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Finally – the travelling around Japan has finished. The rest of the trip is Tokyo.

Shinkansen takes me from Nagano to Tokyo at 10.08 and reaches Tokyo 1½ hour later. From Tokyo Station it takes less then 20 minutes to get to Shiba Park Hotel. I know the way by now.

Video - Shinkansen to Tokyo

One hour of relaxation and then we are off into hot hot Tokyo. I take the Yamanote-Line to Shinjuko. On one side of the station there are huge office-buildings. Among them is Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. I get there through long tunnels from the statian, and head for the top by elevator. There are great views on offer. Huge buildings all over.

On the other side of the station you will find the area called Kakukicho. That’s the major entertainment in Tokyo. There are bars, Pachinko-halls, restaurants – and anything else you would need for your entertainment. It’s supposed to be the Red Light District as well. There’s also plenty of shopping. And billboards – all over – one bigger than the other. And not to mention people. They are here – and there are many of them. They are all over the place. After having studied this area, I head back on the train.

Dinner is a Napoletanean pizza at a local place. Pretty expensive, but nice. Then I head back for my final cup of coffee at room 1121.

From my local station I take Yamanote-Line to the big train-station at Shinagawa.

Here I change for a Shinkansen, which takes me to Odeware. There I change for another local train, which will take me to Hakone-Yumoto. Another transfer here, to at mountain-railway zigzagging up the mountain to the small village of Gora. Now things are getting to steep for normal railway-transport. So it’s time for a mountain-railway, which is pulled up to Sounzan. Here all tracks stop, and it’s now time for a trip on a cable car. The first one brings me to Owakudani. We are at high latitude now, and there is seismic activity around. That means Onsen-baths and strange smells. Then I head for another cable car crossing a few mountains, before going down to Togendai. On a good day you would be able to see Mount Fuji from here, but this is not a good day – it’s way to cloudy.

Video - Cable car to Togendai

Togendai is located at Lake Ashi, so now it’s time for a boat trip. Not an ordinary one – because the boat is transferred into a pirate ship. Seems to be very popular among the crowds, even though it’s all kitsch and plastic. This ship will take me across the lake to Hakone-Machi.

At Hakone-Machi I take something as ordinary as a bus to Hakone-Yamoto. Then the local train, Shinkansen and Yamanote before I reach my hotel again late afternoon.

Finally a nap at the hotel, dinner in the hotel restaurant and an Asahi beer from the machine in the hallway.

Video - Shinkansen at Odeware Station

Huh – I never think I have experience anything as hot as today. But a tourist has to to what a tourist has to do, so I take the Yamanote-train to Shinagawa, and from there a local train to Kamakura. Kamakura is known for a number of temples. I get off the train on the station just before we reach Kamakura. Then you can walk along the road for into city – and see all the temples on the way.

The first one is Engukiji. It’s original from 1282, and was built to celebrate soldiers fighting against Kublai Khan. Nothing is left of the original – it’s probably all burnt down to the ground.

Next one is Tokaiji. It’s more of a cosy place. There’s a nice garden with plenty of shadow. Feels good in the heat. This was a place where women who wanted a divorce, should spend 3 years as a nun, before they were allowed to leave their husband.

Then it’s Kenchoji. This is huge. It is original from 1253. There are 10 sub-temples, and many fine buildings.

The last one I visit – there are many more that I don’t visit – is Tsurugaoka Hachimongo. It’s just in the outskirts of Kamakura, and therefore the one with most visitors. This is a shrine for the Shiinto religion. It was built by a guy called Minamoto Yoriyoshi. It’s very colourful, with great appeal for tourists. As in most of these kind of places you can have your fortunes told – if you want to. But it’s not as peaceful as the other temples.

Then I’m in Kamakura. The city itself is very touristic.

I had planned to see a Buddha-statue on the other side of town, but it’s simply to hot. I take the train back to Tokyo instead.

My evening-walk in Tokyo is hot as well. I take the Tokyo Metro to the shopping-street of Ginza. Expensive “boutiques” and huge billboards all around. This is for the rich people – so what am I doing here? I grab some dinner – and head back.

Friday, July 23^rd

I wake up at 6.06. Everything is shaking. A lot – I think. Earthquake. It takes about 20 seconds. I don’t know what to do – so I do nothing. The strength is 5.3 on the Richter scale. Nothing serious – but it is mentioned in the news, and one railway line is closed. I am a little disturbed, but nothing more than I can get back to sleep.

Later I’m out into Tokyo once again. Today I visit 3 places. The first one is Asakusa. That’s a nice area. The sight is the temple of Sensoji. It’s all packed in to a scaffold, so you can only see the temple from the inside. But it’s nice anyway.

Then I continue to Akihabara – also known as Electric City. This is the nerd’s paradise. Electric shops all over. You can buy Manga, Video-games, DVD, Nikon, Canon, 3D-TV, HD-TV, IPads and IPhone – everything is here. There is also the maid-café’s. Young girls dressed as maids are entertaining the guest at these places.

The final stop is Shibuya. Where Akihabara is for the nerd’s – this is for the fashion conscious. There are so many people shopping. The pedestrian crossing at Shibuya is supposed to be the biggest in the world. I don’t know if it’s true – but I do cross it a few times – just in case.

Video - Pedestrian crossing at Shibuya

Saturday, July 24^th

Another hot day in Tokyo. I have bought one of these fans the local use, for getting air circulation for your face. That’s pretty useful.

First sight is a “must-see”. That’s the emperor’s palace – or more precisely – the park surrounding it. It’s smack in Tokyo centre – very close to Tokyo Station. Here they use a big area for this kind of stuff, surrounded on all sides by huge office buildings. You can not get inside to see the actual palace. But there a huge number of Japanese tourists – all taking pictures of them self in front of the gate.

From there I head by Yamanote Line to Shimbashi, where I board a driverless metro-train to Odaiba. Odaiba is a new development area on an island in Tokyo Bay. It’s mainly shopping-malls, entertainment-things and futuristic buildings. Toyota has a big showroom, where you can see what they have to offer.

Finally I head back to the city by Metro. This finished the tourist-program for today.

Dinner is at a local pizza-place. And then there’s J-League on the TV.

Søndag den 25. juli

As it is the case with many other big cities, Tokyo has not got one city centre. There is more than one – mainly located at the stations around the Yamanote Line. This is practical when you’re a tourist. You can take the Yamanote and visit them all. And Yamanote runs above ground, so you can actually see where you’re going.

I start this day by taking Yamanote to Harajuku. Here are a couple of funny things. In the street named Takeshita-dori (love that name in English) there are a lot of young people. They are buying strange clothes here. Many young Japanese like to perform in weird clothes during the weekend. They are dressed like Lolita's, punkers, Goths – you name it.

Things are more proper in the Shiinto-Shrine Meijujingu on the other side of the street. Well – a few people are dressed up here as well – but that’s because they are getting married. The bride is really shined up – while the groom looks like he is still wearing his bathrobe. And in the park called Yoyogikoen there’s a lot of people as well. A guy is playing the Shamisen – a Japanese string-instrument. Others are playing plain guitars. There are groups gathered to practice theatre-acts as well – and a lot of people just hanging out. On the National Stadium on the other side, there a big pop-concert tonight. A number of screaming girls go crazy as the star arrives in a big car with dark windows.

From the funny area around Harajuka I take the Yamanote to Ikebukoro. This is shopping-country, and the main focus point is Sunshine City. Everyone the sellers are shouting out their very special offers for today. I start to believe that the Japanese like noise. I don’t buy anything – except for my lunch and a cup of coffee at a very nice café.

Video - Sunshine City

This finishes my tourist-activities for today. I take Yamanote back to the hotel. Here I get my dinner and spend the evening watching the local favourite of Baseball on TV – and reading in a book.

This is the final day of this trip. It doesn’t matter – my travel-batteries are on low anyway.

Actually I should get up very early to watch the tuna-auction on the Tokyo fish market at Tsukiji. But no – getting up early – is not what I call vacation. Instead I just go there later in the morning, to watch some of the hassle and dazzle at the market. You have to be a little careful there, or you will be run over by a truck.

Then I walk to Shimbashi, where I take the Yamanote to Ueno. Here’s another street-market, where you can buy anything. I don’t – but instead I head for the Ueno Park. According to my guidebook the park is pretty much run down. I disagree. It’s a very nice park, with local people – and no tourist. Probably because the tourists believe in the guide book. There’s a nice pond full of flowers, which grow in water. I don’t know what they are called. On an island in the middle of the pond there’s a small tempel. You go there on a small bridge.

Ueno Park finished today's tourist-activities – yes in fact – this tours tourist-activities. Back to the hotel by Yamanote, relaxing, pizza at my local favourite place – and then all the coins into the machine in the hallway at the hotel, to get a huge Asahi Super Dry before going to bed.