It’s so good to be back in Tokyo. I’m sitting in friend TK’s living room. He and his Dad have kindly put us up for our stay here. S met us at the airport yesterday morning and, after a brief stop-off at his flat, where we met his wife and seven-month-old son, provided us with a tour of the shopping suburbs of Japan’s capital city.

One of the shopping areas that we covered was Electric City, where I picked up a number of accessories for my new toy. When I get back to the UK, I shall have plenty to play with! We also had a wonder around the Sony Tower. Now here’s a place for gadget-lovers everywhere. We saw some very cool digital cameras (minute) and Mini Disc players (platinum-plated). K enjoyed herself playing with the Eye-Toys and I developed a desire for their PSX machine.

Last night we joined S and N (and Baby R), at the restaurant where two years (to the day) previously, they celebrated their wedding. TK was also there. We had a lovely meal with some fine wines and a wonderful desert, to celebrate the second wedding anniversary.

K (whose grasp of Nihon-go is increasing rapidly and will soon be putting mine to shame) and I were left to our own devices today. We took the opportunity to navigate the Tokyo subway and rail systems. Our first port-of-call was the World Trade Center. We took the lift to the fortieth floor to experience th sights. Alas, while were were up there the elements decided to assure us that we had been really very lucky while we were in the Southern Hemisphere and a heavy downpour ensued, reducing the visibility. While we couldn’t see Mt. Fuji in the distance or get a decent photo of the Tokyo Tower (a television transmitter), we did get to see some good views of this busy city. We sat at the top and took out the guide book (we like the Lonely Planet series) to decide where to go next.

Ueno presented itself as a good place to visit, with lovely parks, museums and a five-storey pagoda. We found our way there without any problem and wandered around the market-filled streets. After a bite to eat, we meandered through the park and to the museum.