Vista Kamata Tokyo

... on your next overseas holidays and you too can be whisked through customs. Rob, Michelle and Michael were all finger-printed on entering Japan and had our photo taken for their records. This of course has thwarted our plans of robbing the Bank of Japan.

We managed to take care of validating our Japan Rail tickets and organising subway tickets into Tokyo. We met Rick, an Irish fellow visiting his son in Tokyo and yes the Irish do love a chat ...

... to check out some of the shopping malls (all the 3 different Lumine). Aside from that we did a lot of resting and just taking it easy. I played around with my new toy, a brand spanking new Mac Book Pro I bought in Seoul. Christoph caught up with some reading.

The next day, we explored another department store Takashimaya where Christoph was successful to find a pair of shoes. There are so many gorgeous shoes at this place. With the rain still hanging around, we ...

... br>And of course, Japan is many things; many different colors and shades of culture: traditional and modern, young and old, rich and poor, good and bad, and still even more. And so my appreciation for diversity increases. Indeed, there are MANY ways to lead a life,

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So, this is my view from one week in. I wonder what it will look like from 40,000 feet looking back on six weeks of observation, interaction, and ...

... from the hotel, we walked to the opposite direction toward "Nihonbashi" subway station. Nihonbashi literally means "the Japan bridge" and it was the most important bridge and mercantile quarter during the edo period ...

... Atu190".

We were outside terrace and it began raining and everybody became a bit glumpy because their service was sloooow ..... (something common in those restaurants with a great view is that it is slow, or aren't we too Americanized?)

... place called 'Forbidden fruits cafe' ... a goth-looking fruit juice cafe that also sold indian curry and vegetable soup. And there was noone in there save for a single black man (who was well dressed by the way). This is probably because the menu is all english without any japanese explainations(except how to pronounce the menu items in japanese), and that its not yet midnight. lol. After ordering a hot honey & lemonade, I notice a little stairwell leading to the basement, coupled ...

... rain throughout my time here) I decided to take a visit to the nearby Tokyo Dome City (home of professional baseball's Tokyo Giants...equivalent to our Yankees) and Koishikawa Korakuen (Japanese gardens). While I did not get a chance to make it inside the Tokyo Dome (mainly because I could not figure out if there was a game scheduled for that day because I couldn't read the schedule)...I was able to wander around the grounds for a bit...quite an experience in itself. Despite the high ...

... to one thing in particular on the menu and gesturing that it was sliced. We just nodded and gestured to bring it. We figured - how bad could it be? He brought out a bowl of sliced raw fish, all silvery and shiny, with some wasabi and soy sauce. Now I enjoy sushi but as combination of different flavors and textures with the rice and what-not. But this was just plain raw flesh. I told Dane there was no way I was going to be able to eat that, but ...

... similar to the multi level grocery but this is larger and has 6 levels with cosmetics, electronics and various household needs and some groceries. Every square inch is packed with products...no space is wasted! It's like being in a maze sometimes with tiny narrow aisles and if anyone is coming in the opposite direction you have to make room for them to pass, saying "sumimasen" which means "sorry/excuse me!" We'll fill you in with more later...

... sanky koko matkallamme. Sangyn paadyssa oli paljon nappeja josta sai saadettya valoisuutta, tuuletusta ja musiikkia. Lisaksi loytyi tietenkin pakkaus, jossa oli kaksi kondomia ja paljon paperia. Kylpyhuoneessa oli kylpyamme ja suihku, vessanpontossa oli ihanasti lammitetty istuin. Kylpparissa oli kaikki mahdolliset pesuaineet, pyyhkeet, hammasharjat ja kosteusvoiteet. Oikein hyvin varustettu huone. Kavimme viela syomassa iltapalaa ja sitten vetaydyimmekin yopuulle. Mika katseli ...