Together again in Tokyo

Our arrival at the gate in Seoul airport for the flight to Tokyo set the scene for the next stage of our journey: before opening for boarding the entire ground crew bowed in unison to us, our first taste of the peculiarly Japanese penchant for restrained politeness in every situation. We checked into our hotel to find a 31st-floor view to top any we've ever had from a city hotel (no penthouse for us, though, just a hotel that started on the 25th floor of the Shidome Media Tower to thank for it).

That night, we met Yuu (a Japanese girl who was a good friend of mine from Primary school who went back to Japan with her family after P7, and with whom I'd lost touch until managing to contact her just before we left Scotland) who took us to try some real Japanese food in a real Japanese bar/restaurant... in Tokyo train station's Kitchen Street. While that will sound strange to those more accustomed to Glasgow Central, Japan's malls and train stations have whole avenues of shops, bars and restaurants of an impressive choice and quality.

Next morning heralded the start of our exploration of the bustling metropolis with its steady (not ending even at 10pm at night) stream of people in suits hurrying in the direction of one train track or another, its tiny streets of traditional houses clustered together between the wide avenues at the bases of glittering spires of steel and glass, and its people more often attired in traditional Kimonos than one might imagine given how rare it is to see a kilted man (who isn't in the tartan army)!

And using the term 'exploration' is no accident - with at least 5 vertical levels of traffic at various points (subway, ground trains, pedestrian overpasses, raised expressways and monorails) and public-transport timetables that rival the yellow pages for thickness, Tokyo is no easy city to navigate, though it remains one of unrivalled respect for one's elders (in the giving up of seats) and politeness (with "queues that would make a school lunch-room supervisor envious", was one observation made, I believe).

As well as visiting the majestic Meiji Shinto Shrine, the tiny but fascinating Sword Museum and the lighthearted and engaging Edo-Tokyo museum, we took a stroll through the high-fashion and high-technology district of Ginza. As amazing as all these places were, the Japanese proverb, "Nikko wo minai uchi wa kekko to iu na" (Until you have seen Nikko do not say grand/splendid), holds true. The sleepy hill-top town is the gateway to a huge complex of Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples in the middle of forest which had us stopping every few metres for another stunning photograph. Less famous, perhaps, but no less noteworthy, is "Hippari Tako" which we stumbled upon after seeing signs of both a vegetarian menu and a welcome message in Spanish, of all things! The tiny, three-table cafe is run by Miki-san, who serves the freshest and most delicious noodles and tempura we've ever had, and are ever likely to have. The walls, covered with business cards and messages left by appreciative guests from around the world, are testimony to both the wonderful cooking and Miki-san's warm hospitality.

The adventure doesn't end there though - on leaving our hotel we headed off to the Tokyo station to catch the bullet train to Kyoto.

Sayonara for now.