We started our second week in Japan by saying good-bye to the delightful Celestine Hotel and boarding a Shinkansen for Tokyo. We treated ourselves to some green car luxury on the train and before boarding bought a stack of food. Anyone would’ve thought we were travelling for a week! We had Bento boxes, croissants, bread rolls, cream buns and drinks. It was almost three hours though!
The train trip was awesome, smooth, comfortable and fast. We saw a lot of countryside, but even more built up areas as we proceeded into Tokyo. Yokoyama City, just about 20 minutes on the train from Tokyo basically butts up against Tokyo, with no vacant land. Tokyo City goes for as far as you can see as well.
We arrived mid-afternoon; its raining, well, pouring and cold, but that doesn’t stop us.  We settle into the hotel and then head out to explore the local area. We are all keen to visit Yodabashi Camera (an electronics store).  It is supposedly only nine minutes from the hotel. I lead everyone out: from our last visit, I knew about an underground walk way that could get us close to the shop without going into the rain.
What a mistake. It leads us into Shinjuki Station. Now Shinjuki station is in the Guinness Book of Records as the busiest transport hub in the world: Over 3.5 million people per day pass through and we were there at peak time. We trudged this way and that looking for an exit and trying to find where we wanted to go, the extensive construction not helping at all and our phones weren’t any help either. We eventually make our way out and walk in the rain and eventually find Yodabashi. Although none of us are too keen to look around after the last 45 minutes!
We then look for somewhere for dinner. We settle on some sushi. Fresh, and delicious. After dinner we settle back in the hotel bar and enjoy a drink. Cocktails for Mardi and Kathryn, a beer for Michael and some Japanese whiskey for me.
On our second day Mardi and Kathryn arrange a pampering session and Michael and I wander the shops for a while. We head out to Akiba and explore the streets and shops. I am after a new monocular for sports and concerts. We grab that and continue to explore the area. We see cat cafes and pet shops amongst traditional retail.  We hunt for some food at lunchtime and find a sushi place offering a variety of other options as well.
We then head to Ginza and Michael and I explore watches, cars and electronics, while Mardi and Kathryn explore stationery and other shops on the high street.
That night we have Japanese barbecue for dinner and Michael and Kathryn decide to find some pizza.
The next day only three of us head out to Tokyo City and a place called Round 1. The website has us all excited the night before. Apparently it is Tokyo’s number one indoor sports and arcade attraction. We are keen to try drifting tricycles, go-karts, escape rooms, cyber boccia and a host of other games.
Only three of us went as Mardi didn’t quite cook her barbecue enough the night before!! Enough said on that.
We walk around the Round 1 precinct. There is a great view of the harbour and we see some very modern architecture, a rather large Transformer, a small Statue of Liberty and a massive shopping centre, where Round 1 is located on the top floor.
We ascend in the lift and as the doors open we are confronted with the sound of arcade machines, gacha machine and claw games. It is deafening. The bowling alley, open to all this as well, is in full swing and so we are basically enveloped in sound. We walk around in search of the things we were interested in, to no avail. The place is like a Kingpin on steroids and we are over it. We head off and go to the Science Museum, which is a short walk away.
We explore the museum for a couple of hours, going through exhibits on space travel, Japanese rocket launcher development, aging, human development and discovery and some other oddities. We also explore a detailed exhibit on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. We spend time interacting with some robots, which is a lot of fun.
We head off in search of some food and locate a dodgy burger joint with a Hawaiian theme. I have a burger and Michael and Kathryn have a sandwich. The food is well… edible but nothing to write home about. We then wander for a bit and work our way back to the train station and head home.
Mardi is getting a lot better when we get home, but we decide to take it easy.
For our last full day we head into Shinjuki Park and walk around for a couple of hours. We then split up and Michael and I go shopping for a cat bowl and then onto Bic Camera. Mardi and Kathryn go cosmetic shopping.
Bic Camera is an experience in itself. Floor after floor of everything electronic followed by floors of Lego, models and Japanese anime and cartoon characters. Every model of every Sony camera is on display. Then Panasonic. Then Canon. You get the idea. Basically every camera currently available is on display. Together with every lens. Every tripod. It is overwhelming and fascinating at the same time. I challenge Michael to find a lens I’ve bene keen to try out. He finds it. It’s a rare combination, a Sigma F1.2 35mm Art lens, but yes, they have it.
We then look at models, F-18, Hornets, battle ships, tanks, helicopters, again they have them all, in a variety of sizes, styles and variations.
I can not imagine the value of stock on display, let alone the stock holding and stock taking processes. There is stuff everywhere, but it is ordered, labelled and easy to find.
We head home and meet up with Mardi and Kathryn. Michael is keen for some fine Japanese sushi and sashimi for dinner so we head out to find some. We locate the place we first went to a few days ago, it is busy, it is Saturday night, but we soon get some seats. We enjoy possible the best sushi we’ve ever had. After dinner we head back to the hotel and sit in the bar for some cocktails, beer and whiskey again. It has been a great last day and great few days in Tokyo.
The next day we are up at 5.00am for the trip to the airport and our flight home.
Japan is a weird combination of technology and tradition, culture and curiosity, people and peace and serenity and stress. We will be back for another sample of this oddly magical place.
