Tokyo, Japan (cont'd)

I've really picked a bad week to put myself within rocket range of North Korea, haven't I?

Since my last post I've done plenty more sightseeing, and the pictorial results can be inspected below. There's not much to add, really, other than to say that Japan continues to be marvellous. Everyone should visit and enjoy this beautiful country. Its inhabitants are by far the politest, friendliest and most civilised people I've ever met. I'm definitely coming back one day.

Never again shall I see Japanese students in Sunderland - hurriedly dodging their way through an unfamiliar sea of chavs and drunks and pasty wrappers - without acute sensations of pity, embarrassment and shame. And never again shall I endure a limp-wristedly clammy handshake, or a knuckle-crunchingly strong handshake, without being reminded that bowing to each other is a much better way of greeting. 

In short, I'm thinking of changing my name to Eddie-San, and never coming home.

(I just wish they'd stop cutting the crusts off the bread in sandwiches. I like crusts. Also the McDonalds in Tokyo stop serving breakfast deals at something ridiculous like 10am. Don't they know I'm on holiday?)

Space-age high-tech Japanese toilet!
After you've had too many bytes, this is where you come for a data dump.

The entrance to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park.
You're not allowed to take pictures at the shrine itself.
This is a bit rich from the Japanese, given that taking pictures is all they ever do when they're abroad.
I drove a carload of them past the Gateshead Angel once and it sounded like a Bren gun going off.

The music shops in Tokyo are just awesome. Above is one aisle of many in this particular guitar store.
Upstairs they had a vinyl section with - for example - 22 separate LPs by Tangerine Dream.
And if you've never heard of Tangerine Dream then arguably that kind of proves the point.

Outside Shibuya train station. This is Tokyo's version of Times Square. And it's more fun.

Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Japanese pasties are the bomb.
I'm never going back to Greggs.
Yes. I just said that. That just happened.

Wise and mysterious words at the cable car station.
At the top of the mountain, if you can't find a sensei, then sometimes a poster will have to do.

Maybe 'Cedric' sounds like a cool name for a car in Japanese?
I drive an old Nissan Almera, and for all I know 'almera' could be Japanese for 'scrotum'.

Everything is relative.

I spent a full day touring the Hakone district, which promises spectacular views of Mount Fuji
from various places, including a boat cruise and two cable cars.
In the event it was foggy as hell and the damn mountain didn't show up until the car park at the end of the tour.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's famous cherry blossom is normally at the end of March, but it came earlier than usual this year, so I missed most of it.

I started my first-ever travel blog by saying that New York was just like everyone says it is. I'd have to say the same for Tokyo. It's unlike any other big city I've been to. It's huge and hugely crowded, yet perfectly safe and almost entirely litter-free; the people are all very friendly, polite and respectful; and there is absolutely no ethnic diversity at all, unless you count me.

I checked into my digs at 3pm local time, but that was 6am on my body clock and I hadn't been to bed, so obviously I did so as soon as I got the chance. I'm staying in a very cosy and surprisingly cheap little inn just a couple of miles north-east of the city centre. The room is fairly sparse, with a futon rather than a bed, but it's air-conditioned and spotlessly clean. Also I have had my first encounter with a kimono. While wearing it, I have not pulled any corny martial-arts poses in the mirror. Honest. Not one.

After having forty winks I went out for a little nocturnal wander around the city centre. It's amazing how the trains stay full of commuters all through the evening. Even after midnight it's standing room only amongst all the office workers going home. Some of them look really zonked out. Perhaps they'd find more spiritual fulfilment if they abandoned such long working hours, and adopted the wise Western practice of watching telly and getting pissed all night instead.

The train/subway/Metro system in Tokyo is huge and complex and bewildering at first, with many different intersecting systems, but it works a treat and it's really easy to get around once you master the basics. There aren't any ticket inspectors, just entry and exit barriers. If when you come to exit the system your ticket isn't right for any reason, then you just use the 'Fare Adjustment Machine' next to the barrier to pay the difference, and it swaps your ticket for one that'll get you out. This strikes me as a much more logical and efficient way of protecting revenues than, for example, paying armies of green-jacketed fascist storm troops to hold up trains and impose punitary fines on people. No disrespect to the Tyne & Wear Metro, of course.

Right now I've only been here 24 hours and I'm still under the shadow of 9 hours' jet lag - going east is much harder than going west. So, apart from giving Tokyo a massive thumbs up, that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well back home.

PS in case anyone doesn't already know, you can get my blog emailed to you rather than having to come back and check the website. Scroll down to 'Follow by email' below.

Imperial Palace grounds

Japanese mountains on the approach to Tokyo

Hallelujah.
You're not allowed to talk on your mobile on the train.
Maybe we should import more than just cars and Playstations from the Japanese.
Amusing to think of suitably foul-mouthed translations for the thought bubbles in this cartoon...

Imperial Palace grounds, with remnants of cherry blossom

Who'd have thought that translating 'Ooh la la' from French into Japanese would be so easy?

Stairs that tell you how much energy you're burning by walking up them.
These Japanese people think of everything.