Mitsui Garden Hotel Chiba

... all single and lonely people, she said. We sat talked drank tea for half hour, I was really tired, took a shower and immediately went to bed. Mr Hirota, my host, said I can get up whenever I like in the morning.<br> <br>Next day was beautiful, sunshine. We had breakfast, drank tea and started talking and Japanese learning lessons. We then went out for a walk in the neighborhood. This area has<br>round 30-houses, it seemed only Mr. Hirota is the only primary ...

Japan was fabulous! I could not have asked for a better 'tour' ... maybe a little warmer weather at the start of the tour (there was snow!), but otherwise it was perfect. In two weeks managed to see 8 cities / areas including Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Nikko, Hiroshima and Kyoto. I really can't pick a highlight because they were all fabulous. In order to make the most of my two weeks in Japan I joined a small tour group - best decision as although Japan is ...

... in Japan. Not that they're rude, mind you, but they were much warmer elsewhere in Japan. - Also as expected, the people in Tokyo are the most diverse anywhere in Japan, and us westerners stand out a lot less than we do elsewhere. More people speak English here, too. - The feeling of alienation is rampant here. With all of the neon signs and shopping malls and cafes, it's really easy to get lost in a crowd of 12 million people. There's something very anonymous about the feel ...

... for humans. And that reminds me about the capsule hotels where you sleep in a drawer which slides out and you hop in and slide back in. Some don't allow females at all and if they do, are segregated and strictly for one only. They are very cheap, about $30 a night in a city where it is hard to find anything under $100! Ginza you will probably have heard of as the upmarket part of Tokyo, sort of like an enormous Rodeo Drive (L.A.) or Double Bay (Sydney ...

... will expect you to pay for your food using a vending machine and then giving the receipt to a waitress. The upmarket ones will take you to a separate eating area and take your order at the table. Doma Doma is a good eating and drinking restaurant and have branches in Tokyo and Kyoto otherwise look out for Sushi, Shabu-Shabu or Tepenyaki restaurants which are more expensive but worth visiting once. Vending machines selling drinks are ...

... my situation concisely and asked to speak to the Lending Dept. Their line was busy so she put me through to my branch manager instead. 'How did you get this number? You shouldn't be put through to me, this is branch level,' he started off. I tried to sound polite, as I knew people don't want to help rude people, although I was inwardly steaming. 'I'm sorry if I'm inconveniencing you, XXXX, but I'm stuck in Tokyo without any money and this ...

This morning I got an assignment at work which is actually very interesting. I was handed an organization chart describing a complicated arrangement of joint ventures and subsidiaries in many different countries which was all in kanji (symbols). There were a few English words scribbled on there for my benefit but it was a little overwhelming. Luckily I just finished taking antitrust. After work I scurried to grab noodles at our favorite place by school before our language class at ...

... from Owen. Before the sun set we did get to see some amazing views. We were above the clouds. Spectacular. At night there was lightning in the distance and clear skies - I saw a few shooting stars (when I had the energy to look up). There were plenty of stations to stop and rest. About 10 - 15 stations. We would hike about 1/2 an hour. Then rest at a station. The toilets stunk. Every time we neared a station ...

... What if anything happened, Japan has lots of small earthquake taking place everyday... hehehe, negative thinking, I would say!!! Oh yeah, the fare is 3000 yen per car. We stop at the resting area and it has a mini shopping mall and eatery places. We stop for about 40 minutes to view the sunset in the middle of Tokyo Bay before we finally headed home. Thank you for for the invitation, our dear friend. Until next time. Enjoy the photos. Until then, everyday is a new discoveries...

... 8 am, and I was soon surrounded by Japanese tourists. I wandered through the western gardens, where I caught a glimpse of the Imperial Palace which is off limits to tourists. From there I wandered to the Wadakura Fountain Park which was really impressive. I spent 30 minutes there and the fountain show changed multiple times. I also met a nice Japanese couple and we took each other's pictures. Ah - the ...