And I wonder if you know…

10/11/2023 - 10/15/2023

Arigato! Thank you, thank you for allowing us to experience this. This country is so great. Every day is exciting and so much to experience, see and marvel at. We still can't get into a normal daily rhythm. Sometimes we are ready for bed at 7 p.m. and other days we get home to the hostel on the very last train at 2 a.m.

We also booked several accommodations in Japan. Except in Tokyo (where we spent longer to get there), it was always three nights each.

We knew that after quiet Mauritius, Tokyo would blow us away. But we imagined it to be worse. Yes, jingles are blaring from shops everywhere, traffic lights have acoustic signals, huge department store facades are flashing. But everything is incredibly civilized. Everyone knows where to walk or wait because there are arrows all over the floor and steps. Nobody gets loud or unfriendly. And only on the train would you hear a pin drop.

The first few days we strolled through the streets of Tokyo to settle in the country a bit.

In the Shibuya district, we marveled at the crowds of people as they scurried across one of the largest intersections in the world during the green phases. A crowd of people that never leaves and keeps coming back again and again. It is said that up to 800 people pass the zebra crossings during a green phase. With a cocktail in hand, we watched this spectacle for a while as the sun went down. Until we became one of many on the street again. We let ourselves drift, visited one and another slot machine house and tried to fight in the alien invasion, started a mutual dance battle and left a few ¥100 coins in Gotcha machines. What fun.

During the day, Tokyo seemed civilized. Men in suits, white shirts, highly polished shoes and women smartly dressed in long, easy-flowing fabrics made into dresses. School-age girls wear school uniforms, which they then change into flashy clothing in the evenings. We particularly noticed the many maids on the side of the road handing out flyers for various bars.

We finally found a small corner kitchen with an English-language ordering machine and there was actually a soup without meat or fish for Tine. Despite everything, it worked after the third attempt and we held our order coupons in our hands. Yippee. So udon noodle soup with chopsticks. A little difficult at the beginning, but at the end of our trip it was no longer a problem.

Akihabara - the electronic district. Flo was in seventh heaven. Tine had not expected such large “media markets” and an infinite number of them. And “of course, my darling, let’s go to this seventh giant store on the sixth floor.” But even in the small alleys behind plastic tarpaulins you can find electrical equipment, adapters for whatever, circuit boards and other accessories.

First thing in the morning when the ticket office opened we went to the Tokyo Skytree. You have to get an idea of this huge city from above. With around 10 million inhabitants in the city and over 37 million in the surrounding area, it is understandable that no matter which direction you look down from 451 meters, you will still see high-rise buildings.