Day Two - Tokyo - Planet Japan

Slept well after the jet lag and fire alarm incident.  Up, showered and out and off to the fish market called Tsukiji.  I wanted to go here as I think I saw Rick

Stein there in one episode.  Needless to say it was busy but I am glad we went.

We had decided to have breakfast as we went. However, in Japan, no one walks around eating, you just do not see it, or drinking in fact.  The first delight was a strange strawberry thingy.  They are called mochi.  The texture was very odd and it kind of felt like eating Playdough!  The next taster was scallops on a stick. All very much what it says on the tin.  Then we saw people queuing up and thought that would be good, so we queued and had like an omelette on a stick called a tamagoyaki. Very tasty.  I was then invited to have some seaweed tea, which after you got over the salty taste was rather enjoyable. We had some nibbles of soya beans, then went for a glass saki and a coffee within about ten minutes of each other (as you do).  I had to use the toilet and there is something quite strange about a warm toilet seat (they heat up), especially in a public toilet.

We then went for a walk back towards the Imperial Palace to have a look at the gardens. Guess what?  They were closed today (of course they were), so we

continued walking, and walking and walking to we reached Meiji Jingu Shrine. What a treat this was.  We approached it trough a forest of the most amazing trees.  When we got to the shrine we had to wash our hands and mouth before saying a prayer.  I wrote my prayer on a piece of paper then you post it for it to be blessed.  As always, when I do these kind of things I pray for my Megan.  We then went to make an offering and another prayer as well as getting a piece of paper with some wisdom on it from an Emperor.  Actually, mine was a bit close to home.  It was really lovely and you could see it was steep deep in tradition.  

After being blessed and giving prayers we decided to walk to our next destination.  We actually that is a lie, we just were walking and ended up at our next destination:  Shinjuku.  We went in Starbucks.  As much as I hate it in

there it is always good for free wifi.  That done, we then went to explore and found the most amazing, crazy 'shopping area' ever.  I needed a plug (long story, Aldi had packaged up the wrong plugs so I had no way to power up Betsy May Jackson!). That purchased it turns out in the same store, which was about 
ten floors high was a Uniglo which is one of my new favourite stores back in London.  It is a Japanese company and in the UK, for those of you who do not know, it is marketed very much like a Next.  However, here in Tokyo, it is more like a Primark, with Primark prices.  Two new t shirts later and less than I paid in the UK, it was time to go explore more.

We walked around and found the Robot Cafe, no!  I could not think of anything worse, well actually I could, but that was not going to be an option. We saw a whole road dedicated to Godzilla with a huge Godzilla up on the rooftop.  There were so many people, neon lights, noise.  The one thing I have noticed in Japan (well amongst many more) I the crazy music they play everywhere.  It is like being in a Playstation Game. The shop I went into (Uniglo) had the most annoying music continually playing.  I would have to take a hammer to it if I worked in there.  For the short time I was in there I had enough.

One of the things I wanted to experience here in Japan was their love for

electronic games.  We had seen amusement arcades as we had walked around so I dragged the boy into one.  In all fairness it did not take too much effort.  I have never seen anything like it in my life.  Full grown mean, afterwords, killing things on these games.  There were some guys who had what looked like football cards and were picking their team, placing them on the pad and the machine recognised them and played them in the game.  How does this work? What madness and this place was nothing special at all. The usual dark and dingy amusement arcade.  We had a go at a couple of things which resulted in us (me) putting money in the slot and pressing buttons and nothing really happening.  Everything was in Japanese and we did not have a damn clue.  So funny but yet again it was so quiet in there (well apart from the machines) with no one talking, very reserved.

We were then hungry and no wonder considering we had only had a handful of food earlier on in the morning.  We ended up in a restaurant.  The one thing you must know is I have no idea what is on the menu.  Some restaurants have

plastic displays of the food in the window which are no better than photos and give indication as to what they actually are.  So for example what looks like tofu is probably pork.  We go into this restaurant and you could not make this stuff up.  We were seated and then in the middle of the table a hot plate was switched on.  You selected your menu. So once again, nothing for me but prawn or squid! Really! Prawns it was, plus some white cabbage, beansprouts, carrot and noddles.  The idea is you cook your own tea. So the first time I actually get something cooked results in me having to cook it myself!  Andy nearly set light to the place pouring lots of soy sauce on the hotplate.  I told him you don't do it like that but oh no on it went.  The chef come over and then he sent a waitress over to sort it out.  By now I was losing the will to live and just dished my six to seven prawns up and tipped the rest on it and ate it up.  It was OK. Nothing special, but it went down.

We then left and started to walk around again and come across a building that

resembled a cinema; but it was not.  In fact it was a VR (virtual reality) complex type thing.  I was (note the word was) a VR virgin but not for much longer. We paid to have a go on Super Mario Carts - which meant nothing to me.  You have to sit I a car, have some gloves on then some headphones then a headset is put on you, all very strange.  The next thing you know it all becomes so real and I am driving a car like a lunatic around this track.  It was so real.  I was so scared at one point but it was great.  I loved it.  I did not have clue what I was doing but it was such fun. After this event we walked around and had another go where I had to walk along a plank at the top of a skyscraper and reduce a cat. To be honest the bloody cat could have stayed there as I really do not do heights.  However, the girl did good and not only rescued the cat but did not fall off either. Yay, go me! It really was a great experience and I did enjoy it.

By now, we had walked nearly 10 miles and it was getting on for 10.00pm, so we caught the tube back to the hotel and it was nearly 11.00pm before we actually got to our room.  It had been a busy and eventful day.

Japan or Planet Japan as I affectionately call it is nothing like anywhere else I have been.   There is a very large older population here.   Where you would think they would be quite modernised such in the tubes with escalators and lifts, there are not. Just stairs. Or a mixture of the both which serves no purpose.  It would be very difficult with a buggy or a wheelchair.  Obviously the food is an issue.  I am not struggling that would be a lie, however, we really do have to start looking for a place to eat at least an hour before hand.  Translation to English is very limited with giving you very little idea of what is in the dish.  I get the impression that vegetarianism is not recognised.  The tube stations play birds cheeping sounds to give the impression that you our outside.  This interacts with Playstation game music with no obvious reason why.  The tubes are spotlessly clean and I mean clean.  The coffee is vile and I mean vile.  I am going to give up on it now, there really is no point.  The tube system is operated by various providers but we have navigated it so well but I think living in London has helped with this.  It really is like being on a totally different planet with every now and then a reminder of whatever 'normality' is back home in London.  Such a wonderful and unique experience.  Thank you Planet Japan.

As always, with my love x

PS I still feel uncomfortable sitting on a warm public toilet seat but I quite like the oscillating function on the squirty thing ;)