Blogs from Tokyo, Japan, Asia - page 252

Started out today on very little sleep, as per usual, dad kept me up all night snoring. Thank God for green tea with breakfast... We ate at the Imperial Viking Sal buffet at the hotel. Which was fine, but a little overpriced. We had Rudy and Ted (dad's coworkers) with us, and together we set off for their only day of sightseeing in the city. We hopped on the metro at Ginza station, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel and took the Ginza line to Asakusa. Asakusa is an old neighborhood - narrow streets, colorful booths and old temples: We spent a good bit of time at Sensoji Temple, passing through the shopping area of Nakamise on the way. Sensoji is the oldest temple in Tokyo, supposedly built in 628. It's very colorful with ... read more

Greetings from Ikebukuro, Tokyo. We've been here for one week, ｓｌｅｅｐｉｎｇ　ｏｎ　ｔａｔａｍｉ　ｍａｔｓ，and taking in the sights one by one, trying to not get sucked into the vortex of intensity that is Tokyo. Ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ａ　ｒｅｓｔｏｒａｔｉｖｅ　ｓｔａｙ　ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｉｎｆａｍｏｕｓ　Ｐａｒｋ　Ｈｙａｔｔ　－　ｔｈｅ　ｖｉｅｗ　ｗａｓ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ．　27 million people populate the central city, and we've been a bit lost in translation, for lack of a better phrase. Ｔｏｋｙｏ　ｉｓ　ａｌｌ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｆｏｏｄ　ａｎｄ　ｆａｓｈｉｏｎ． Ｏn one hand ｉｔ　ｉｓ　steeped in a historicity deeper than anything we can comprehend, but one the other hand is a string of Time Square's, pachinko parlors (the popular gambling sensation), crazy convenience stores selling dress shirts and sushi to go, and arcades wｅ　ｗｅｎｔ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｃｒａｚｙ　ｏｕｒｓｅｌｖｅｓ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｏｎｇｏ　ｄｒｕｍ　ｇａｍｅ．　Ｅｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ　ｉｓ　ｓｏ　ｋｉｎｄ　ａｎｄ　ｇｒａｃｉｏｕｓ．　 Ｏｔｈｅｒ　ｔｈａｎ　ｔｈｅ　Ｐａｒｋ　Ｈｙａｔｔ，　ｗｅ’ｖｅ　ｓｔａｙｅｄ　ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　Ｋｉｍｉ　Ｒｙｏｋａｎ，　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｉｓ　ｓｔａｒｔｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｆｅｅｌ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｌｉｋｅ　ｈｏｍｅ　ｈｅｒｅ．　Ｉｔ’ｓ　ａ　ｖｅ... read more

Well, it's still 36 hours until I leave for Tokyo, but I thought I would open up my new travelogue for business in anticipation. Rather than traveling with journal I'm travelling high tech this trip. I'll keep a log here of all the places I see, people I meet, experiences and whatnot rather than write it all out long hand. Which will save me retyping it anyhow. Also check here for pictures. Yay digital camera and laptop.... read more

Tokyo was by far the best city I stayed in. It’s definitely is very modern and very city like. It is in Tokyo where I got meet up with Sayuri…that was so awesome. No stories but the pictures and captions will give you a better idea of what I experienced.... read more

Including her adventures... Taking time out to relax and catch up on some reading Wandering around Roppongi and Roppongi Hills Shopping at Electric City Visiting the secondhand book area Wandering through the suburbs Checking out the Sumo Museum Trying to get some cash from an ATM & shopping (again!) among others... One advantage of being in Tokyo was the opportunity to relax in my own room, therefore being able to sleep in as long as I liked and stay up at night reading. Because of this, I took the opportunity to catch up on some of the books I'd missed due to being busy at uni and work during the year. During my time in Tokyo, I re-read the 5th Harry Potter book before making my way through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I also ... read more