Tokyo, Japan

I left after Art Class on the 27th to meet Mike in Tokyo. I have been flying International for while and have made a quite a few trips solo, so this is nothing new. Not speaking Chinese or Japanese does present some issues at times. Thank goodness Mike was waiting for me and I did not need to figure out the transportation. Getting through customs and security was enough. We used the bus and subway system all weekend mostly by choice. I say this only because on Friday morning Mike had set up a tour for me as he had meetings until 3:00. That was so thoughtful! Only problem was he did not realize that the tour ended on the other side of Tokyo. Only a 30 minute bus ride from the main bus station and then a 2 block walk to the subway and another 25 minute ride to the Nikko Hotel where we were staying. Again, I have traveled quite a bit with Mike on business and I am use to touring foreign cities on my own. I even get lost from time to time, but this was a whole new ball game for me. Thank goodness the tour guide spoke enough english and saw I was on this tour alone. He got me to the main bus station and I figured it out from there. Do you think Mike was trying to loose me??...It didn't work. I was waiting for him in our room when he got back at 3:00.
We had a great weekend. We had wonderful meals, one at the famous Kill Bill Restaurant. The wait staff there was so much fun. They shouted out friends names as they come in, much like on the old CHEERS show ("Norm"). We meet Mike's old high school friend Jeff Zink, who is the dean at the American Expat School in Tokyo.  He has been in Tokyo for almost 5 years and most importantly knows how to order off the menu. We was a fun evening.
We eventually nailed the subway system and could get anywhere we wanted. We saw temples, statues, Palaces, tourist sites, many stores we could not afford to shop in, restaurants we did and did not want to eat in, high fashion, questionable fashion, the bay and beach volleyball. This is by far one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen. The people are so polite, friendly, and respectful. It is crowded, but very orderly and neat. It is hard to believe that less than a year ago they experienced such a horrific earthquake. I know Tokyo is miles away, yet the city had effects from it. We heard many stories. No transportation and many walked home for 4 to 6 hours. Stores had to shut down with no power to check out and shoppers would have carts filled with groceries, the shoppers would put all the items back on the shelf before leaving. They did not leave full carts or see it as an opportunity to steal. The stories go on and on.

I enjoyed my learning experience in Tokyo.