It goes on forever.

[Monday, 06March, 1000hrs Tokyo]

We had gotten into a tiny routine - me getting up first because girls take longer to prepare, then rushing through a small breakfast of soft Japanese pastries and milk. Then, a deep breath before bursting through the doors of the ryokan into the cold yet embracing wind.

If we were more adventurous, I would have waken everybody up at rush hour to experience Shinjuku at its peak. However, I reckon the rest would prefer a slow stroll over a maniac jostle early in the morning. There are many places to see Tokyo in all its magnificence. Some go all the way to Tokyo Tower, but I believe that scenery should be free. I think The Tokyo Met has an excellent panaromic view of the surroundings, and is less touristy than others. We even managed to get a free tour around the two buildings. Unfortunately, it was too foggy that day to have a peek at Mt Fuji. I did wake J up in the plane the day we arrived to see the snow-capped peak of Mt Fuji in the distance. The last time I was on my way to Tokyo, the captain alerted the passengers to the beautiful view of the mountain, and I had a good trip that time. So this time round, it sure was a good sign that it would be a good trip too.

From Nishi Shinjuku, we walked right into where it's all about, the hustle and bustle of the East Shopping Area. I had expected that we would spend alot of time there shopping, but my friends were too concerned about overspending and spent alot of energy curbing the desire to shop for clothes. We walked around a bit, even to Kabukicho, but the evening sky was still too bright to bring out the gorgeous neon lights this place is so famous for. We had a hard time looking for a good Yakiniku restaurant. We finally found one that was really expensive, and gave us only an hour and a half to eat all we can! Imagine all that grilled meat in our system, it must have taken us a month to digest them all in the end.

What we lost out in not shopping for clothes, we sure made up for it by eating whenever we can.


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