Emily & Jacky in Tokyo

Fatigue, Stress, Mental and Physical exhaustion. Like work, the trip had become another 'to do' item and I felt like I was drowning in my multitude of tasks. Everyone seemed more excited for me than I did and I couldn't explain why, I wasn't to realise how high strung I was until a few days later. A few of the girls dropped me off to the airport which was a really nice suprise (thank you so much!)

The flight to Japan was pretty rough, the seats felt tighter than usual and the plane was very noisy. I had hoped to catch up on some sleep during the 10 hour flight but tossed and turned all night.

Tokyo
We arrived at 6:00am local time and caught the bullet train to the city, the train smelt like urine, but that aside the 1 hour trip gave us a peek to what we were about to experience. We deliberately paid more to stay at a better location and a nicer hotel only to realise that the transport system is so efficient here it wouldn't really have mattered. Upon our arrival we were pleasantly surprised, Jacky had booked a 4.5 star place – reminding me of how different this all was to our trip 2 years ago.

Left to right: Our Hotel Keizo Plaza, Our hotel suite, Shinjuku the area where we stayed

Japanese people are so polite and 'cute' that we didn't quite know how to respond to them. The bell boy literally tackled us to carry our bags for us, and was extremely excited that we spoke English. For the next few days Jacky and I explored various parts of this fascinating city and for the first time in 8 months I allowed myself to wind down.

Here is our Summary of Japan:

Shinjuku
Overwhelming
Neon lights
Never ending shopping malls
Japanese Noodle Bars
when you can't speak or read Japanese the pictures and coupons are a life saver!

Prices
Not expensive at all, very comparable to Sydney.

Shibuya
people watching – i really can't explain the Japanese's fascination with dressing up as maids and Goths.

Fashion
Whilst the different styles are quite evident and unique, it can definitely be said that Japanese women make a lot of effort to look nice ( putting my jeans and jogger look to shame). It would also seem that Japanese women do not feel the cold as they are able to wear the shortest of short skirts in 10 degree weather.

The height issue
I had always assumed that Japanese people were on the short side. This is not the case at all! Jacky is 185am and I am 170cm and we were surrounded by many people our height.

Porn
Yes the Japanese have a lot of it.

Technology
a way of life. Just look at their toilets with their bum cleaning mechanisms- very very interesting experience.

Shoes
for the first time in 12 years of searching I found tall boots that were catered to slimmer legs. They would zip up with ease and look normal, however having size 7-8 feet would make shoe shopping impossible. In one store I took off my shoe to show the owner the size of my foot- the shop owner laughed out loud and let me know that I would not be able to find shoes in his shop...devastating.

The Internet
$2.20 AUD and hour – bargain

Sushi Bars
$1.20 AUD a plate

The Japanese and their obsession with Cabbage
(The finely chopped variety)
cabbage with rice
cabbage in burgers
cabbage in kebabs
and when the menu says 'salad' they mean cabbage.

Left to right: A Japanese Temple, Outside the Palace, Rainbow Bridge with Tokyo Tower in the background