As expected now, our flights to Tokyo were comfortable, well catered and on time - who said this flying lark was stressful eh?! We were even treated to a 6 hour journey aboard Singapore Airlines A380, the double decker passenger jet (how it gets off the ground I do not know!)

But anyway, landing in Japan I was immediately struck with a few things.
A) it's tech, tech, techy! The place seems run by robots, the toilets have more features than the latest game console and even Google maps comes complete with signs of your favourite multinational companies (maccers, starbucks etc)
B) it's expensive - or well at least when you compare it to Thailand.
C) Tokyo is absolutely massive. We took a train from the airport to our hostel... 90 minutes and we didn't even cross town - madness!
D) Everything isn't as English friendly as the other places we've visited.

But anyway, we had 2 weeks to settle in to the japanese way of life. As with my other longer stays, I'll try recap the highlights...

Our first major excursion was more of a test. We needed to determine whether our legs could handle the walk into the centre of Tokyo and the area of town called Ginza famed for it's boutique shops and stunning architecture. The intersection at it's centre is possibly the image people most associate with Tokyo and seeing it at night was certainly on our to do list.
The test wasn't a complete success but neither a failure. We did get slightly lost around the streets which all look very similar but also saw parts of Tokyo that we wouldn't if we had taken the metro.

Our next excursion was a trip to the Edo-Tokyo museum that offered a trip through Tokyo's impressive history. I was fascinated to learn that Tokyo was once nothing more than a rural fishing village called Edo . It wasn't until the early 17th century that an actual city became to thrive, under the powerful command of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and with it brought lots of bloodshed and an unjust class structure, according to rank and status. It was a very visual museum with plenty of exhibits to keep you occupied and engaged - well worth a visit even if you're not a huge museum goer.

Tokyo as a province is, in the words of Ted, 'absolutely massive'. We had so many areas of the city to wander yet it was hard to find any real motivation for the first couple of days. It simply wasn't as easy as Thailand had been and with us having two weeks to see the sights it made more sense to do it at a relaxed pace. Nevertheless, we managed to walk 10's of kilometres a day seeing new temples, shrines and places of interest. One of these days was a trip to Ueno which was one of Tokyo's more leafy retreats. Covered by a gorgeous park full of culture, serenity and stunning autumn colours, we found ourselves in a quiet haven for the day to relax and unwind. It didn't last too long as we then wandered through Ameyoko market and 'electric city'. The later is known for it's hustling streets packed with cheap gadgets and tourist friendly assistants (i.e. Ones who spoke English!). Flashing lights, animated characters and bright colours surrounded us as we ventured back through for another lively day in this huge city.

The following day we wanted to stay closer to our hostel and rest the aching legs. As such we went to an area called 'Asakusa' and visited the Sensoji Temple. It is Tokyo's oldest having been built in 628. Before it stands the Grand Kaminarimon Gate with huge lantern which adds to it's distinction. Upon arrival we were shocked to be approached by a group of Japanese teenagers who wanted to tour us around the temple to aid their English studies. They were really great and explained the meanings of incense (to cleanse body and spirit) and also had us get our fortune told. Without them I doubt the significance of this temple would have meant as much and we would have been left to admire it's pure beauty. That evening we treated ourselves to some of Japan's famous cuisine - sushi! Plates of every different kind of fish shot by us on a conveyer belt as we inspected each choice trying to determine what we were about to eat. In fairness, what I did eventually choose actually tasted ok and was very reasonable in price. It's not the same as western sushi restaurants I've been to in the past because the local fish market provides such a wide variety of fish compared to whats available at home.

Anyway, this blog seems to have got a little long and I've still got tons to write about. So see this as a 'to be continued...' and expect a part 2 before we leave!