Lost In Translation……in Tokyo......

Konichiwa!!!!!!!!!!

Didn’t you just want to visit Tokyo after seeing that movie, ‘Lost In Translation’ with Scarlett Johanssen and Bill Murray? Well even though I’d been to Tokyo before (when I was 5

and visited DisneyLand) I couldn’t remember anything, I was glad I had the opportunity to visit again with work. (at least I got to see a bit of Tokyo).

Tokyo is exciting - Narita to downtown! And Tokyoites are extremely trendy! And fashionable – there is absolutely nothing they will not wear! Although Tokyo is somewhat over-populated (millions of people during rush hour – you just have to see it to believe it), they are very organised (they queue in a straight line to get onto trains!) and the city is very clean! They love their gadgets, everyone has a sleek mobile phone (which they are not allowed to use on the trains), and an ipod, or some other new toy.

Japan is known for its high suicide rates which you can understand when you are there but they seem to unwind quite well on the weekends. People visit parks, there are free concerts on (I saw a free Japanese Jazz band! Really cool!) and many other activities.

Places I visited: Tokyo is made up of many interesting areas – every district has something to offer. We stayed at the Intercontinental The Strings in Shinagawa (a main train central hub) and worked in Kiwasaki. Ginza is a where you will find nice exclusive designer boutiques and the famous ‘Sony Building’ - a must see with all Sony products available! Shinjuku is quite similar to Piccadilly Circus and Times Square but 10 times brighter - more lights! And of course the red light district! Loads of bars and restaurants here (e.g. Nado-Wado) and Karaoke joints! (Didn’t do any Karaoke..:( ) If you like gadgets, then you must visit Akihabara a.k.a. ‘The Electric City’ – where there are shops and shops full of the latest gadgets – blinding! I didn’t get a chance to visit the famous Imperial Palace or any of the temples/shrines :-(

The highlights of my trip was the food, I love Japanese food! Every single thing I tried in every restaurant(e.g. Nado Wado, Negi To Tamago) was amazing (tempura, noodles, sushi etc) – you even get the total calories of each dish on the menu! They are fanatical about being healthy! They even wear white gloves and white masks! Second highlight were the ‘Toilets’!! Electrical loos manufactured by ‘Toto’, you can have a warm seat, warm water etc – very therapeutic! :-) I want one!