I think I am turning Japanese…. I really think so…..

So hubby and I am are finally in Japan, together.  For quiet a few years now I have been attempting to visit the land of the rising sun.  The first attempt saw my husband go and me have to cancel at the last minute due to work commitments.  I was not a popular person for that one.   But here I am and it was well and truly worth the wait – I am officially in love with this place and the people (and the food).

Admittedly the holiday did get off to a great start with hubby sneakily booking business class seats, no easy feat apparently when using frequent flyers.  I was completely clueless as I hadn’t seen our tickets for the trip (or if I am honest even looked at a single thing regarding the trip – I know I am a bad wife but hey I’ve been uber busy).  So I was about to ask hubby if he had gone completely bonkers when after clambering onto the plane he promptly sat himself down in a business class seat when he finally showed me our boarding pass.  I squealed in delight and covered my hubby with kisses of appreciation as I realised that the long flight ahead was going to be spent in the lap of luxury with champers on tap and free pjs.  So tucked safely in our little pods, and thanks to a few vinos, we slept a good deal of the long flight and woke up in the magic that is Japan.

Admittedly my first thoughts of the place after stepping off the plane at 6am was …… “Damn it’s hotter and more humid than hot yoga!” followed by “Wish I wasn’t wearing skin tight jeans” closely followed by  “Wish the check in for the hotel wasn’t 3pm!”  After an enlightening train journey into Tokyo proper where I marvelled at how calm, orderly and silently a 127 million people move through the subway system and how thoughtful the Japan train companies are to play relaxing bird noises over the PA system (very zen), we found our hotel and disappointedly found out how strict the Japanese hotel staff are about checkin times.  So with plenty of hours to kill and still wearing my skin tight jeans which I am now having serious doubts that I will ever be able to get off, we head for our first Japanese adventure.

Did I mention how hot it is?  I am melting and after about 2 hours of walking somewhat deliriously around in the hot sun wandering up the swanky Ginza shopping strip and visiting the Imperial Palace gardens I suddenly get very interesting in visiting a block printing exhibition in one of the nearby art galleries which I am most certain is air conditioned.  I honestly can’t tell you much about the art as for the first half hour I wandered around in a sun induced trance seeking out any air con vent I could find.  It was here in the v.trendy art gallery that I had my first encounter with the gadgetry marvel of the Japanese toilet.  Seriously folks set aside a full hour for your first visit to a Japanese loo – these beauties make the average Australia loo experience look decidedly boring.  There I was caught up in the magic of pushing buttons for music, seat warming, perfumes etc that I quiet forgot all about time.   Hubby was beside himself with concerns that I had been kidnapped by the Yakusa (flash back to the Gard de Lyon kidnapping capers on our French trip) – I wish, I found him instead battling to keep his eyes open and body perched upright on a seat where I had left him feeling all the wonderful day after effects of a complimentary red wine too many.

We decide at this point that a spot of lunch in Cafe 1894 might be a good idea as it looks ulterior cold – this is my new criteria for a restaurant at this point.  So surrounded by all the Tokyo supermodels that apparently love to lunch we tuck into our very trendy Japanese fare.  It was then I noticed that we were the only two people eating Japanese food and that the other 20 or so Japanese people were eating western food (mostly pasta).  How strange life is sometimes.

Day two sees us wake to a day packed with fun (or that was how I was selling it my husband anyway).  I had taken over the tour guide role and I must say I have a bit of a flare for it.  First stop Edo Tokyo Museum – a very ultra minimalist building with lots of very interesting facts and figures about life in Japan both past and present.  As I have mentioned above, I love Japan and it’s people and here is example number one as to why.  Not only is the price of the entry to this museum very decent (~$6) but they give you a free english audio machine that tells you interesting bits and bobs about various museum pieces.  I know I am showing my age but I love these things particularly when they have someone with a ultra soothing voice like Sean Connery doing the commentary.  When we were in Paris a few years back, they charged a phenomenal amount for the use of audio headsets and also kept your passport as ransom until you returned the headset.  What can I say the French aren’t very trusting of foreigners.  Not the Japanese – their audio headsets are free and they send you one you merry way with a nice smile and instruction sheet on how to operator the devices.  But wait there is more.  They also offer the services of volunteer guides to accompany you around and explain some of the more interesting pieces to you.  Once hubby and I realised this service was available, we lost interest in the audio head set and instead made the journey around the museum with our very own english speaking guide – for free!  Have I mentioned how much I love the Japanese?

After a lunch which involved a green bun that tasted vaguely of melon and had custard in the centre (yes we are doing a lot of unidentified eating in Japan) we set off for a 3 hour nap (yes what can I say travelling in business class really wore us out).  The 3 hour nap fuelled our enthusiasm for adventure and we set forth again through the never ending underground train system to Shimokitazawa where apparently all the cool kids are hanging out.  Not sure about cool kids but we found lots of shops and some second hand clothes stores and some really cute dogs which made me feel a tad guilty about shipping our poor pouch off to holiday prison camp before going on this trip.

We left Shimokitazawa to arrive at our date with destiny – Karaoke – private party room no less (and a good think too as I am sure they didn’t want the two of us unplugged in public).  The two of us cut a mean duet when left alone in a room with alcohol and two microphones.  I am not one to brag but Olivia Newton John better watch her back as there is a new set of pipes in town (you too Kylie if you are reading this).   But the true superstar of the evening was hubby who’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Walk the Line” still brings tears to my eyes (of joy not the tears caused by permanent ear drum damage).  Later reliving the magic that was our performance over freshly made sushi and sake shots, we agreed that an hour of Karaoke was probably going to be enough to last us a lifetime and then some………

 

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