Keio Presso Inn Higashi-Ginza Chuo

... pictographic kanji of storefront signs, animated lights & hordes of Japanese youth strutting their inimitable-fashioned selves around the gleaming streets is almost too much to take in. Sitting & watching the scene from a second-floor cafe overlooking the crossing I did not want to leave this place, ever.

As I finally headed back across the crossing to Shibuya station a row of Japanese were stood outside each holding a sign saying "FREE HUGS". From one end of the ...

... br> We arrived in Tokyo on July 4th, completely losing July 3rd when we crossed the date line. As a warning, several of our friends had said “Tokyo is big”. I think that hardly does the city justice. It’s not even the size of the city that makes it feel so grand, it’s more as if Tokyo is constantly performing in a show so its make-up, costumes, and energy are constantly on to give you, the viewer, an amazing performance. Tokyo is ...

... of Tokyo. Holy **** Tokyo is f'in gigantic!!!!!!! The pic does not give you a good scope but imagine Manhattan size and buildings times maybe 100 or actually maybe more... HUGE! Ok makely back here. So after some sightseeing from the municipal building birnie and I headed out for some authentic japanese barbeque in Shinjuku Tokyo. We found a great little hole in the wall that accepted gaijin (although we ended up paying gaijin prices-see pic of birnie in ...

... motsu (which I later found out was giblets). I did not eat the meat, and this encounter alone is not the only time that my quest to be a vegetarian has saved me from comsuming mystery meat. Boiled daikon was delicious, and with some soy sauce on the tofu... well I it cooked. :) After this little snack, I bought canteloupe soft-serve ice cream (wasabi flavor was tempting though..) and we continued to explore the narrow streets and alleys of Ameyoko ...

It's a late night in Tokyo....some of you might have thought that I'd be writing from India...well I thought so too...until a revelation from the goddess (in the form of SS...thank you for the enlightenment)... made it apparent that we needed visas to get in to the country!! Less than 24 hours before heading to JFK for a direct flight to Mumbai, the word 'visa' enters the conversation. Shocking! We'd have been turned right around in Mumbai and put ...

... had a fantastic view on the 30th floor and amenities are really nice (they even provide a scrunchie!) At this point, Ray and I are starving and decided to venture out to get something to eat. Below the hotel, there is a subway line that connects below....was a bit confusing but we found it nonetheless...we decided our first night would be ramen! Unfortunately I am not as familiar with the Shimbashi area, I decided we should ...

... So he did not have to be measured again. Why can't they do that at the other parks???? We had a little bit of time before our fastpasses were ready for Indiana Jones so we walked over to the Arabian Coast where we rode Sinbad's Storybook Voyage. It was a really nice ride in boats with beautiful vignettes of Sinbad's story. Then it was time to ride Indy! What a great ride! It was a little different than ours here in California. We also got to ...

... y occurrence. *** During Frid*y's G*me 1 of the S*nyo All-St*r Series (b*seb*ll), eclectic All-St*r Tsuyoshi Shinjo wore * belt th*t displ*yed *n electronic mess*ge. He stepped into the b*tter's box *nd the c*mer* zoomed in on this: "Wh*tever I do, never mind, f*n is my tre*sure." Is Shinjo's "st*tement" 2006's version of self-expression, * l* Anthony M*son's mini-billbo*rd-like h*irdos of the e*rly 1990s? Wh*tever. It w*s * fun surprise. The ...

... I took a stroll around and as close as I could get to Tokyo's Imperial Palace. I was starving, but all the restaurants I saw were rather pricey (¥800 for a plain ramen). Getting back to the station, I only realised then that the train only travelled as far as Nagoya, and I wouldn't be able to get to Osaka until the next day. I quickly called Marita and Dave (Owen had gone off to a some business meeting at a bar). We arranged to meet at Shibuya station at the Hachiko exit. After ...

... anyways. She took my check and went into her office, where she spent time on the phone with someone in the nearby Mitsubishi bank. After getting the help of 2 other women, they finally found someone who agreed to cash my check, despite the irregularity (apparently) of the request. Thanking her, we took the elevator back down to ground level and walked over to the Mitsubishi bank. Inside, it was a mad house. We had no idea where to go, but realized we were in the wrong ...