Tokyo

I have been in Tokyo a week and I absolutely love it! Unexpectedly and inexplicably it feels like home, and more welcoming than the last few countries I have been in. It is early spring here and although the blossom trees are beautiful I have been finding it very cold, especially after Bali and Vietnam. The city is exciting, almost as `cool` as New York. Huge billboards, bright lights, sky scrapers, just like on the movies. We did go to look at the outside of the lost in translation hotel. Vast numbers of people, and all the peculiar things you would expect.

What I like the most is the peace, quiet and tranquillity of the city, which  I didn`t expect. There is almost no traffic, and everyone gives way to you, it really is the land of courtesy and not only the drivers. I love the politeness and kindness of the people, we are greeted everywhere we go, and even on the trains the guard will turn and bow to the people in the carriage before exiting. People are terribly smart and elegantly dressed, not just suits but waistcoats too, and the suits are all well made and look good unlike Britain's motley collection of shabby, badly fitting suits that are worn everyday. It is so clean, everywhere, even the train tracks, don't think I have seen any litter since arriving! Care, thought and attention seems to go into everything: small vehicles in pedestrian areas which at home would have annoying beep to alert people, here play tunes, manhole covers are decorated, public toilets have heated seats and fake flushes to cover embarrassing noises, on the shinkansen trains all the seats rotate 180 so that they still face forward when the train goes the other way. It feels like the heights of civilisation have been reached, and the rest of the world is lagging so far behind.

I went to the studio ghibli museum which was magical, mostly for the architecture, and of course  came away full of improvement ideas: don't worry, I didn't leave a comment card. We went to the museum of innovative science, which was brilliant, very exciting and all in English and Japanese. There was a robot seal which goes into hospitals as a robotic pets as therapy animal and actually works. We went to the open air architecture museum which was super cool as we got to wander round lots of traditional Japanese houses, again it was just like in old films.

We have bought Japanese rail passes and have forwarded the bikes (Japan has an excellent baggage forwarding service) I want to cycle but I also want to do all the must see things and we don't have time for both. I am already thinking what I would like to do if I come back, but that is just a dream, as I'm fast running out of money and even beginning to look forward to working again, as a paycheck would be an amazing thing!
I am really impressed by everything, totally fascinated by the culture: the courtesy which comes as a matter of course. I wish I could speak Japanese to get to know people better, they seem to invite it. I am not sure if America has been usurped yet, but Japan definitely is up there at the top or almost, of my favourite places on this trip.