japan played out quite slowly. Due to jet lag, I woke up around 8 and was completely tired of sleeping. Michael and I walked down some random street and just enjoyed the fact that we were in Japan. It was pretty cool. There are vending machines less that every hundred feet. There all all sorts of tiny little Japanese cars all whizzing along haphazardly down the wrong side of the ...

... train and metro system fairly intimately. I must also say that everyone I met and relayed my sorry tale to were very sympathetic and helpful, which was reassuring in the circumstances. Thankfully I was able to use my waiting time productively and visit a few interesting cities while my new passport was re-issued; all praise to the Japan rail pass. The most excellent value for money transport ticket I've bought in a good while!

Tokyo, a city of many people, endless streets, and a mind boggling fish market. Dan and Shoko Dahl took us through the meandering streets to some old military barrocks that were renovated into a very nice hotel used for people in the military to vacation in Tokyo.It was at a very reasonable rate comparable to the cost of hotels in the district. Our first Tokyo to do was to go to the city park to view the interesting people...actually very strange and bizarre ...

... on his outlooks/viewpoints on expansions to Japan. We meet up and head to a cafe in Omode-San district. Omode San is a nice high end shopping district. We head to a French cafe and proceed to catch up on what has happened over the past 3 years since we last saw each other. Hiro is now at GE Japan after 4-5 years at APC. He now has a 2.5 year old daughter Kokone whom I am looking forward to meeting for the first time after coffee. I give him a brief ...

... Long story short, I kept drinking what Mr. Muraki was pouring. The problem with that is that he kept pouring because it's inhospitable to let the glasses go dry. Mr. Muraki kept drinking himself because he didn't want me to drink alone. After about 1.5 hours of this I finally broke the silence by declining any more drinks because I was pretty buzzed after consuming large quantities of alcohol. Japanese Baths After dinner, I was treated to a Japanese style ...

... 2,000 boats is a prime spot for boating and sailing as well as fishing. We reach home around 10pm, feeling excited and worth the travelling... At the end of the day, I think that I prefer Yokohama better as it is not as crowded and busy as Tokyo. Yokohama would make the best residential area and besides, it is not that far from Tokyo and easily accessible. Until then, everyday is a new discoveries...

... for the coronation ceremony which Japan is all atwitter about because there have been no male children born in over 40 years. The current prince married a brilliant Rhodes scholar who wanted to be a diplomat. They have a 4 year old daughter and the Princess has made it known she does not desire another child. Meanwhile the Prince's brother's wife is expecting in September or October and the entire country is waiting to know the sex of the child. Could it be that the male monarchy will ...

... have seen the Japanese equivalent to Buckingham Palace or Windsor or where ever the Queen actually lives. I have saved the best til last... I came home tonight and turned on the TV just to see what was on and I saw an ad for 'Coming up' and was delighted to see that the next show on was... MACGYVER!!!! Mum and Auntie groaned but man, it was a good hour! He really is a hero with a nifty knack for saving the day. Aren't you all so jealous?