::@:: Reality of Dreams ::@::

Thought I would post the full goings on for the past few days:

Day Three - Dawn of a new day…

Well after the events of the previous couple of days today was remarkable calm… in comparison. With the help of Norman I have found a hotel at an okay rate per night, nothing fancy but it will do. I have paid for two nights to start with and may well extend it depending on what happens in the next day or so. One cool thing about the hotel room is that it has a TV so I can watch Anime… admittedly I can’t understand a word but I can look at the pretty pictures

My current plan is thus… I will stay in Japan for a little longer (depending on funds) and try and see a few of the sights I have wanted to see. I think tomorrow may well be Akinbara and the Imperial Palace… basically central Tokyo (I say “I think” as I currently have a very nasty huge blister on the sole of one of my feet which makes it sore to walk). I also want to see Mount Fuji, and one of large Shinto temples, but that’s for another day.

The next important thing for me to figure out is if I can have the return portion of my flight moved forward as I do not think I will be able to stay in Japan that long… especially if this heat keeps up

Many thanks for all the prayers and thoughts in the last few days (and those leading up to me going) its not exactly how I wanted or imagined this, I knew there would be differences, that’s to be expected but I did believe we would come to an agreeable position. Guess not.

Anyway that’s about all for today, I will try and upload photos when I get the chance but the internet access I have had so far has not been reliable enough for mass uploads (or has not been using my PC).

Peace.

Day Four - I think I’m seeing things…

Well actually I know I am but I was trying to come up with an interesting title. Anyway, today started with me feeling rather ill I think I have not being eating enough while drinking a lot at any rate I had a very bad for value breakfast (1050yen) for an egg, a hot dog sausage, some salad stuff, coffee, orange juice and one slice of toast with jam… the egg was nice, as with the OJ and the toast (mainly because it was about an inch thick :)), I even tried the coffee, which I still don’t like. At any rate I will not be paying that again especially since I had a lunch today for under 800yen.

So today I decided to some sightseeing but as my blister was still sore I elected to give the Imperial Palace a miss today and instead head to Akihabara and then on to Ryogoku. I was going to pop into a Shinto temple on the way but al the signs were in Japanese and I thought rather than risk offence I would wait until I could check on procedures etc.

So I have at last got to Akihabara ad it was everything I could have hoped for, acres of electronics, computer games, anime/mange models… just a blooming shame I’m watching my cash While there I grabbed lunch at a Katsu restaurant in Akihabara UMX (I think that was the name…) which also had a small Anime store, I was very tempted to pick up a few Gundam models but I resisted. The lunch was nice. It took me quite a while to pluck up enough courage to go in, I survived and enjoyed some Katsu Chicken, minus the curry sauce.

Afterwards, as the muggy heat continued to play havoc with my Scottish genes, I got again on the fantastic JR railway to Ryogoku. If you are ever in Japan getting around on the trains is fantastic and very easy. Not only do the tickets machines have an “English option”, the JR route maps have at least one English version at a station so you can figure out what price ticket to get. Also the tickets are cheap my wanderings today cost around £3… which is really good value in my view considering I travelled fair bit. The trains are clean, have a led sign system showing the next track in two Kanji’s and English, and they are air-conditioned!

Anyway, Ryogoku, my reason for being here was the Sumo Stadium… it as closed. Nuts. I wondered around for a bit and found a wonderful small garden (the Former Yasuda Garden) which was even free to walk round. Took quite a few pictures and even enjoyed a seat for a while. It was amazingly peaceful even in the busy city… well I say peaceful except for the annoyingly loud cricket type creatures which are more annoying than the traffic, and can almost feel louder!

Anyway, I am now back in the hotel (which I am now in until Monday morning) and have checked emails and the like on the hotels internet café, only problem is I am writing this on my PC and haven’t been able to link it up yet oh well.

Tonight, depending on other factors and how I feel, I think I will go out into Shinjuku and find somewhere to eat… which shouldn’t be hard.

Laters

Day Five - Hospitality and Temples…

Well today I am in another new place, the ground floor flat underneath some very kind family friends who live and work here. I have the huge flat to myself and have been invited to meals with the family (at least those still at home), an offer I of course accepted… especially since they know me and know that I can be quite fussy when it comes to food… well vegetables… and fish… and… you know they have a point

On the way Makoto took me to a huge electrical store where are last I saw a Cintiq in the flesh (so to speak) it still costs over £1500 so I think I’ll wait. However I did see a larger Wacom tablet (must have been almost A4 for a lot less than normal… but I resisted. No really I did.

After some lunch with his wife Kauro, and his daughter Ai, Makoto graciously took me to see a Shinto temple, Honden Temple to be exact. As we arrived the rain started, thankfully never more than a drizzle and it also appeared to be the end of a festival so it was mobbed (not that you can tell from the photos). I, of course, took photos but quite a few came out shaky, which seems too easy for this camera, I kept the ones which still looked reasonable.

Anyway the day ended with dinner and an evening chatting with the whole family which was really nice and tomorrow is church at the Salvatin Army next door.

By the way Net access will be very intermitent for a while, but I will still try and keep in touch.

Laters.