so right after my last blog I went for a sleep because I was knackered after hours and hours of travelling. then when I woke up and climbed out of my capsule I misjudged it and scraped all up my back on the one above. it hurt a lot but i managed not to scream as there were other people sleeping. really wanted to though.

beth and i went to get some lunch and had japanese curry and rice in this fantastic traditional style restaurant just up the street. as soon as we got in there I had a huge grin on my face we were greeted by a tiny little lady in traditional dress who didnt judge us for speaking no japanese and sat us down. the meal was a really good first meal in Japan, well done beth for finding the place. we just ordered by pointing at the pictures. no probs ;)

After lunch we walked along to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden which had cherry blossom out and was beautiful. Really serene. Feel really really lucky to be seeing Japan during the cherry blossom season, this is why we spent so little time in Oz and New Zealand - I really wanted to get here before the season was over.

Someone at the hostel told us about a place nearby where you could get a beer and a snack for 350 yen which is nice and cheap so off we went to do that. little did we know where an innocent beer would lead.. we had Kirin at that place and some really nice dumplings. Further up the road we went to a place just because we liked the look of the spiral staircase and had a Sapporo. Both perfectly nice beers. Then we caught the subway to Shinjuku and started going into pretty much any bar we took a fancy to. Theyre all either below ground or a few stories up so technically we just liked the look of the doorways. So we decided we wanted a Shochu which is stronger and cheaper than sake. This is what Id read about it in my Rough Guide;

'At best Shochu is like vodka and very drinkable. At worst it tastes like diesel and is reputed to leave the worst hangovers in Japan'

Had to try that. First place we went to Kirin City didnt serve it so we left. Probably for the best as the pizzas there looked good and I wouldve wanted one. Next place was just the best best example of why Japan is so great. We open the door a fraction to check that the place is a bar and not just someones front room (we are being very naughty and not learning any Japanese Kanji characters) and the staff in there drop whatever theyre doing and charge towards you literally yelling welcome in Japanese. This happens everytime any customer arrives. So its very noisy. So we order Shochu and it comes straight (we picked the cheapest) and about the amount of a small glass of coke. And its gross. Tastes like tequila. They give you a little snack of very salty food, presumably to take away the taste of the drink. Its hit us already I think and when we say goodbye we laugh a lot as the giant guy at the till chats away to us in Japanese and we reply in English, neither any clue what the other is saying but happy anyway.

Then we go down into this bar. And its kinda old-world glamour. Red plush seats, dark green on the walls. A classy place. And theyre playing jazz. They seat us at the bar while they rush to prepare a table, get it exactly right for us. I should point out that we look like tramps at this stage, we're in hiking clothes (as always) and we've been rained on. Still, the table must be perfect. Meanwhile I go to the bathroom and they are playing jazz in there through a huge speaker. It was fantastic. Why isnt jazz music played in every bathroom!! At our table we order singapore slings which were tasty but not as potent as were used to at the Georgetown in London. This Japanese guy starts telling us his life story which kind of kills the mood..

We escape into another bar and order something cheap from the menu (its not in english). Oh no its Shochu again and more salty fish snack stuff!! By this point neither of us could keep our heads from lolling backward and we were talking loudly to people trying to have a peaceful night. Time to leave.. We do some fun stuff on the subway. I sit on a poor guy whos asleep, we swing from the handles, run up the escalators. Stuff thats funny when youre out of your head drunk but not so funny to the observer. They bore us well.