Another day, another dollar as they say. Or not as the case may be in Tokyo, as it is well nigh impossible to find a working ATM. My advice, take cash and try not to rely on debit cards etc. Keep most of your cash safe in one wallet, out of sight, and then just put a few yen in a second wallet to handover if you get mugged! Here Endth the Lesson!

On a brighter note, last night went very well. I met up with my old friend Atsuko and her friend Chiyuki. We went out to a small Japanese style bar (think of the small cafe places you get in areas like Camden and you won't go far wrong). Sitting at the bar on high stalls, Atsuko and Chiyuki chose some dishes that we then all shared. I even tried raw fish this time. It was all very nice, especially the chicken dishes, and was very reasonably priced. I also sampled three kinds of Sake, including warm Sake. I can see why the Japenese drink a lot of this stuff hehe! The place had a very friendly atmosphere, with the owners (see picture above) giving personal table service. At the end of the night we also exchanged the traditional gifts. I handed over some scented candles and my mum's Banana Cake recipe, which Atsuko enthused about for ages! In return I was given a sample bag of Japanese junk food and a ticket to the Kabuki theater for the next day. After this and a quick metro ride home, I quickly fell asleep as had been an exhausting day!

Today I arose early as I had to travel across the city to reach the kabuki Theater by 11am. Kabuki is a traditional style of Japanese theater that first became popular in the 1600's. Its main features are that all the roles are played by men, that all the shows have a musical narrator and that the whole play revolves around the senses, as in the main idea behind the performances are to tell the story with colour and stylised movements and not so much with dialog. It is a thing based almost entirely on beauty, roles are passed down through generations as father and son try to perfect the character. We got to see three performances, the first were very traditional shows written in the 1600s, but the last one was a form on Neo-Kabuki, meaning a modern, more westernised version which had a greater reliance on the performer's interactions. I found it really interesting to compare how the two kinds of Kabuki tried to put across key points in the stores. The more traditional approach relies on dramatic poses and music, while the modern version had more humor and conversation. All in all, a very traditional, very interesting way to spend the morning, aided of course by a headset that highlighted the key points and theory behind the performances.

By the time I had finished at the theater, it was 4pm local time and definitely lunch time! I intended to follow my traditional start to the morning with a meal at a noodle house, but they were all so full and I was so hungry that I decided to go against all my morals and dine at a ultra-capitalist Starbucks!! I do have to say though, that the cup of ENGLISH tea and the sandwich I had went down a treat!

So now, after a bit of an explore of the theater area, I am back at my hostel, considering making a start on packing my stuff ready for tomorrows new assulat on my adventure...a bullet train ride to Osaka!