Day 3-4: Tokyo

This morning we chilled for a while before deciding to go for a walk down the street to check out a super market a Canadian guy called Kevin told us about yesterday as we were settling into the hostel room. Having not had a drink since around 6pm the previous night we were both pretty thirsty and decided to get a drink from one of the can machines that line the streets of Tokyo. Gav went for a can of pop but as I was still feeling a little drowsy I went for a can of coffee to wake me up. I expected a cold coffee as you often get back home from a vending machine, but a boiling hot can popped out, not something I expected from an outdoor machine in the middle of a street.

When we got to the supermarket we couldn’t believe all the stuff they had and although I was determined to get something authentically Japanese to cook back at the hostel, I was deterred by all the descriptions and cooking instructions in Japanese without pictures! We settled for something a little less sophisticated (bread and cheese!) and took it back to the hostel.

We were quite jet lagged so Gav went for a nap while I stayed chatting to a couple of guys from Canada, Joe and Ben. They had just arrived too and were taking it easy for the first day. We watched some random documentary about how an old Japanese tribe used to hang their peoples coffins on an 800ft cliff face, hundreds of years ago. It seems a pretty impossible feat.

That night we sat in chatting with some of the other guys from the hostel. Joe and Ben are from Vancouver, as is Kevin it turns out. Apparently there are tonnes of Canadians and Australians travelling these parts. The Aussies come to get out of the heat and the Canadians come here on their way to Australia, in an attempt to get out of the cold!! Another guy called Ant is from London. He’s aiming to end up in Australia too and do some work as well!

Next day we went to Akihabara, one of the fourteen mini cities of Tokyo. Akihabara is known as the “Electric City”, with its neon lit streets that are packed full of electronic goods. Apparently if you can't find what you are looking for here, you probably won’t be able to find it in Tokyo.

We set about exploring, having a look at the horde of shops. There were tonnes of ridiculously cheap shops, one with a tub of cameras that were all priced at 2000 yen (about 15 quid). Some of the cameras themselves were really good. One of them was a Fuji, which I’m pretty sure is the same as my Aunt and Uncle has. Only downside was the big sign saying “NO REFUND NO RETURN”, that and the fact they came without any battery or box!

After having a good look around we headed back to the hostel and picked up some noodles and a few beers on the way. The latter of the night was spent drinking them and chatting with the other guys and watching films.