After an almost 24 hour total journey from Munich, we arrived in Tokyo last night! As anticipated, this seems to be the land of fast and reliable internet, so we can update right away!

First impressions of Tokyo: Busy, very clean, bright, efficient, courteous, quiet, not as expensive as you would think if you do some research. The transportation system is mindblowing, and it is worth repeating - SO quiet and clean.

Our first experience began last night as we journeyed to one of the most expansive technology stores we have ever seen, to buy both SIM cards, and a special subway pass for tourists (yes, this is the store for all your needs). Troy tried to look for a battery pack for his phone, but the store stimulation combined with the jet lag proved too much, and he had to give up and requested to go home (wow).

Today we joined a free walking tour of the Imperial Palace and East Gardens with three lovely volunteer tour guides who took turns explaining the grounds and leading us around. They even pointed out a Canadian maple tree that we gave to Japan as a present! It was a great start to our Japanese experience as we got to ask some questions about etiquette and language pronunciation as well.

This evening we travelled across the city to Shinjuku to experience... Times Square x 1000? It is difficult to describe the amount of people and lights in this area, but we tried to capture it in the photos! Fascinating, but we are relieved we are staying near Tokyo Station, which is a very calm and quiet area of the city.