Imperial Palace

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April 28th 2006

Published: April 29th 2006

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AdamKent

Imperial Palace

The classic, postcard view of the Imperial Palace with the bridge in the foreground.

Yesterday was a bit wet and miserable, hence the indoor attractions of Ikebukuro. Luckily, today was another good one, 25 degrees and sunny again. Decided to capitalise on the fine weather by visiting the Imperial Palace, something that has been on my list of things to see since I arrived. Really nice on a sunny day, and excellent gardens (although the reason they stay so nice is that you aren't allowed on the grassy areas!). After the Imperial Palace I noticed a park with a cool fountain so I strolled over to have a look at that as well. Then I made my way to the Sony Building in Ginza via Hibya Park. Seriously impressive Sony showrooms inside, but similar to the UK Sony shops in that the prices are higher inside than the usual electronics shops in town. Really wanted a Sony PSP after that, and went back to Akihabara to check the prices there. Turns out they cost roughly half of the UK price in Akihabara, plus the Japanese model has a superior screen and features to the already excellent UK and US model. The tempatation was just too much !! I got the high-spec PSP pack in a

Imperial Palace

Gatehouse for the bridge.

ceramic white colour. Very nice piece of kit, I spent a good while playing Burnout Legends and Wipeout Pure on it. Also, it has full internet access via WiFi. You go anywhere in Tokyo and there are always at least half a dozen servers around you can log onto and check your emails for free. I don't think there are quite as many WiFi hotspots back in the UK, but it seems to be something that is growing quickly in popularity. So, that is something else to keep me entertained on all these boring flights everywhere. I bet there will be a few people jealous of my new toy, and if anyone wants one, get someone in Japan to buy it and post it to the UK !!

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Adam Kent

AdamKent

Whatever I wanted to say here about travel has probably already been said more eloquently by someone else... A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to se... full info