Advertisement
Published: July 13th 2008
Edit Blog Post
So here we are again, you wait for 1 bus and then they all turn up at once!!! (we haven't blogged for ages and now you've got an overdose of us!!)
We returned to Tokyo before flying out....earlier than expected as we came up with the master plan of returning one night early in order to squeeze in a night in a "capsule hotel"......and when I say squeeze in, it's meant quite literally!!! Probably the funniest experience we had while we were here, the whole concept is just soooooooo Japanese!! We arrived at the front desk to check in and were promptly pointed towards a vending machine of tokens to choose from. Fortunately the button for '"Stay" was written in English aswell, so we popped in the money and presented the token to the attendant.
A high speed elevator up 20 or so floors and we were deposited into our separate areas (Women have their own floors!). Through a set of doors and it was if I'd appeared on the set of a Sci-fi movie where all the humans had been cryogenicly frozen in their own individual cells. There were about 40 capsules in my coridoor, 2 stories high.
It was like sleeping in a moulded plastic caravan toilet - approx 2mx1mx1m, with a telly, radio and alarm, free pyjamas, toothbrush and towels and hot baths up on the top floor! We dumped our stuff and headed out for dinner which was another unique experience....Choose your dish from the pictures on the wall, pick the corresponding number on yet another vending machine and post the token to the chef through a little cubby-hole, 10 mins later out pops your tray of surprisingly yummy food!!....Only in Japan!
Dan - I never got to play with the gizmo's in my capsule because as soon as I sealed myself in tiredness got the better of me and I fell asleep within seconds. Ring Ring, Ring Ring was the sound of the alarm clock waking me up at 5.00am yes 5.00am, we were off to the famous Tsukiji fish market the pictures will tell the tales, it's where all the traders and restaurant owners go and bid for the mornings catch. It's also the best place in Japan if not the world to taste the best freshest sushi, Trouble was the restaurants surrounding the market charge an absolute fortune for the privelage.!!!
so being the gentleman I am offered Nic to go in on her own to save money, I popped next door for a coffee to wait............It wasn't because i chickened out............Honest!!!!!
Nic - Ha ha! 5am?...that's nothing, I was up at 4 to make the most of the hot bath and all facilities!....plus the idea of super fresh Sushi was really exciting! The fish market was crazy, Huge Tuna being carted around all over the place, massive octopus and all sorts of fish and shellfish. 6am and I was starving. The cues outside some of the restaurants were ridiculous and after waiting in one for over 1/2 hr we moved on to another....which in my opinion was just as good as it all came from the same place after all. I had a dish of assorted fish which cost about the same as our weekly food bill in India......Eeeek! It was one of the major things on my 'To Do' list though! Dan was rewarded for his waiting by a big McDonalds breakfast from round the corner!!!!
Dan - Yeah I scoffed down that Mcdonalds with pride, The rest of the day and night we wondered around the
bright lights neon buildings (see pics) and passed all the seedy mens clubs. On the way home we passed loads of drunk businessman falling all over the place, on the train one bloke (see pic) fell asleep while standing up and fell over like a falling tree smack onto the floor...........for a few seconds he contemplated staying there!!!! we stood for a few moments calm and collected but then our childish sense of humours got the better of us and we both burst out laughing so loud that the whole carriage joined in as well.
Nic - We also visited Harijuku, and area where all the trendy youths hang out....and near there a small area called Jingu-bashi, where at the weekends hoards of young girls congregate dressed up as in their rocker outfits and as there favorite manga characters - apparantly these are girls that are bullied at school and use the weekends to vent and rebel.....a true spectacle!
Dan - So our time was up in Japan.........i spent the last moments spending my yen in the airport bar while Nic inspected the shops, trouble was i got a bit bored and proceeded to stagger around the airport
in search of her..........what a good look !!
Nic - So from Japan to Thailand....yet another massive contrast, buy one we cant wait for.....especially looking forward to a bit of relaxation after rushing around so much recently.
Back soon!
xxxxxxxxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.217s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 26; qc: 112; dbt: 0.1732s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Sarah
non-member comment
Wow look at the size of those tuna!
Wow, that fish market looks amazing, where is it in tokyo (we are heading there shortly...) Thanks, great pics!