First Day in Tokyo!

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Arrived in Tokyo today, 2:30 pm local time. Kudos to Japan Airline for their exceptional customer service and wonderful food. I have never bowed so much in such a short period of time! Apparently, Japanese bow and look at you in the eye and it would be unkind not to look back at them. I thought it was the other way round and bowed avoiding eye contact! Hope I did not offend many people 😉 - on our way to board the Narita Express (a sort of Gatwick Express) I get the first glimpses of Tokyo locals.... a Japanese Rasta-fari (!!), several schoolgirls dressed like mango cartoons (very short skirts!), a guy with oversized 60's glasses+Hermes foulard+Alladin pants (ah! their love of fashion statements) and a couple of ladies wearing regency dresses - including old parasols! (and it was NOT a costume). I love this city.
Everyone is extremely helpful and nice. People offer to help with my suitcase when I am dragging it out of the tube stairs (!!), no one wants any tips (!!) and of course, more bowing. We find the hotel easily enough. Drop the bags and take a walk. Find ourselves wide-eyed at everything around us. Shinjuku reminds me of Piccadilly/Times Square but smaller (though it certainly surpasses the latter in signs, sounds, colours and people shouting marketing ads). We're looking for an adaptor and visit 2 or 3 electronic shops which would be heaven for any technology-lover (anyone from my generation say I!) - however, and perhaps it's because we're tired, we cannot take it for too long. Unbelievably busy, loud and 'in your face'.... amazing the way they market their products. As many people selling as there are people buying, so many signs with prices and offers and mango cartoons that I can scarcely find an empty space (wall or floor). I thought we came from crowded cities and aggressive marketing cultures but here it's not too different. M wants to have a ciggy but the floor signals warn us against it - someone points out there are specific places ('sealed' corners) where one can smoke. Fantastic, hopefully they'll do that everywhere now... and with alcohol too, since the latter is as dangerous as tobacco! To think that once upon a time tobacco companies were welcomed as Art sponsors and now, it’s even un-cool. Smokers beware, find these spots or you'll be in trouble!!
Another visit to one of the many 'games' shop does it for me. Extremely loud and full of people (‘what are they playing?’ asks M.... I manage to spy over a player's shoulder and discover he's playing ‘tarot’ with the machine. Another one is fighting figures in a renewed version of Tekken (ah! those times I used to play, really badly I know!) whilst some other guy is watching (and playing with?) schoolgirl cartoons. As mentioned, the noise is extreme, so much so I cannot comprehend how people can sit there and concentrate on anything at all. We trot out of there looking for some fresh air and 'silence'. I mention I feel like part of a video-game and M agrees. It's sushi time now and we look for a place with no pictures or prices outside, or where the locals seem to head, as they'll be the best. We have a fantastic dinner at a place where people are wooed as they come in (should have seen my surprised face at first) and wooed as they leave (sweet!). Can’t remember the name 
Now, end of the day, so excited I cannot sleep and whilst M lies comatose, I write everything I've seen and try to work out the many buttons in the WC (unbelievable, 7 different actions, which I won't mention - all very useful!... ok I'll mention one: heating the seat. How cool is that??). TV in the background, not one single international channel so at the moment 'watching' a Japanese version of CSI. Every other channel is about cooking sushi (no more, thanks) and piano lessons.
Thanks for reading!! B x

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Comments

[irene]

.... you\'ll be hearing that a lot ; ) . it\'s like music to my ears ... walking into a store and hearing 5 people say it ... walking into a restaurant and having 8 people repeat it ; ) . hahahaha. enjoy it ... japan is a once in a lifetime experience ... the people ...their values, their education, their politeness is so contagious it\'s scary ... have fun guys!! keep us posted!!! Remember to go to omotesando and the little street right off harajuku metro stop (a little hill that goes down full of crazy shops!!)... it\'s a SIGHT!!!