Arrivederrci Tokyo...

Evening all, Cj here. I'm writing this post as I lay horizontal on a Kyoto bound night bus.  My lounger seat consists of a funky "sleeper" head screen that wouldn't look out of place in a 60's hair salon, uber amounts leg room and a recliner that takes the mick. (Soz for the invasion of privacy to the lady behind)

So that's Tokyo done. We smashed all the main hotpots in what seemed like a whistle stop tour of the city. I'm pretty shattered as we crammed 4 districts and 2 hostel changes into a 5 day week; that coupled with the heat means I'm shredding the pounds, both on the stomach and the wallet!  

Our first post mentions our Asakusa story which when looking back on it seems the quietest part of the week so far; much more traditional and less hustle and bustle. Our days around Shinkuju and Roppongi were filled with bright lights,  huge electric banners, massive crowds and high pitched Japenese tunes!

My favourite things to write home about are Shibuya's "scramble crossing". It's the crossing you see in the films with the huge advertising and 4 way zebra crossing. Carnage errupts when the lights go green and people swarm from all angles on to the road.

We visited "electric city" which must have the biggest electricty bill on the planet. Huge electronic bill boards advertising the latest craze of Sonic the Hedgehog games ran up the sides of buildings keeping the night sky at bay. On the ground huge hi-tech gaming casinos blasted out fast paced techno music keping the locals entertained. Girls dressed in a Harajuku style dresses (think Gwen Stafarni)  littered the streets selling their maid style restaurants and bars.

Away from modern day Japan we went in search of some traditional photo opportunities.  We found the Meji shrine, Tokyo's largest and walked around the Bonzi forest. That night we also checked into the much talked about Japenese sleeping capsules; basically sleeping in a coffin with hundreds of other people, however much more spacious that i first thought.

So what are my opinions of Tokyo; great city, with loads to offer. Very modern so hard to feel like your backpacking with all these 21st century comforts. Rich in culture, but you have to dig deep to find it. The people here are the nicest I've met abroad so far, always willing to help! All in all a great city to start the adventure in, the Ashi beer gets a thumbs up from me too.