degas

Good lord, its so expensive to live and play in Tokyo! Good thing I was on a generous expense account. Spent six pleasant days there last week.

Flew over on JAL and was impressed by the food (best economy class meal I’ve had) and polite and responsive service (the neck and shoulder massages were a welcome relief, just kidding). Bowing flight attendants were also a hoot. Hite! Hite!

Weather was cool with a mix of sunny and overcast days. Found it to be a very clean, orderly city with polite and friendly people. Several folks went out of their way to guide us to the right subway exit or walk us to a place of interest. The toilets were rather interesting: heated seats and an array of “special features”. Plopped my big butt down on a warm seat and must have squished a button, cuss I was startled by a rather forceful spray of hot water that had the potential to parboil my prostate! I must admit to lingering a tad too long on that contraption!

Walked out of the hotel and immediately ran into a huge horde of grim-faced, briskly walking office workers all dressed in black business suits and carrying small briefcases. Man, they looked primed for some serious work! Almost got hit by a car - look left before you cross! Traffic was terrible, so we used the subway and got the hang of it quickly. And yes, they do pack them in tight during rush hour. Just my luck to get smashed tightly to an old mamasan who smelled like raw fish.

Eating out was no problem cuss they got machines that have pictures of all the various dishes - just stick in a bill and punch your noodle or soup selection. Out comes a ticket and your change. Hand it to the cook who is standing right in front of the counter and they do it up right away. We were dragged to the Tokyo Tower and it was okay with good views of the city, but no Eiffel Tower for sure. We also explored several interesting shrines, Ueno Park, and the National Museum.

I’m not a tech geek, so I missed the attraction others might have in that area. Clothes were sky high. Give me Thailand for that any day. Had my first taste of sake, carp and eel stew. Prayed to my ancestors at a Shinto shrine and developed a “yen” for strawberry mochi and seaweed crackers.

All in all a good trip. Not as exotic as Southeast Asia, but fun and interesting in its own way.

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/mochi/a/aboutmochi.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056.html

hawaiiantraveler

Welcome home degas and thanks for the report. Sounds like you had a good time.

Was this your first trip to Japan?
Which hotel does one stay on an expense account and how was it?

Aloha!

degas

Hi Hawaiian traveler, I actually stayed at a modest Japanese hotel, but had plenty of money for food, sightseeing, and transportation. The hotel room was tiny, but very clean. Bed was a tad hard. This was my first trip to Japan, outside many, many layovers at Narita.

Dukey

What was your take on Ueno Park? I was a little suprised at the amount of trash I saw there compared to everywhere else in the city.

degas

Dukey, I liked the park, just wished the leaves had turned a bit more. Don't recall trash being an issue, but I did see a homeless guy outside the park near the JR line.

cynstalker

Photos?

degas

ttt for easy

Statia

Thanks for the report, Degas. Glad you had a good trip.