Tokyo
Checked out what Tokyo had to offer. It took me time to understand the subway system and has become easier to navigate once entrenched in the system. Visited various parts of the city. As we only knew general areas and not specific street directions, we wandered aroun alot to figure out where we wanted to go after emerging from the subway stations. At least there were general maps of the immediate area nearby.
Visited the Tsukiji Market near the hotel. Like any other wholesale market, the place was a madhouse and I'm sure everyone wanted the dumb tourists our of their hair. It was interesting to see all the hustle and bustle of the market. Nearby, there was a farmer's market style of shopping and I consumed as much sushi as possible. For traditional sushi, this has been one of the best meals in Japan and probably sushi eating, in general, for me.
Akihabara is the mecca of all things anime, videogames, and electronics. It was interesting to see all the 'otaku' roaming the streets focused on the flashing demo games. Even walked into an arcade, I would be completely addicted to video games if I had access to these types of facilities. On a bright note, I was able to get a 4 GB SDHC card for $17.80. Pretty darn cheap.
The other areas of Tokyo seemed very focused on shopping. Roppongi and Shibuya reminded me of Century City and Times Square, respectively. Lots of shopping and eateries. Both areas have extensive amount of Western influence. What was surprising was the number of Africans in Roppongi as they hung out on the pedestrian sidewalks trying to get guys to visit the girly bars. Shinjuku is another area where there is suppose to be alot of nightlife but we never found it. One of the drawback of being a tourist... :D
On our final day in Tokyo, we decided to stay near the hotel and check out the Ginza district. Ginza reminds me of Rodeo Drive and Sunset combined. The number of high end retailers combined with the number of bars in the area is an interesting combination. By day, I felt I was walking around Beverly Hills with the extraordinary number of Bentleys and Rolls Royce rolling down the street while hordes of Japanese women were shopping. At night, the streets were lined with taxis for all the people out drinking at night. Even caught sight of a Hummer limo. We finished out our final day with a pretty nice sushi restaurant recommended by a local shopkeeper. We were heading to another restaurant and the shopkeeper was kind enough to ask where we were trying to reach. When we mentioned the name of the restaurant, he said there is a better place for a better price and it turned out to be a great recommendation. Despite the high end price of drinks, we ended the night at the Conrad lounge. Us bummy Americans were sitting with well-heeled and -dressed Japanese people and enjoying ourselves.
The next transition is going to require around 17 hours to get to our next destination. I will update everyone on how it went!
Visited the Tsukiji Market near the hotel. Like any other wholesale market, the place was a madhouse and I'm sure everyone wanted the dumb tourists our of their hair. It was interesting to see all the hustle and bustle of the market. Nearby, there was a farmer's market style of shopping and I consumed as much sushi as possible. For traditional sushi, this has been one of the best meals in Japan and probably sushi eating, in general, for me.
Akihabara is the mecca of all things anime, videogames, and electronics. It was interesting to see all the 'otaku' roaming the streets focused on the flashing demo games. Even walked into an arcade, I would be completely addicted to video games if I had access to these types of facilities. On a bright note, I was able to get a 4 GB SDHC card for $17.80. Pretty darn cheap.
The other areas of Tokyo seemed very focused on shopping. Roppongi and Shibuya reminded me of Century City and Times Square, respectively. Lots of shopping and eateries. Both areas have extensive amount of Western influence. What was surprising was the number of Africans in Roppongi as they hung out on the pedestrian sidewalks trying to get guys to visit the girly bars. Shinjuku is another area where there is suppose to be alot of nightlife but we never found it. One of the drawback of being a tourist... :D
On our final day in Tokyo, we decided to stay near the hotel and check out the Ginza district. Ginza reminds me of Rodeo Drive and Sunset combined. The number of high end retailers combined with the number of bars in the area is an interesting combination. By day, I felt I was walking around Beverly Hills with the extraordinary number of Bentleys and Rolls Royce rolling down the street while hordes of Japanese women were shopping. At night, the streets were lined with taxis for all the people out drinking at night. Even caught sight of a Hummer limo. We finished out our final day with a pretty nice sushi restaurant recommended by a local shopkeeper. We were heading to another restaurant and the shopkeeper was kind enough to ask where we were trying to reach. When we mentioned the name of the restaurant, he said there is a better place for a better price and it turned out to be a great recommendation. Despite the high end price of drinks, we ended the night at the Conrad lounge. Us bummy Americans were sitting with well-heeled and -dressed Japanese people and enjoying ourselves.The next transition is going to require around 17 hours to get to our next destination. I will update everyone on how it went!
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