Off to Japan

Somehow the beginning of the P.S. got uploaded and went off into space....I left it and thought I could continue...I’m sure I can, but must have pressed the wrong thing...oh well, here goes again. Actually I am really liking this travel app despite this hiccup...it feels comfortable, I can see all comments etc..the only thing at the moment is it takes forever to download and upload the photos...but that is the wifi.

Anyway, to expand on the day as it was really special. The walking in the palace grounds was heavenly. We could not get into the palace ...that takes weeks of booking, but I think the gardens were perfect. Amr reminds me there was an exhibit in the beginning of treasures from the palace..but otherwise we just walked..it is hilly at places, and there is a moat and huge walls...and we had no time limit. You have seen the photos of how beautiful it was. Then just outside the other gate was the art museum, a little dip into culture..and also peaceful. There was a Matisse, a few Paul Klees, but mostly Japanese - some traditional, some almost western style impressionist...and seats placed conveniently to sit and enjoy.

The long walk back to Ginza needs no expansion, but I have to say that we were wearing our more respectable clothes, and my purple shoes (and my feet in them!) survived the kilometres very well!

But it is the restaurant that I want to elaborate on. It was ghastly trying to find it, when we realised we were getting late, and we had had all the time in the world. It was a chapter of accidents as Amr had mistakenly entered a wrong address in iCal...which fortunately the taxi driver couldn’t read or we would have been whisked off to that wrong place (presumably a different restaurant with Michiba in its name). Ours is called Kaishoku Michiba. But after the difficulties sorted and we arrived, the experience was amazing. We were the only non Japanese of course...up on the 8th floor and with only Japanese writing on the lift directory no passing tourist would see it. We were greeted with all the usual bows, and led to our chosen place at the counter looking into the kitchen, so we could see the continuous and meticulous preparation that was happening. They had printed a menu for us in English...luckily or we would not had had a clue. And we elected to have the full fixed price menu rather than a la carte. Wine was not on the list...and nobody was drinking wine..we had beer and it went well, and tea appeared every now and then. Each dish was a small artistic presentation..i can’t describe them individually but the whole experience was unique. The tastes were very subtle...not robust, and mostly had fish in some form. One surprising thing was that it all went quite quickly...no sooner had you finished one, the next appeared, and it was all over soon after 9 pm - having started at 8. And we looked around, many tables were now empty, and the kitchen seemed to be closing down, not getting ready for new arrivals! So the Japanese seem to dine early...contrast to Spain where they may not start till 9 or 10! When we left, all the kitchen chefs stood to attention and bowed us farewell! As did the other staff as they ushered us into the lift!! All quite unique. Thank you Paul!

Well I have been writing this offline in Blue Bottle, and we are off for the day, so goodness knows when it will get published, but I just wanted to get it off my chest! Maybe we’ll pass an Apple store and get wifi!! Amr whisked me off too early, but now we are off to the fish markets, and after that Roppongi. That will be another story.

...It is now Sunday afternoon and there hasn’t been a chance to publish this morning’s thoughts, so will continue now with what we have done so far today. It is 4 pm and I am sitting in the Tokyo Midtown Galleria in Roppongi. I have had my fill of window shopping, but Amr is continuing, so this is my chance to write, sitting in one of the many comfortable spaces! We made it to the fish market area...first walked round a residential area of many and varied high rise apartments...think it is called River City...pleasant, and near the river. Then we followed on to the fish market, in fact the outer fish market area where the little narrow streets with many restaurants or stalls sell wonderful fish offerings! This is one time when you do seem to eat in public. We got calamari and scallops on sticks, yum, a huge juicy fresh oyster each. A highlight was grilled tuna on sticks - first grilled on a BBQ, then sprayed with a magic soy mixture and blowtorched - absolutely divine! We then sat at a sushi train ....so good. Then got the train back to Roppongi where we are now.

Roppongi bears no resemblance to the place we stayed in in 1984. Then there was no high rise, in fact the only high rise in Tokyo then was Shinjuku...but now there are massive buildings everywhere. So it is totally new to me. This huge complex here has the Ritz Carlton on floors 47 to 53 or something!!! Otherwise it is shops, apartments....we even found a Blue Bottle coffee shop in the Barney’s store!!

I am quite tired...a good day, but look forward to down time soon. I have to mention the traffic, seeing I have been comparing with 1984. Then the roads were in constant grid lock, traffic inching along...ghastly. These days there is very little traffic, and cars drive along freely, no horns or road rage...as with everything else, very calm. Greg told me that you are not allowed to have a car unless you have a garage...maybe that helped change it. But something has worked, and there is certainly plentiful and efficient public transport. Also then everyone smoked, and there were butts on the ground everywhere. Again, all changed, very rare to see a smoker, and NO butts. Speaking of cleanliness - the other day I saw a garbage truck collecting rubbish, and the inside where the rubbish goes was shiny clean!!! Wow. We also walked by, and admired the ultra modern and huge art museum here. Didn’t have the oomph to go in, but just looking at the building was quite an experience!

So now finally sitting in a wine bar in this complex...our first wine for a while! It is quite interesting - it’s only 5 o’clock, but everyone is ordering and eating dinners, so last night’s dinner ending at 9 was obviously normal, in fact even late!! Very restorative here - there aren’t many wine drinking places visible to us, and after I am going to brave it going back to Shinjuku by myself, as Amr wants to continue here! Hope I make it!! Then will finally publish - the end of yesterday, and today.Read more