TOKYO

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Taking the chance to do some travel on the way back from Perth we stopped for six days in Tokyo. To short a time to try and see much in a big city but we got a nice glimpse of the its culture. Not the culture shock we were expecting, but we have been to India recently. We stayed in the central bookshop district of Jimbocho in a basic but comfortable hotel. Each day we would explore a different area and discover what each had to offer.

Early on we decided to visit one of the modern art galleries, but five minutes in we both agreed this isn't where we wanted to be. Although usually we love to spend time roaming around galleries, it didn't seem the right thing to do in Tokyo, as just walking around the streets there was so much to see.

It was amazing how clean, and in a way, quiet the place was. There is a very different mentality to things like recycling as well as cars. The streets were spotless despite the lack of bins. The cars were very modest (unlike in the west) and seemed to move around in a strange peaceful manner. We couldn't believe the bizarre numbers of vending machines that seemed to be available on every street. Serving up a strange array of cold and surprisingly hot canned drinks. 6 million of them in the city, I think a third of them were in our block.

A huge part of Tokyo's culture lies in the shopping experience. So much money is put towards advertising, architecture and branding. And its all very overwhelming. We visited the busy strip of shops selling all those luxury brands- Prada, Gucci and Louis, and couldn't believe the congregation of buildings by the who's who of contemporary architecture. Every which way you looked, a building straight out of a glossy architecture magazine was in view. Each looking as if its doing some sort of animalistic display to attract a mate with colour and lights.

Japan has a different aesthetic toward design that we both love, and it was sad that the people seem so interested in all things western. In many cases there were great examples of where East and West had combined to make some of the most wonderful things. After visiting Tokyo we were even more keen to see the rest of Japan, as it seems clear that Tokyo is much like New York. That is has its own individual culture and people (who were all lovely), and we're curious to see what the rest of the country is like.

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