Tokyo

How fab is Tokyo???? AMAZING, its that good it gets full capitals!!!!

Not at all like in Lost in Translation where its all alienation and navel gazing. Bill should have got out more and actually taken alook around and seen how amazing it all is. A very sad Star Trek analogy but Tokyoites are like the borg, they take the best bits of whatever cultures they find and incorporate it into their daily life. They are not afraid of new things, where else could you find the fusion of a hot dog in a naan covered in curry, or even a curry donut (Both actually very nice!) Well I had to try them!! And yet they manage to retain their own culture just under the surface, pretty much anywhere in Tokyo if you got off the main streets you see little winding roads with local houses and little teabars/restaurants on them.

The first night I went to a tiny family run restaurant, literally 10ft wide and consisting of a long narrow counter with a table on one side and the kitchen on the other. I was the only person in there and as I was eating my noodles his family came down and started raiding the fridge and watching the television in the corner. I was worried I had walked into someones living room and demanded they cook my food! Have been and done about every tourist thing I could think of but the hightlights are the 52nd floor of Mori tower at night, looking outover the whole of Tokyo and truly understanding the idea that a city can be a living breathing thing! Kabuki was really funny even though I didn't bother to pay for the english headset (thought it would ruin the experience). Its grand farce really with lots of bluff and double bluffs, kind of like the film Whats up Doc? played out by a cast ofoveracting Frankie Howerds (if you can imagine such a thing!).

Also top was the fish market, you really do risk your life walking around there as there are these crazy little trucks that just fly about with no regard for pedestrians. I could go on for ages about all the wonderful things I have seen but I will leave you with my last expereience, the capsule hotel!

Capsule hotels (for those of you that don't know or I haven't toldyou) are basically cheap accomodation for businessmen who miss the last train home (they all stop at 12 and you are b*ggered if you miss it as the taxis are so expensive!). They are like little dog kennels two high that you climb into to sleep. Pretty basic really you get your little pod, which is 1m high by 1m wide by about 2m long, it has a tv and radio and thats it.

The cool thing is that they come with a spa linked to them, in this case my pod was on the 6th floor and the spa was on the 9th. They provide all the services you would expect, streamroom, sauna, hot & cool pool, jacuzzi (which was bright purple for some reason...perhaps it was grape flavour, I was too afraid to find out!!). Plus all the little extras, disposable toothbrush, razor, hairbrushes, even scales and body fat checker. Everything you could possibly want is provided for about 25quid. The only downsidewas the random snuffling drunk businessmen crawling into their pods at various points of the night so I will remember my earplugs next time!