Turning Japanine

Knowing I would have to fly through Japan on my way home from Thailand (and that I could have a free stop-over), I jumped at the chance to visit with a good friend and see a bit of Tokyo. I must admit, like most people who have never been there, I was a bit unsure of how it would all unfold. Would it be outrageously expensive?  Would I be able to communicate without knowing a lick of Japanese? How would I read the street signs, navigate the metro or order from a menu? What would I eat? (Note that I don’t eat any fish or seafood , or even seaweed – which, I am well aware, is very unfashionable and likely a true crime on a visit to Tokyo.) And though I didn’t really have much time to dwell on these curiosities with all the action going on in Bangkok – I was happy to discover that Tokyo was a cinch to navigate, I ate well and my three night stay didn’t break the bank!

I arrived at Narita airport and followed the simple instructions in my Rough Guide to Tokyo for catching the Limousine Bus to my hotel. I purchased my return ticket for ¥6000 and for another ¥200 I added in a 2-Day Metro Pass. I could have easily navigated the subway, but with my 2 suitcases it would be easier not to have to switch trains and lug my bags around. The limo bus took about 2 hours to reach my hotel – Shibuya Hotel Excel Tokyu – in the Shibuya neighborhood. I booked a 3 night stay through Expedia for $250 / night – a decent, weekend rate for a good hotel in a major city. The Shibuya Excel stands directly at the Shibuya metro station and I was absolutely thrilled to find out my room was on the 23^rd floor with windows overlooking the amazing Tokyo skyline and the famous Shibuya crossing. The room was fairly small but with a comfy bed and a fancy toilet (as is typical in Japan). And since my Blackberry had absolutely no service in Japan, thankfully there was a computer terminal conveniently located on each floor of the hotel for guests to use for free – which came in handy when trying to make plans to meet up with my friend, Chris.

Chris, an old Toronto friend from way back, met and married a lovely Japanese girl and has now been living just outside of Tokyo for the past few years. He is quite possibly the perfect tour guide - fun, up for anything and, most importantly, he shares my twisted sense of humour. Having toured some other visiting friends around the city previously, he had the Tokyo essentials all mapped out but left enough time for us both to explore some of the special brand of weirdness that is Tokyo. And there was lots of weirdness indeed…be sure to check out my next posts for the scoop.