Tokyo

Tokyo is a giant metropolis which pulses with energy. We arrived late afternoon and negotiated our way through its massive but highly efficient rail/metro system to our accommodation in Shinjuku. We soon learned our first lesson about "small" in this country - like everything else here, the hotel room is designed to minimize the amount of space used. Extremely compact and efficient, but a culture shock for people of non-Japanese dimensions.

Shinjuku swarms with people and is crammed with high-rise office towers, retail shopping complexes and entertainment venues. As night sets in, it is ablaze with neon lights. We thought that this had to be the heart of the city. But we soon found that it was just one of many "centres" - this picture is replicated in other city districts such as Shibuyu, Roppongi and the better-known Ginza. What a huge city this is! And each area spreads out from broad avenues into a maze of tiny back alleys which are difficult to navigate. In the case of Shinjuku, we found ourselves walking through row after row of sake bars - each just large enough for 5 or 10 customers.

The weather was not so great - it rained every day and was mostly blanketed in low cloud - but Tokyo is the kind of city that one can enjoy in any weather. And the cloud didn't prevent us from getting a brief peak at the solar eclipse which took place while we were there. We joined the throngs of office workers who stood outside with their cameras pointed skywards for this unusual event.

We spent 4 days exploring Tokyo and its blend of ancient and modern sights. The "ancient" (not really so ancient because of the need to rebuild most things after the second world war) sights included the vast Imperial Palace and gardens - home of the Emperor and family, a major temple complex at Asakusa and the Meiji shrine - the largest in greater Tokyo. All of these places somehow retained a tranquil and dignified character despite their proximity to the urban bustle. Asakusa and the Meiji shrine are still very much in use and we watched the locals as they performed their devotions.

Aside from some striking high-rise architecture, the modern sights are mainly shopping and entertainment areas. We always thought that the Japanese had a reputation for saving and frugality, yet the Tokyo retail districts (and there seem to be many) are packed with people spending on all the latest consumer items. The entertainment districts, such as Shibuyu and Roppongi, are also crowded at night. And everywhere the people, particularly the younger generation, are walking examples of "super-cool" fashion - at least that's what Mercedes tells me. If there is a recession going on, it must be somewhere else.

The food was a treat. Tokyo has the full battery of global fast food outlets, a concession to Western tastes. But Japanese dining options still dominate. We barely got started on them. Predictably, there was sushi of all varieties and combinations. However, it was the yakitori (various types of meat and vegetables grilled on skewers) which quickly established itself as our favourite. There were other dishes too - we didn't always know exactly what they were when we ordered them (we had to guess from pictures) and sometimes we didn't quite know what they had been after we'd finished eating them either. And so many more dishes still to try.

We left the city having seen most of the big tourist attractions but feeling that there was very much more to experience here, and to understand about the people and their culture. We're adding Tokyo and Japan to the list of places to which we want to return.

Simon