Day Thirty-Five: Brisbane!

Maaaaan. Funny how things pan out. We found out we have free accommodation in Osaka and also a client paid a big bill that was outstanding so we could have done the Osaka leg of our trip anyway! Well we have a standing offer for next time and I absolutely will be going back to Japan.

Back in Brisvegas we see the city like a tourist would now...

Have unpacked... doing laundry ... drinking coffee .... hoooooooome.... it's so freaking cold here too!!

Still adding pics and blogging to finish the whole trip.

What a trip.

Day-Thirty Four: Travel Day ... leaving Tokyo

We packed and left the bags with the concierge. Limited English at the Chisum Inn where we stayed but they were really helpful. We asked about getting a cab to the airport or a shuttle bus but cabs were too expensive and there were no shuttle buses so train was the ly option. Decided to at least get a cab to Ueno to jump on the Skyliner and cut out one train (to save lugging all the cases plus the stroller and bike..). GOD I learned a big lesson about packing for a big trip. Will NEVER take this much again!! So many items I thought I needed but didn't.

Then we went to the markets to get or souvenirs and to buy the family Kimonos. Actually these are called Yakuta - light summer cotton Kimonos that can be worn for less formal occassions. Lots of the girls where these in Asakusa and Ueno but it's rare to see them in the more Central Tokyo areas we found.

Charlie drew quite a crowd after these shots. Kawaaaiiii! Pretty! It was so full on at one stage that she hid her face against her bike and started saying "No more photos Mama, no more!" so we took the kimono off for a little while to allow us to get to the restaurent for dinner without further ogling :)

Chatting to a nice guy from Taiwan who was also leaving Tokyo today.

Narita Airport, Tokyo. Flew out at 9.10pm and 11 (?) hours later we were in Brisbane. It was a great flight. Charlie knocked over Ant's Asahi beer accidentally and I tried to explain to the hostess what happened. She thought I was asking for more and totally missed my point. We were brought two more huge cans on a silver tray lol. I was like oh ... but ... OK thanks!! :)

Charlie slept most of the flight and I dozed maybe 4 hours. Watched "April Bride" Japanese film with English subtitles, 17 Again (pretty funny especially the piss take of fantasy nerds hehe) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (not back for a chick flick). The food was not that great (realy super salty). All in all, QANTAS is the best airline we have travelled with. They are great.

Day Thirty-Three: Shibuya Hachikō Crossing

No rain today so the raincoats are off the dollys :) Charlie insists on photo's every time we go past now. She even smiles voluntarily!

Breakfast at .... Dennys! Actually it's lunch. We left at around 11am today. I'm having a wierd clumsy day. I manage to knock over and break a glass of water and get it all over my crotch so it looks like I weed my pants. Ugh ... I call the waitress over. Sumimasen! Sumimasen! ..... (very versatile word that one). Great start to the day. But looking on the bright side... a good excuse to shop! I find a $29 skirt to change into :) heheh.

Typically.... Charlie charms the shop owner and she gets a gift of a little fan. She's a GIFT MAGNET! We say "Arigato gazaimas" so many times each day ... for food, for everything ... every exchange seems to require it.

We jump on a couple of trains to get to Shibuya to check out the crossing made famous in "Lost in Translation" Japanese school girls travel in group on the trains transferring data between mobile phones and sharing pictures of handsome boys... they all love Charlie and she gets a throng of waves and ooohs and ahhhs at every little thIg she does. She even causes omeone who is so happy to be getting smiles and waves to forget to watch her step and fall down the escalator! Quite seriously! A young-ish girl in too high heels and carrying armfuls of fashion shopping bags! I help to stop her falling further and load the bags up again before the end gobbles us all.

SHIBUYA CROSSING

it's not really THAT busy .... but this video shows the Shibuya crossing on a Saturday afternoon so you can really get the idea!

TOKYO IS NOT THAT BUSY

I had this idea everywhere we went we'd be waiting in lines and rubbing shoulders. That there would be SO MANY people. But that has not been our experience. Granted we've avoided peak hours so that's probably why. I also thought the culture shock would be huge nd that I'd feel really out of place. But... it wasn't that way either. I think France was more of a shock to the system because the French are not quite as polite and helpful. I think I need to go to Africa ... maybe that's where I'll feel as out of place as I expected to be here.

We duck into Starbucks for a coffee to take some pics. I am actually TOLD OFF by one of the staff!! No photo!! I ask why?! She says "Police!" ... yegads ... I still don't know why .... I wonder what they will do ... I take a few more surrepticious pics and we leave (as if anyone would go to Starbucks for actual coffee!) hehe.

We visit all floors of a department store just for the aircon. It is SO HOT today. I deal with it but I'm red faced. Charlie is alseep on my back and the Beco is really hot. Young Japanese girls dress really girly and in many layers with lots of accessories. They love to check their makeup in the mirror and the hairstyles are all Elly-May Clampett ... pigtails and curls... the stores are full of frills and lacy gloves, leggings under short dresses are popular. There's none of what I imagine Japanese fashion would be at all. You only find that in the tourist shops. No kimonos or yakuta in Shibuya - it's up market western style here really. In Asakusa heaps of girls wear the summer Kimonos though. So pretty.

Cosmetics, first floor same as every other city.

We visit the 2nd building of the department store and it's designer brands only here. Chanel, Prada, YSL, Hermes, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vitton ... you get the idea. I dare not set foot in any of these shops! Looks like you need an appointment. The assistants must get bored. I saw two shoppers in the entire store :) Sneak a couple of pics ... then we leave to head back to Ueno and Asakusa. More my kind of shopping (on a budget). Shibuya has some great shops but not really affordable at the end of a big trip. More the kind of shopping you do when you're at home with income still flowing :P

More shops in Shibuya. This is a sort of mall-equivalent.

Catching the train back to Ueno ... the trains and stations are much cleaner this side of town. People dress much nicer too :) There are little gates for the carriages so you know where to stand. Wait to the right ... people exit first then you enter.

Ueno markets. We ate rockmelon, pineapple and watermelon on sticks, saw Kimono prices and decided Asakusa is still the best place to shop before we go. Ant and I wanted to buy a Kimono each. Back on the trains to Asakusa...

We buy our Kimono's .... Ant buys a fan also "Wo itadakimasuka sensu" (I would like a fan) and Charlie charms the owner.... AS USUAL ... and is given a special printed handkerchief (can't remember the name of it). She tries to figure out how to wear it when we leave and I am patient for half an hour while she refuses my help and gets frustrated. Meanwhile various people stop to watch and coo coo at the little white baby girl. Grrrrr Charlie ignores me when I try to get her to move on. Finally I pick her up .... she screams and squirms and we head back to the hotel. Me smiling apologetically to the people watching her. Sayonaraaaaaa! *grin* (Charlie wave bye bye please).

Obligatory photos with the Ban Dai figures.

Obligatory tantrum before bed :P Tomorrow is our last day!!!! OMG!!! I don't want to leave! Tokyo is such an interesting place and I want to learn more about all the Japanese customs. It's just so much fun figuring it all out here :(

Day Thirty-Two: Tokyo Government Building, Shinjuku

Our hotel is a few doors down from Ban Dai (a games company) and they have these really cool figures outside. Today it was raining when we left and we laughed to see they all had raincoats on today! Cute!



Breakfast at a place called 'Denny's' ... wow I had normal tasting coffee and french toast with maple syrup. How un-Asian!! Ant had an Asian brekky that was just as yummy. It's funny ... even with western food you half expect it to have an Asian flavour but it usually tastes exactly like at home. The Japanese food we've eaten is not that different to Australian Japanese food either. While we eat Charlie charms another Japanese granny and this time is given a lovely fan as a present. Maaaaaan. She gets gifts daily!! We learn a new word "kawaii" means "pretty" we hear it in relation to Charlie all the time. Also, "sensu" which "fan".




Jumped on a couple of trains to Tochomae stop (practically in Shinjuku) and went up to the top of the Tokyo Municipal Government (TMG) building - awesome, awesome views.

The shot above is looking out the window during lunch. Ate lunch at Denny's again (they cater to kids so it's easy as) then walked around the park at the base and decided it was too hot and too late to go to the Shinjuku Gardens ...

There are tent cities with homeless people in every park we see. The homeless here are very visible. A lot of them seem to work and lead normal lives otherwise. They just have nowhere to live.

Uh-oh another park. There goes an hour :)

Looking back at the TMG 1 and 2 (they are joined in the middle).

Spectacular from the ground.

This is Asakusa where we hang out a lot. One of the main streets just outside the beginning of the Nakamise-dōri markets and the thunder gate of the temple.

Looking under the thunder gate to the markets (closed now).

Markets. Usually bustling.

Senso-ji Temple.

Yummy dinner. No idea what the name of this restaurent is (it's all in Japanese Kanji) but we love it here! This time we were shown upstairs to the Japanese style rooms with Tatami mats. Cool! Charlie was asleep in the Beco on my back like a little Koala and woke near the end of the meal.

After the meal was cleared away just as Charlie started running rampant. We then walked to theTemple (closed), looked at some Kimonos and back to the hotel to sleep. Well... I slept.

Ant is sick too now. I made him take some Tamiflu just in case. Charlie kept him awake until 12am again.