Actually, it isn't that it has a lot of people per se, rather they all seem to want to be in the same place at the same time. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Today is day 1 (proper) of our Japan adventure!!!
To celebrate, I dragged Julie around Akihabara (秋葉原) for 4 hours. I didn't say it was a celebration for everyone... Anyway, a trip to Japan's "Electric Town" (電気街) was a fun way to start to our trip.
As a side note, Akihabara actually uses the kanji for "autumn", "leaf" and "field". Yes, it has come a long way from those rural roots to become the home of all things electrical, manga and cosplay.
Which just about sums the place up really.
I'm not sure if there is a regional second-name giving committee, but if there is, I'd like to petition for the name to be "Loud Busy Not-so-cheap and Full-of-perverts Town". Not quite as snappy, but I believe the truth will set you free.
Speaking of weirdos, we had our first real encounter with one in the morning. We were approached by a polite young Japanese man, whom I shall name Otaku, and asked to take a photo of him with the main street as a background. Not too unusual, since I think most people can see my photographic talent radiating from me (never mind he asked Julie first). However after the photo was taken, Julie was informed that she was indeed a very beautiful lady. Now, I'm inclined to agree with him, but it isn't something you get solemnly told very often (or at all, if you are me.... *sniff*). After reinforcing his views a number of times he asked to take some photos of Julie and was finally satiated enough after a couple of shots to leave shortly thereafter.
There you go people, Julie is hot property. I'm thinking of taking out insurance, or checking black the market prices for beautiful women. I guess which one depends on my job prospects when I get back to the UK :)
I'm so going to pay for that...
So! Since we were close, we popped over to Asakusa (浅草) for a quick visit. This is where my many people comment earlier stems from:
Asakusa is a massive market and tourist attraction that just happens to have a temple attached to it. Oh sure, people went to the shrine to pray, but you want to see real fervour in someone's eyes, watch as they hunt for the perfect omiyage (お土産) at one of the many market stalls.
To wrap up our day we went out to dinner with Takako-san (hiya!), a Japanese friend I met in London who returned to Japan after her studies were completed. We went to an okonomiyaki restaurant and had a delicious meal. I'd recommend it if you happen to be in Tokyo - check out their web site for details.
Tomorrow is Mt Fuji and Hakone, which assuming we get decent weather, should be an ideal chance to give the camera a good run!
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