Day 2 25/3/06 - Japan

Narita -> Tokyo -> Akihabara -> Ueno - Ameyakocho -> Shinjuku -> Ningyocho

Highlight

• Discovered cool cake shop. Bought a cheesecake (100 yen and yum) and got free biscuits.
• Street in Ameyakocho, which is like Paddy's, except more interesting and heaps more crowded. We visited a shop where for 1000 Yen they throw all these junk food into a bag... very theatrical, except we don't know what they were saying.
• Tokyo girls all look very similar. They all wear the same fashion, although stylish, and they are all skinny. How do they stay so thin with the amount of food that's available everywhere.
• Everyone on their mobile on the train and the subway. All their mobiles also look the same and they have this sticker thing you put on the screen so that only they can see it and no one else. It's very cool... now if they only make it for my phone...
• The Japanese love their cherry blossom. There were only a few buds out around Ueno Park, but they were taking more pics of it than we were! Everyone also picnic under cherry blossom trees everywhere. We will lots of people doing the same thing at our hotel.
• Seems the whole of Japan decided to visit Ueno Park too. There were food stores selling Jap fast food (octopus balls, pancakes, squid, fish balls, corn, bananas on a stick...) Cherry Blossom brings out the festival spirits of everyone.
• Everyone is always so busy and rushing everywhere.
• Department Stores - we spent a very long time there, there is so much to look at and so much stuff to try. You can buy anything and everything there.
• On the other hand, many shops specialise in only 1 item. e.g. mochi cakes, knifes, rice crackers, bicycles, eggs.
• Being mistaken for being Japanese all the time.
• Everyone bowing at you in the shops, everywhere
• Our hotel (see review) being big in Tokyo terms. We can actually spread things out, and we got king single beds!!
• Shoe cleaning machine, library, pillow selection at our hotel.

Food

• Qantas breakfast:
  • seasonal melon in fruit juice
  • pan fried salmon with steamd rice and choy sum
  • scrambled egg with french toast
  • danish pastry
  • orange juice
• Bento box from street vendor outside Hamacho subway (450).
• Chirisu bento from department store.
• Warm pineapple bun (135).
• Octopus balls with fried onion and mayo (500).
• Teppanyaki squid (500).