At the airport again (surfing the internet at the free internet cafe) all checked in and waiting for our flight to Brisbane which leaves in 2 hrs.
Yesterday proved to be quite amusing. After a long day of sightseeing (we had been up since 3am), we decided to head back to the hotel for forty winks before heading out on the town (Roppongi – where all the hip young Japanese hang out apparently). However, heads hit the pillow and the strenuous day took its toll. Lights out till 9.30pm! Damn. Feeling very groggy we forced ourselves out of bed and had a long walk around the local area, before grabbing a quick bite and heading back to the room with a few cans of Asahi and a film. Not exactly rock and roll – but it set us up for another big day of sightseeing today.
First up we headed to Harajuku. This area is a kind of a mix between the Champs Elysee (a huge tree lined avenue lined with tons of designer shops and cafes) and Camden (lots of little alley ways full of funky and alternative shops). Spent a fair while in Kiddy Land – six floors of toy filled heaven (highlight – a remote control car that could drive on the ceiling!) before getting our culture on by heading to Harajuku park for a wander around and a look at a beautiful Shinto shrine there called Meiji-Jingu, followed by a stroll in the royal gardens.
Next up was Roppongi, albeit 18 hours later than planned, to a restaurant recommended by a friend which is famous for its Shabu-Shabu beef. This involves there being a gas cooker built into your table that they boil a huge brass pot over. They then give you a huge platter of the thinest slices of raw beef along with a platter of vegetables. The idea is to dip the items in to the boiling water with your chopsticks to cook it to your taste. You then have a choice of 3 delicious sauces – a ground sesame and garlic sauce, a citrus and soy sauce and finally a sesame oil and chilli sauce. It gets pretty messy so they tie a huge bib round your neck (I was worried that this was because they could see we were clueless westerners, but after taking a look around saw that even the locals had them on!) to avoid spillage. Add to the mix a couple of bottles of Kirin and we were in heaven! It was delicious and a unique experience to be highly recommended.
Not much else to report as got to the airport early. Perhaps just some random observations about Japan:
- the Japanese have a funny thing about toilets. Whilst we were not fortunate enough to see one where the seat cleans itself, we came across toilets that shoot water out of the bowl to clean your bum; heated toilet seats; toilets with buttons to press for “powerful deoderisers” and “flushing sound effects” and signs instructing the user to sit on the seat, not stand and crouch above it (will make more sense when you see the photo).
- phones. the Japanese love phones. And they are big. Like 1980`s brick big. In the home of future technologies – it was really weird to see everyone walking around with what looked to be an original prop from the movie Wall Street.
- Hotpants. All the girls love hotpants and mini-skirts. No complaints here, obviously.
- Bowing. A lot of bowing goes on. Sometimes it becomes like a bit of a moral battle as if the person who can bow lowest and more times is showing the most respect. Sarah managed a particularly superb salutation when she half bowed and half saluted one of the Imperial Guards. It was a special moment.
