Monterey Yokohama

... pandas. There were people and patterns of colour and Chinese signs everywhere. It was crazy! We pushed our way through the crowds to a restaurant where we sampled Japanese style Chinese food, totally different to our Chinese food, and the food in China. We had steamed dumplings and steamed buns with prawns and chicken in yummy sauces. <br><br>After eating we continued walking around Chinatown, visiting a beautiful temple ...

Today will be an extremely short blog entry. Basically, today was simply a rest day to get ourselves ready for the next 3 days of insanity as we do Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. We will be buying 3 day passes, and will most likely end up doing Disneyland tomorrow, and then Disney Sea on Thursday, and then on Friday we will decide which park we should do on the 3rd day. Today basically we took our time in the morning, and ...

... got an extra scoop of ice cream at the parlour!! Both really enjoyed the day (thank god it didn't rain today ...

... to the Y1100 version, he pointed to the whole metro map again..! So, I trusted my instincts and bought the Y740 version. Big mistake! Later on near Shinjuku, my ticket didn't work. Turns out that the lines here are split into two groups. Identical trains, and almost identical coverage but split into two groups... like totally random. And now? Admittedly, I'm writing this on the morning of the 3rd, I've just looked outside and it's snowing heavily... photo time!

... the walk, Mr S and I engaged in a conversation. This was a most uncanny conversation I had in years. "The snake... It was big. The Asahi guys thought it was from Okinawa", he muttered. A moment later he revealed his life story, "I was born in Harajuku [a town in central Tokyo]. My dad had been born in Kochi and he was a calligraphy teacher. He lived until 95." Not only was I trying to follow him ...

... to my left was the fish market at Tsukiji, the largest in Japan, and home to what are reputed to be Japan's best sushi restaurants. In the distance to my right I could see the Chuo Bridge, and the tall buildings which surrounded it. Continuing down Harumi Dori I enjoyed the sights and smells of the many small restaurants. The lunch hour was just beginning, and the street was crowded with workers of all types on their way to find something to eat. Having eaten just before I left, I ...

... the words on my graduation certificate. We had a laugh. Then my anxious mother asked me about my job prospects and superannuation. The answer to the first questions exasperated her, and my response to the second question sent her shivers along the spine. Luckily, my father is nonchalant, almost indifferent. So I get a nice balance between the two extremes. Now I have got to go to a tailor and get my suits. I will be a JOG: Japan-oriented-Gentleman. Ryota

... and get some sleep. Laundry turned out to be yet another incidence to test our patience and language skills. In the laundry room of the mansion a machine spits out a box with two powedered packets f detergent. Is one bleach and one detergent? No idea, no way to tell. A Google search of the word for bleach to compare to the symbols on the package doesn't work. Finally Jen has to run down the street to 7-11 for fear of bleaching all of our clothes. Even in here ...

... So many drawers and shelves and cupboards... But I'm getting ahead of myself. Our apartment is a two-floor deal, on the fourth and fifth floors of one of the buildings at Canada Court, the housing complex just behind the Embassy. Our first floor is quite large, with a bathroom, a den/office (mainly G's domain), a big kitchen with a huge pantry and more cupboards than I'm sure we'll ever know what to do with and a formal living room and dining ...

... be potent at times!!!) Samouri HQ! - Joel can probably explain alot more about this than I can but it was quite moving. Visited a fish market...it said to get there early so we were there for 7am and its was mad! every type of fish imaginable and selling every part of the fish aswell!!! Imperial Palace gardens, and tokyo main ...