You can't take your sake

---

Following a drunken and philosophical evening/argument with some Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Hindu Malays, we left Borneo, popped into dull but pleasant Singapore for a few days, and then headed to Tokyo.

We started off in Harajuku, hanging out with all the cool kids and admiring their trendy clothes and gadgets. Jo realised how unfashionable she looked and promptly went to the Japanese military museum to cheer herself up. Here she learnt that the only reason behind Japan's involvement in World War 2 was the need for steel.

Apart from the obvious Japanese treats such as 18 function bum-washing toilets with warm, furry seats, we've also managed to spot a few fake geishas and one real ninja. Luckily the ninja recognised that Mark was of his kind and so didn't attack us. Mark was ready to take him out, though.

Despite some language lessons from a Finnish-Aussie, Mark has yet to be understood when stringing more than two words together whilst Jo is virtually fluent in reading, writing and speaking.

Tokyo's eating and dining scene is amazing - there are over 80,000 venues to choose from compared to London's paltry 6,000. We've visited a few 'Yakitori-yas' and 'Izakayas' and discovered that you can get by with "birra and yaki soba". Friday night is the best with large numbers of incapacitated businessmen being dragged through the streets by paramedics after a few too many sakes.

---