Back to Japan

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It was eight years since our last trip to Japan and this time we were here in the season of cherry blossom and clement weather. Having lost most of our photos from the last trip we were back to see what had changed and what was as crazy as ever.

The flight with Japan Airlines was great, too many new films to watch as well as fit in some sleep but we did our best. Having arrived at Haneda airport we exchanged our vouchers for Japan Rail passes which allows us unlimited use for most of the train network in Japan and set off into Tokyo. The monorail was plastered with pictures of Pokemon and sped us into the centre as the warm afternoon sun flickered between the tall suburban buildings. Our first hotel was in Shin-okubo and although I had immediately taken off my shoes on entering, the reception staff were very insistent that I put on some slippers that barely covered two thirds of my feet. It was almost dangerous to walk up the stairs while carrying a heavy rucksack and keeping my toes in the open backed slippers but maybe we were being secretly filmed for a new series of Takeshi's Castle and this was just an obstacle to staying in the prize of a hotel room where the losers just get the emergency room?

After a quick train ride south to Shibuya we walked around the bustling backstreets looking for Uobei Genki Sushi for dinner - the bullet train delivered sushi bar. We arrived just at the wrong moment we thought as not only was there a queue but all the seats to accommodate the queue were taken too. However, within five minutes we had been given our numbered clips and we walking into the restaurant in search for seats 66 and 67. In front of our seats at the long bars were a selection of condiments and an Android tablet which Sam worked out how to get it to display in English. We poured ourselves some green tea and flicked through the menu screens ordering plates of miso soup and sushi from the extensive list. Seconds later plates of food whizzed along the rails of the bar stopping directly in front of each orderer for them to take the plates and send the carriages whizzing back to the kitchen. We ended up ordering 13 plates of delicious food and it was only the sea urchin that we struggled with - the description 'tastes of low tide' I had seen was very accurate. The whole bill came to less than £10 and we walked back full to the train station through a very busy (for a Monday night) Shibuya.

Back in Shinjuku we walked to our hotel through the neon and came across two huge bikini clad robots that looked like they were being operated by tiny Power Rangers. At first we thought this was a fairground ride but it turns out that it is a dance/robot restaurant where you eat a bento meal while girls in bikinis operate giant dancing robots!



Drink of the Day: Green Tea

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