Ok, this will be a long entry, and for that I apologise, but it has been a very busy 48 hours. To start at the beginning, I awoke at 7am on Sunday morning, after very little sleep due to packing. It seemed that every time I was about to drop off, I suddenly thought of something else that I needed to prepare in some way. Anyway, Sunday morning, with my Dad still in hospital and so unable to join us, Mary and Malcolm from over the road in Baddesley kindly drove Ian, mum and I to the dreaded Heathrow Terminal 5, at which Natalie joined us under her own steam. Despite, however, the foretelling of doom, everything seemed to be going well. After a quick coffee and some longer goodbyes, I boarded the plane, on time and ready to travel. The belief we were ready was evidently also held by our pilot. The unfortunate gentleman was even half down the runway when he had to stop and turn back........from somewhere we had acquired three more bags than we should not have had. So back we went, off came the luggage, the offending articles were removed, and we were sent on our way, only an hour late!

The flight itself was great, I had the company of a very pleasant Japanese exchange student on his way home. The food was also great, chicken with rice and a full english breakfast. I must also congratulate BA on its change of entertainment strategy. Gone are the days of one dour Romcom film for all, these days they have a fully interactive user controlled system with a choice of over 120 films plus other bits and pieces, from which I duly chose The Untouchables and the 3.10 to Yuma, supported by a healthy dose of Family Guy, American Dad and Torchwood. The best bit of the flight without doubt though was the scenery below us. As England passed away and we left behind the quaint model villages and toy boats (as viewed from the air), we moved over clear blue oceans dotted with Islands of sparkling green. The undisputed highlight though, was passing over the frozen tundra and mountains of Siberia, which from the air looked as if no man had ever trodden its icy wastes. Truly breathtaking.

So after grabbing a surprisingly refreshing 3 hours kip on the plane, we arrived in Narita Airport, Tokyo. I flew through airport security like a breeze, and remarkably my bag had arrived unscathed. I then, however, had to tackle the notorious Tokyo public transport system. This, however, turned out to be a much more pleasant experience than I had expected. The trains , both overground and under, were clean and efficient, not a single one was late. First, the overland train from the airport to Tokyo Center offered an hours worth of views of the probably otherwise unseen city limits, but was slightly on the dear side, coming in at just under £20. The underground metro system, however, cost as little as £1 for a terminus to terminus journey, and was staffed with friendly staff forever willing to point you in the right direction. All this meant that I arrived at my hotel with 45 minutes to spare before check in time, so leaving behind my burdensome hike bag, I again went off wandering. Within two minutes I had discover the Sensoji Temple in The Asakusa district of Tokyo. This is a n amazing ancient temple, the approach to which is lined with small stalls selling traditional Japanese goods. Photos are provided in my albums, but they do not really do the majesty of the area justice. In this one small area of Asakusa, a picture is drawn of todays Japan, where the ancient and the modern lie side by side, as if the old days of the Feudal Lords have crashed headlong into the 21st century and only bits of each survived the collision. A wonderful place and I would recommend to anyone visiting Tokyo. It was also here that I had my first taste of the welcoming nature the Japanese have towards travelers. On my way back to check into my hotel, I managed to get myself a little lost. To my aid, however, came the most wonderful Japanese couple who walked past me, saw me hesitating over my direction and instantly turned back to offer assistance. Brilliant.

On arriving at my hotel, I was very happily surprised. For a "budget" hotel, the Asakusa Central Hotel features nice sized rooms, ensuite bathrooms, fridges in all rooms and free internet access. You even get a free pass to their Spa complex, entry to which usually cost 500 yen. My stay in the hotel this afternoon was however stressfully short. Due to my lack of navigational ability on the way back from the Temple, I had a little less than an hour to transform myself from the dirty, smelly traveler I was into the respectable person I had to be for the evenings entertainment. This was to be in the form of a dinner visit to a wonderful couple and their three children, who happened to be related to a friend of my family. What followed was a tremendous traditional Japanese meal, I even managed to summon up the courage to try Sushi (not raw fish, but other examples of this style of food preparation). This was washed down with rice wine and Japanese lager, which certainly added to the festive feel. The evening ended in line with Japanese culture, namely by way of an exchange of gifts.

These two days have been a great start to the trip, and with a mind to the morrow, when I will be moving hotel and seeing another old friend, I think it is now time to turn in for the night. More to come tomorrow! Oh ok then, maybe I will try the spa before bed.....