In Tokyo

After two quite tiring final days of work in Hanoi, I was very happy to arrive last night in Tokyo. Getting from the airport to my accommodation was a snap - this city is a model of efficiency and organisation. I'm staying in a very comfortable and well-equipped studio flat at the Oakwood Shinjuku Apartments, which are every bit as excellent as the reviews on TripAdvisor suggest. This morning, I spent quite a bit of time checking out the various gadgets and controls with which this place is equipped - the neatest of which are all in the bathroom. Getting myself cleaned up this morning took a bit of time, since I had to decode the instructions for the bathtub and shower first!

I've been taking it very easy today - not only because I'm in need of a rest after seven days of work and constant socialising, but also because I've had some, um, gastrointestinal upsets for the past couple of days. Since I want to take full advantage of the range of amazing food available here, I'm hoping I'll be better by tomorrow. As it stands, I went to the local grocery store this morning and bought some bland things to eat for today (bananas, bread for toast, yogurt). But even going for groceries was a bit of an adventure, as you might imagine. I always enjoy going to grocery stores in foreign countries, and here in Japan the offerings are even more unusual than those in the West.

Went out for a stroll for a few hours this afternoon. Shinjuku is a bustling, major neighbourhood in Tokyo, and just a half-mile from my apartment there are three major bus, metro and railway lines. In addition, there's a vast array of shops, including several huge department stores. I went into one this afternoon called Odakyu, which has about 15 floors and sells just about everything you can possibly imagine. Obviously, there is a massive selection of cutting-edge electronics here, the likes of which I've never seen. I spent some time checking out mobile phones, most of which do just about everything short of sing and dance. I saw some very neat ones that include both cameras and digital TVs! And not that expensive, either. I'd love to get one, but have absolutely no idea if they would work in Canada. I contented myself with buying some bejewelled decals like these to jazz up my phone at home, like pretty much all Japanese girls seem to do. If I can't have a cool Japanese phone, at least I can give my existing mobile some Japanese-style bling.

In the basement of Odakyu (as is apparently the case with all the major department stores here) there is a supermarket and large food court. The range of foodstuffs on offer was amazing - the seafood department alone was probably more diverse than any I've ever seen in my life! I also saw some examples of the odd Japanese predilection for premium fruit and veg. You can buy ordinary produce here, of course, at prices that are similar to what we would pay in North America. But certain posh shops have departments devoted to the highest-quality varieties of fruit and vegetables, which are picked at their peak and meant to be consumed immediately, to taste them at their finest. I saw boxes of grapes for $30, a tray of six peaches for about $45, and a glossy, basketball-sized watermelon for about $95! Unreal!

It's still pretty hot here, though not as bad as Vietnam - today's temperatures were in the low 30s. The next few days are meant to be a little cooler, though, with a chance of rain. I'm taking some time to do email and blogging now, and will probably go out again in an hour or two, once the sun has set and the temperature has dropped a bit. Just east of here is an area which is apparently quite well-known for its nightlife, so I think a stroll is in order. Normally, as a lone woman traveller, I wouldn't go out at night in a strange city by myself, but the streets here are packed until well past midnight, so I feel quite safe.

More updates to come...