Sunway - before & beyond

Day: 1
Location: Tokyo, Japan (more specifically)


"I wonder if you can see Mt. Fuji out that side of the plane?"

*Turn to look out the left side of the plane:

"Oh look, there it is."

We arrived around 7.15am this morning and took the train to our accommodation. Walking and trains seem the best way to see the city. The public transport system is a marvel of efficiency. Some trains even take you back to memories of Super Mario with their various sound effects.

First culinary misadventure: 7/11 where I ordered miscellaneous-meat-product-on-stick in soup. It was offal. Not exactly my cup of breakfast, but that's ok.


Electric City: We thought we'd found it when we came across the multi-level technology store that was the love child of JB HiFi and Dick Smith Electronics on steroids - the absence of English signs will do that to you of course. In fact after lunch we found the real Electric City (Akihabara), which was more of a spectacle from the street than inside its stores.

Train trips on our Japan Rail (JR) Rail Passes are booked:

Hakuba - Nagoya 21/01

Nagoya - Kyoto 23/01

Kyoto - Hiroshima 26/01

Hiroshima - Osaka 27/01

Having organised this we skirted the grounds of the Imperial Palace.

After dinner: Sensoji Temple. I paid my 100Yen to select a random fortune after making a wish and received a foreboding and unhelpful message.

"No. 97 Bad Fortune.
Like a high building hidden in fog, your desire is always hidden in clouds.
Like a beautiful lady goes on the water, your behaviour always seems to be dangerous.
A cloud is drifting with its direction uncertain and the date can't be decided.
In the rough waves, we can't see the moon reflected on the surface of the water.
There are a lot of troubles.

*Your wish is hard to be realised. *The sick person is in danger. *Lost articles will not be found. *The person you are waiting for will not come. *It is bad to build a new house or moving. *It is bad to make a trip. *It is bad to marry and employ.”

Pretty positive really. . . perhaps it serves me right for being a stupid, white tourist trying to buy a religious experience though.

There is a noticeable divide between Tokyo's affluent business people and the impoverished, and disadvantaged as you'd expect from any big city.