TOKYO!

Well I got out to Tokyo this past weekend. I wanted to get on yesterday and make a post but I was just way too beat after Monday's class to go over to the Internet place and do.....so here it is a day late. Just a few pics....

The first is Akihabra....basically "Electric City". You can find anything and everything electronic down there....from patch cable, to computer components, to software.....to uh, weird Japanese sim dating things...you name it electrical and they had it.



The next is the moat around the Imperial Palace where the Japanese Emperor still lives. You can't get inside except for 2 days a year....this wasn't one of them. Either way, the place is awe inspiring.



We then went up Tokyo Tower, which is basically the Eiffel tower...only taller, and not as rickety. This is a photo taken in the direction of the base...somewhere out there.....in the never ending city. No really...Tokyo is huge! I think Godzilla has a summer home here!



The last place we stopped was the famous Shibuya Crossing. This is the intersection you see on all the shows about Tokyo and how populated it is. It's amazing how many people there are. I looked it up, it's 14000 per square kilometer there! Anyhow, I went up to the 2nd floor of one of the corners into Starbucks and pushed some people out of the way so I could get next to the window and take a picture!



Well that's all for Tokyo, I took a lot more pictures, but I just don't want to post them all here. It really is an experience being here, and I truly feel fortunate to be able to see this culture and the people. There's a lot of things I see just from watching them on the trains and how they interact with each other. For instance, it's rude to talk on your cell phone on the train, you are expected to text only, and there's a section at the end reserved to elderly or expecting women to be able to sit down. People either don't talk or chat in very hushed voices on the trains so as not to bother anyone else.

There's a lot of unspoken rules like that. Another one is when you're on an escalator, you are expected to stand to the left, in order to let people who want to walk to go by on the right. But the dumb American I am, I stood there, and this totally goth young Japanese guy came up behind me and just waited....didn't say a thing until I turned around and saw him and moved saying sorry. He just smiled and went on his way...I'm not sure what he was thinking...but outwardly he was polite, despite his appearance. That is Typical Japanese, not the exception! I wish America would take some manner lessons from this place.

I'll post tomorrow about a dream I had last night that Melissa thought was funny. Love you all and talk to you soon!