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Published: March 6th 2009
What have we been up to since my last blog entry? One thing, really: shopping. We have shopped in Roppongi. We have shopped in Shibuya. We have shopped in Harajuka. We have shopped in Ginza. We have shopped in Akihabara. We have shopped in Sunshine City (an ironic name, really), a 60 floor building of restaurants, offices, cinemas and - can you guess? - shops! And believe it or not, I, the Queen of the Trafford Centre myself, have actually grown a little bored of shopping. I know, it was a shock to me too. But, don't worry, Mark is still going strong; I think he could peruse the endless aisles of manga quite happily for all of eternity.
Yesterday was our well-needed break from Tokyo commerce, which coincided with blue skies and sunshine (our first bit of weather luck in a very long time!), and so we headed for the Imperial Gardens. Once we had by-passed the flocks of Japanese tour groups (all wearing matching coats and hats, I might add), we found a beautiful section of the park and just enjoyed sitting in the sunshine. There was a waterfall, a traditional little Japanese bridge and stepping stones crossing
the pond, which was full of huge carp. Everything was very peaceful, and despite the skyscrapers you could just see over the line of trees, it felt like we were back in Kyoto. Ahh, Kyoto, how I miss thee!
When the wind started to grow a little colder, we reluctantly bid farewell to our little oasis in the heart of the thriving metropolis, and headed to the Sony Building. I'm not one for gadgets and electronics - anyone who has seen my mobile phone knows that - but even I was impressed by the Sony showrooms. The stairs you climb up light up and make music with each step you take; needless to say, me and Mark made a few trips back and forth just for the sake of it. There was an iPod that rolled around on the floor in time to the music and cameras that automatically take a photograph as soon as they detect a smile (Mark was standing in front of it for quite a while before it took the photo). There was an interactive games section, which Mark of course took full advantage of, and an area where you tested headphones in certain scenarios
- for example, there was a small room set up just like a plane, with the noises, and you could test how well the headphones worked there. All very shiny and impressive!
Today was our last day in Japan and, because the country is obviously so sad to see us leave, it has not stopped raining all day! We're hoping, against all odds, that the weather might be a little nicer once we reach Peru. But what can you expect when you go to the Andes and the Amazon Rainforest in the wet season? I'm not holding my breath!
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MUM
non-member comment
WOW!!!!
Yea - the Sony showrooms there are wonderful with stairs lighting up etc - they were like that in Singapore! Tell him no use testing the headphones on airplanes - he will spend enough time doing that again soon!! Safe journey - are you running out of memory on your camera cards yet - and do you want any more? Love Mumxxxxxxxx