Konnichiwa

The morning after a good flight.

A good man used to say “a fool and his money are easily parted he was right. However upgrading myself to posh reclining seats seems like good value. Three course meal of smoked trout, Japanese main and cheese board. Wine, reclining seat, slippers, wash pack and big screen personal TV included.

Brassed Off and LOTR made up the entertainment before a lousy sleep then scrumptious breakfast of egg and cheese tartlet with bacon.

I could get used to it.

My favourite thing though is the forward view

Obligatory bad photo of Mount Fuji on approach.

Narita Airport

Like every other airport. Had an effortless transit through and the suitcase turned up. Found the Rail office, made all my reservations, the girl was impressed with my trip, well I think that was her look.

Big train

Wonderful train, sleek, comfy, punctual, best of all urinals. Those of sensitive disposition look away now.

So to Shinjuku, the busiest train station in the world. Using standard reference points, it’s throughfare is the same as the whole of the population of Hull leaving in the morning, coming back for elevenses, leaving for lunch, back for tea, then popping out and back again for supper every day. It feels big, no walkways are straight or level, because it has been continually added to, it doesn’t really work in an orthodox way. It’s crackers.

After working that out, I was starving. Fortunately there are shops and restaurants everywhere.

My first Ramen

There are dozens of Ramen bars, they all look basically the same. High counters and seating, lots of pictures of food and cooks in bandanas as cooking noodles.

This was pork in pork soup, and for the observant among you, yes it’s a raw egg. It cooked slowly in the hot broth, my goodness raw egg is difficult to eat with chopsticks.

Fortified, went off sightseeing. Always get a view from above to get your bearings they say.

That Fuji and eastern Tokyo in the first, the view north in the second and the last is the Tokyo Metropolitan Building that the photos are from.

Night out in Shinjuku.

Booked an Air BnB guided tour of the area. Really worked out well. Saw parts that could pass you by and met some good company to drink with. 2x Australian farmers and 2x USA ER doctors were the other guests.

The area is full of little bars, seating for four, standing for the same. We all found and filled one, then put the World to rights. Needless to say, helped on by Sake and Japanese beer.

The map above is of the bars, it won’t be much more than 400 metres in from North to South. Was trying to work out how they all survive, found out. ¥800 £5.50 per bottle of plain beer, that’s how!