Tokyo

Japan. This is perhaps not the first place that springs to mind for a backpacking trip around the world as it’s so expensive. In fact, we originally didn’t plan to come here as we thought it would cost too much. But unfortunately, when we were buying the flight tickets we just couldn’t resist…

Ah well, staying in Tokyo is at least much cheaper than London. And for us, much more unfamiliar and fun! We came to Japan once before, about 5 years ago, for a conference. That time we caught the Shinkansen along the western part of the Islands and back, visiting Hiroshima, Kyoto, Himeji, Fukawaka, and of course Tokyo. And, as most of you know, we loved it! Japan is just such an amazing place to explore – very alive, very different from the west, very beautiful. And also very different from anywhere else we’ve been in Asia.

This time in Tokyo we’ve only stopped off for two nights, before departing on the Shinkansen to North Japan – the island Hokkaido. Two nights amounts to only a day wandering around, but even so it’s been great fun. We’ve been staying in Roppongi, a recently developed modern area, complete with the highest building in the city and a replica of the Eiffel Tower painted red and white! What more could you ask for? Yesterday we walked all the way from here north west to Shinjuku – one of the best known lively areas in Tokyo, full of restaurants, bars, shops, and Japan’s Times Square (really a huge department store block). Wandering between areas is great in terms of seeing lovely shrines, gardens and other random things (including dragish, gothic, punky teenage Japanese girls/boys/others). The only drawback is the weather – rainy, wet, cold and miserable – just like home! The first thing we bought (other than a train ticket and subway fare to get to our hotel) was an umbrella – one of those clear plastic ones that you only really get in Japan. Ah well, at least it’s more comfortable than Delhi’s heat.

Anyway, this is only our first, and shortest, visit to Tokyo on this trip now we are on the Shinkansen whizzing 1050 miles north to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. This seems to be the part of Japan most like Scotland. Probably nice and warm then!