Day 18 and 19 - Tokyoooo

Day 18 - Best intentions

A bear i think?

With the best intentions in the world, we still couldn't get up before 3:30pm after the night before craziness. Had the usual cheap lunch then headed to the Imperial Palace, where the emperor of Japan lives, right in the heart of Tokyo. It was a fantastically beautiful contrast of new to old to see such old and beautiful buildings - hopefully a warm up for Koyoto next week!

After taking lots of pics and walking for ages, we headed back to the now beloved Shibuyu, people watched for an hour or so, then headed to a Pichinku hall. This is Japan's solution for gambling being illegal. I can't exactly tell you what it's all about, but we spent a fiver and watched thousands of silver balls dance around and disappear. Possibly more fun than drinking money then literally pissing it away, but i'm not so sure. The crazy thing was the amount of business men, old people, young people, all throwing money in and collecting millions of these little balls to swap for prizes (cigarettes and booze seemed the most popular).

getting some practice in...

We had dinner, went to a few cafes, crepperies and bars, then headed to the trendy town of Ebisu, South of Shibuyu. A brilliant little place with bar on top of bar on top of bar. Thats the crazy thing about Tokyo, you really have to look up. Every building has a different thing on every floor, so every single thing you walk past has for example (internet floor 1, McDonalds Fl2, English Pub Fl3, Kareoke Fl4) then usually 10 more floors of things we don't understand. After a really good evening bar hopping and chatting to locals, we started the nightly walk home. If you know Tokyo or can be bothered, have a look how far Ebisu to Jimbocho is to walk... I can't translate it to London easily, but something like Docklands to Hampstead at a guess. A long way, anyway.

New and Old

Walking home it's so easy to fall in love with Tokyo.

There is no litter. None. For a city of so many people and so much 24hr food, there is honestly NO litter. We played a game whilst walking to see who could spot ANY litter first. After 5 min of walking I spotted a TINY see through wrapper to a straw. Its honestly that clean. I think it all comes down to respect. Everyone is so incredibly courteous and helpful. The english here is poor, but everyone will go out of there way to help, then bow and say thank you to us! We asked a guy working on road works on the side of the road and he couldn't have been nicer or more helpful... I can't imagine a Londoner doing the same. Even the roadworks seem so organised also, with lit up cones and lights and dummies waving lights like a modern day scarecrow for cars, it really is cool.

Nobody turned a head in Tokyo

It's completely safe also. All sorts of people, young, old, sober, drunk, male, female, walk around at this time (3 - 6am) completely on their own, and why not, its the safest feeling place ive honestly ever been - even safer than Hayling Island i'd say! People leave there really expensive bikes completely unlocked all over the city. I mean nice, NICE mountain bikes, just rested a against a tree, completely unlocked, all over the place. There's been countless other examples that are making me think i could leave my wallet and camera on a table, walk off and come back an hour later to collect them. I won't of course, but that's how it feels...

Day 19 - Electric City

Ordering in restaurant

SO today, we woke at 3pm again (May as well concede to being nocturnal here) headed out for lunch, then to the electric city where i am now and my internet is about to run out, tonight we head out for a MASSIVE one, I'll update when i can...

(Update)

So, we did indeed have a massive one. We headed out for an amazing meal in Ikebukro (spelling probably wrong)and after lots of drinking headed to a kareoke booth place. For 5 hours!!!!! Hilarity and bad renditions of english songs were the order of the evening and we caught the 5:30am tube home....

Pachinko

The city by day (a rare thing for us)

The Imperial Palace, central Tokyo