Days 1 - 2 (Tokyo)

First things first, flight was OK and we arrived in Tokyo with no problems, passed through immigration (including photo and fingerprinting) and customs without trouble and were there, amidst the craziness that is Japan.

Some two hours later we arrived at our hotel, Hotel Sunroute Asakusa, where we had stayed previously in 2005. Nothing had changed, room was small but pleasant and we again had the electronic toilet to deal with. This time Paul promised to NOT fiddle with the buttons (no one likes a bidet flood).

Saturday dawned, we slept, and eventually dragged ourselves out for coffee and a light breakfast down the street. Asakusa (pronounced A-sak-sa) is a popular spot for Japanese tourists - there is a large Shinto shrine, Senso-ji, there as well as popular cherry blossom viewing spots, rice cracker shops and a crazy street called Kappabashi-dori where they sell everything you could ever want for your kitchem like a plastic bowl of ramen, or any one of three thousand varieties of order pads.

We wandered the streets for several hours, mostly looking stunned as there is just SO much to take in all at once. We are so used to a flat landscape of advertising and shopping - here you look up all the time, shops can be on the 7th or 8th floor of a building, each restaurant's speciality is depicted in the form of a animal icon (pig, cow, pufferfish) and there is neon everywhere. We did a little bit of shopping (Paul would like to mention the tracksuit top he bought that has the slogan "Master Groove Dept.") and picked up a great little picnic of inari sushi, salad, grapes and Asahi beer (hey, we're on holidays) before heading to the banks of the River Sumida for our picnic under the freeway motorpass in the shadow of Phillipe Starck's golden flame (or poo, take your pick) atop Asahi HQ.

Sakura (cherry blossom) season is only weeks away and all of Japan seems to be on edge, anticipating the explosions of pink blossoms that herald the start of Spring proper and last for only a week. Some early blossoming trees (not sure which variety) were already out and we walked the river banks searching them out and watching the locals coo and look on in awe at the pretty blossoms. All this walking (it was actually pretty hot in the sun) had worn us out so we headed back to the hotel for a little nap (hey, I mentioned already that we were on holidays).

By late afternoon we were ready to head back into the fray, this time heading to Ginza, the posh shopping strip that is home to all the designer labels that you see everywhere in Japan. The street is closed off to traffic on Saturday afternoons so it was not too crazy - all that extra space helped. We browsed the food hall of one of the department stores, wide-eyed again at the range of things (some of them I wouldn't call food) on sale. We also popped into a toy store to swoon over the crazy gadgets and stationery and remote-controlled cars and kawaii stuff, vowing to return on the second leg of our trip.

By dark our appetites were calling and we headed to Roppongi, the main bar/nightclub/restaurant area for gaijin (foreigners). A few cocktails and some burgers later, we wandered the streets again, pausing in amazement to view the "pet store" hole-in-the-wall where the cages were more like vending machine windows, the cats and dogs *tiny* and the space inside packed with women ooh-ing and aah-ing at the little critters.

A walk around the Roppongi Hills complex later (pausing only to look inside the window of Kate Spade, I promise - even though it was open at 8:45pm on a Saturday night) and a few failed photos of Mori Tower and Tokyo Tower later (no tripod), we called it a night and headed back to the hotel for a convenience store dessert of mochi and Pocky (mmm, marble white/milk chocolate flavour for those Pocky lovers out there) and a few beers before bed.

On a Sunday in Tokyo there is only one thing you can even consider doing - the Shibuya to Harajuku walk. And that is exactly what we did. Even though we were staying on the opposite side of the city, our subway line went all the way to Shibuya where we jumped out at probably the most famous pedestrian crossing in the world, under the neon screens and signs of the Hachiko crossing. After a trip to my favourite shoe store for a browse, we headed to my absolute favourite department store in the world, Loft. A couple of hours later I emerged only with a card holder and travel pass holder but with a promise made to conserve every centime I could in Europe so I could spend up on our return to Tokyo. Swoon. Paul also had fun, picking up a little remote controlled 4WD modelled on one he had wanted as a kid. Aah, Tokyo.

A little further up the hill we arrived at another of Tokyo's famed department stores, Tokyu Hands. I left an hour later convinced that there is nothing in the world that you cannot possibly get at Tokyu Hands. Seriously, forget Harrods, this place had everything. Hardware, novelties, schoolgirl costumes (for those into that kind of thing), electronics, toys, bags, cosmetics, kites, shoe repair equipment. EVERYTHING.

We escaped with our wallets in tact, and continued on our way towards Harajuku to Yoyogi Park, past the former Olympics site from 1964. Along the path bands had set up to play to the passing traffic, some selling CDs and all with exactly the same set-up - a couple of Gibson guitars, an electronic drum kit and a lead singer in tight jeans and crazy hair. The crowds wandered along, occasionally stopping to listen and cheer.

In the park proper we wandered past a band of bongo players (or a collective, I don't know what to call them), another Free Tibet protest march, a pair of small children riding unicycles, lots of small dogs in silly outfits including a trio in matching sunglasses, and eventually as the park led to the bridge near Harajuku station, the famous Rockabilly dancers. By now there weren't many cos-play girls left, just a couple of Lolitas and some strangely dressed men, so we joined the massive crowds heading down Ometo-sando.

Now, Tokyo doesn't strike me as the kind of place you would find a St Patrick's Day parade, but sure enough we did. Half of Omote-sando - one of the largest shopping strips in Tokyo - was closed off for the little parade that consisted of the strangest bunch of people ever. There were a few ex-pats (judging by the flags they were mostly Aussies anyway), a Japanese bagpipe band, some girl scout groups and the Irish Setter and Wolfhound clubs of Tokyo - dogs in Irish costumes and all. It was crazy and funny and they were selling Guiness from cans on the street. People were smiling everywhere. Aah, Tokyo.

We (OK, I) did a bit of shopping at the toy store before we grabbed some coffee and a snack and walked back to Shibuya, heading straight into a crazy rally or protest or something. There were sirens and loudspeakers and people everywhere. At times it felt like the entire population of Brisbane was on the streets (and realistically, that is probably not far from the truth). To escape from the crowds we popped into a pub for a couple of beers and some chips before leaving almost as quickly to escape from some revolting Americans.

It was a quiet night in of tofu for Paul and lots and lots of beers for us both. A bit of tranquility before another day in Tokyo.

More later...