First impressions on arrival in Japan last Sunday evening couldn`t have been better! Everything just works so well, from the super efficient trains, the numerous vending machines everywhere that don`t even spit back out the notes you are trying to use and the hand dryers that actually dry your hands to name just a few examples!
There is no evidence of any significant crime here, no graffitti, nothing. It seems like Japanese people have managed to learn how to live together very well, and they clearly take a pride in that as everything seems immaculately clean and cared for. Our accomodation is quite good fun, albeit very small (as apparently is the norm in Japan). Our tatami (ie.sleeping on a mat on the floor) room has barely enough room for the ` bed` let alone our bags and some space to stand! We do have Japanese Kimono style dressing gowns to wear though which is a bit of a laugh.
Emma has particularly enjoyed the toilets - they are usually heated and some of the more impressive ones have a selection of buttons including the `bidet` spray, the `toilet flush noise` (to cover up any embarassing noises) and the `additional freshness spray` button for any particularly bad smells! (check out the photo) In our first few days in Japan we have eaten Japanese-style food including sushi train restaurant, we`ve wandered the busy shopping streets of the Ginza district (including the Sony building showroom with all its latest gadgets!) and we`ve tried to go to the Imperial Palace gardens (it was shut, will re-visit on our return in a week or so), went to the sushi fish market where they bring all the new catches for the restaurants and shops to buy (it was shut too, oops!), visited an emerging technology museum, caught the hi-tech monorail across the river, caught a ferry down the river, visited markets and temples and on our last day taken a day trip to Nikko (pituresque small town covered in snow-clad temples and nice walks), phew!
We set off from here tomorrow by Shinkansen or `bullet train` to a quiet mountain village in the Japan Alps. Tokyo has been great and we look forward to our return before we leave Japan but now we are looking forward to getting away from city life for a few days... More thumbnails ...
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Tokyo Hotels
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