Touring Tokyo

My second day in Tokyo wasn't nearly as warm, so I bundled up for a day of wandering the city. I checked out the shrine near Harajuku and then the Takashita (hard to look at that without laughing) street in the area that's known for all the funky clothes Japanese fashionistas wear. Great people watching! At the shrine I got a poem but can't read a word of it!

After that I met up with an old friend, Mike, who I hadn't seen for at least 7 years. We were on the same exchange program in high school and our paths tend to cross occasionally every few years. It was great timing to see him, as he was about to start a new job and wasn't working. He also had a vacation planned and if I'd been there a week later he would have been in Hawaii! He's been in Japan for about 5 years and is fluent in the language, so he's a good guy to know! We went to dinner at the equivalent of a Japanese tapas place, where Mike did all the ordering and I got to try dozens of different dishes. We spent a few hours catching up and then Russell joined us after work. It was great to introduce them to each other as well and they're planning to meet up again soon.

I spent the following day researching digital cameras in different parts of Tokyo and finally picked one out for myself. Then I met up for a quick drink with Mike and a lovely dinner with Russell. Again, so great to know people in town! My last day was spent in the Asakusa neighborhood, where my hostel is. I checked out the nearby temple and picked up a few souvenirs. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to find postcards - first time that's ever happened! I had already bought stamps, so after I found postcards I spent my last hour or so at the hostel writing them out. Unfortunately, I then couldn't find a mailbox. I figured I could mail them at the airport, but no luck - even the Qantas business lounge couldn't help me. So I apologize for all those I was going to send cards to. I'll try to find a mailbox when I pass through again next month...

That evening I was supposed to get on my 7pm flight to Chicago, but chose instead to get on the 9pm flight to Sydney! I had decided a week or so prior to go back to Australia. I loved Sydney and hadn't seen as much of it as I would have liked. And since I flew on to Melbourne, I didn't see any of the surroundings, such as the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley. Plus, why was I going back to Chicago in the middle of January? The weather is crummy and everyone is down after the highs of the holidays. Much better to stay in the Southern Hemisphere. I figure another 4 weeks of not working isn't going to make much difference in the end. Hope that's right!

As I write this, I am now in Sydney and FINALLY pretty much up to date on this blog. Whew. Since I have all this down now and haven't done anything of earth shattering importance in Sydney, I'll make my next post or two my trip wrap up comments that I had planned to do at this time. Then I'll add a P.S. when it finally really IS over. So look for that in the next few days! Off to the supermarket to make some dinner!