Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
Friday, May 21, 2010
Urgh, there's only so much rocking back and forth one person can take, so I'm grateful to be able to walk in a straight line again. Tokyo is SCORCHING, about 30 degrees today, I'll definitely be needing the old sunscreen. Got my stuff over to to lodgings in takadanobaba, a lovely little guesthouse called Tama Ryokan. You have to be very careful to wear slippers inside and not drag your suitcase across the floor, and this place is like a maze or warren or something; there are little nooks and crannies averywhere. I like the owner, she gave me pocky :P Headed out into shinjuku (after washing my hair- long overdue), and although i nearly melted, I found refuge in one of the many giant department stores and their crazy food halls. Sometimes you can get whole cakes as free samples! No need to buy food then :) can't wait to explore Tokyo more, but my feet are so sore now. When I'd had enough I went back to takadanobaba (try saying the name really fast over and over), and found some other good shops there. There's a university nearby, so i've been told it's a very safe, studenty area. I was desperate to try one of the nearby 'cat cafes' (you basically stroke cats and have drinks), and I found one called Jalala. It was due to close in less than an hour, but I paid for 30 minutes and got a drink too (iced genmaicha tea). There were a lot of rules to adhere to, such as follwing the correct procedures for washing your hands, putting your bags in a locker, etc. The cats were mega adorable, it would have been good to have spent more time there, but to be honest half an hour was expensive enough. Ate dinner at a chinese restaurant, it was nice and the meal had lots of tofu in it, which I love. Although it wasn't the cheapest place, I got the stirfry/stew type dish, miso style soup, bowl of rice, a few pickle garnishes and some cups of jasmine tea for 1010 yen, less than £8. Much better than in the UK. So I'm turning in now, hope everyone's doing ok back home.
take care!
xxxx
