Konnichiwan from Tokyo

In my lose goose itinerary, I had penciled in Japan for a quick ten day peekabout, and now, hmmm, wonder what I was thinking, probably wasn't ..... my one dimensional travel plans :) ..... translation ..... total lack of planning, winging it ..... can at times, to quote Martha, "not be a good thing"! Thankfully, I am rather kind and forgiving of myself :) ........ I can hardly make the weather work for me everywhere :) .....So, here I am in Tokyo, land of the people who wear those masks of propriety so well, a mix of reserve and politeness ...... all while surviving and thriving in this dense commercialized concrete world that is modern day Japan ........... smack in the middle of August, temps in the high thirties, major humidity wilting my spirit not to mention my hair, clothing, toes .... but heh, plumping up the wrinkles with all that moisture :) .... I finally decide to actually read my Japanese guide book and there it was, in black and white "stay away from Japan in August if you can.....best time to visit, April\May or October"!! Oh well, win some, lose some :) ...... A preferred mode of transportation would always be my own two feet whenever distances allow...... a method that mostly works to explore cities, countrysides, shorelines, mountain trails, little villages!! ..... but not when I am drenched and dripping after a mere fifteen minute jaunt in this busy little city :) My directional dyslexia kicks in as usual, on my first foray into the jungle, or maybe the heat got to me........I was lost within fifteen minutes, soaking wet, and grumpier by the minute and no Mickey Gibson in sight to alleviate the grumps ....... few in Tokyo, beyond some service industry personnel and even then, not a guarantee, speaks anymore English than I do Japanese, "dozo, domo and arigato" ..... won`t get me far, much beyond a polite bob of the head and an even more polite smile (the Japanese "own" polite!!..... they are a fundamentally courteous culture) .... they may pretend to understand whatever jingle jangle you are attempting to communicate, but you know very well they have no clue what you are saying, nor I, them!! .... so we both ramble on in a mixture of our own and each others languages, all the while wearing polite clueless expressions, getting nowhere fast ....... despite the jet lag ..... (it had been a long eleven hour flight to Tokyo from Auckland).....thankfully, my brain was still switched on, leaving me with the good sense to grab a few business cards from the hotel check-in ..... Beyond this first misstep, I did eventually start to observe and appreciate the "beauty" in Tokyo ..... took a few city tours, visited some beautiful gardens, Asakusa temple, a cruise along the Sumida River, all the while quite surprised how much greenery is actually mixed in with the concrete and granite ..... a room on the 30th floor, allowed for great city views ..... lots of balcony green gardens scattered throughout, as well as amazingly ....... tree lined streets in and amongst all those skyscrapers!! Who knew??? The Japanese are renowned for their love of beauty and it is prevalent everywhere .... the gardens, food presentation, manners....so polite that it is beautiful to observe and be the recipient of.....the clothing...the tea ceremonies, the decor, the art and the love of "shisso" (simplicity) is wonderful ...... part of the whole culture ..... the Japanese themselves are also, I think, a handsome people physically ..... well proportioned within their smaller stature and sumo wrestlers aside, one rarely sees an overweight Japanese. Fast food is sushi on the run and even then, it is normally eaten indoors ...... considered rude manners to eat outside anywhere .... what I notice particularly, is the respect they have for each other .... be it in everyday conversation, how they interact with tourists, family, friends, and particularly, their children ...... how wonderful to see a whole culture, give or take the odd one, treating their children with kind respect. "Saving face", part of the Japanese way of life, is just so dignified in every way!! The constant bowing ........ kind of cute, respectful and all, although really is a relic left over from feudal days, I think?! Could use a reno ..... A few days later, I decided to head to Ginza area for a look about in a shopping district, recommended by a few tourists I had met as well as hotel staff ..... Not one for subways if I can avoid them, opted for, well, a short walk and a taxi if need be ......... In Matsuya, I found a great replacement for my last hat, lost in Auckland and for a bit of whimsy thrown into the mix, a lovely Japanese made scarf ........ almost had to sell the family jewels to pay for them ....... in a shop resembling a Japanese version of Holt Renfrew......... shopping, the national pass time for too many and not mine as a rule, but had to give it a go in Tokyo :) ..... On the top floor, I discovered a series of restaurants, with displays of very realistic plastic food in front windows, making selection easy, and enticing the appetite ...... I happened to walk along a street district selling these plastic products just the day before ...... this is an industry in itself ..... literally dozens of shops selling plastic food!!" A tempura restaurant took my fancy ..... as I was reaching to take a picture of my exquisite lunch presentation, oops, no camera!! 　After an unrewarding retracing of my steps throughout eight floors of the department store, I made my way to an information booth to report the loss ....... all my pictures since May 19th gone in an instant and no back up!!! .... lesson learned! It was an experience just to relay this to a young lady at the Information booth ...... But, with the help of a guide book, pen and paper, aahing and oohing and whatever else I could think of to use as a communication tool, I think she got the message ..... that and oh yes, ...... the business card from the hotel :) .... taking a philosophical outlook on it all, left the recovery of the camera ...... or not, up to the universe to deal with. I was booked out of Tokyo the next afternoon ...... I waited overnight, hoping for good news, but alas, no ....... so, off I trekked again early that morning before my flight, to a discount store to look for a new camera, this time, with instructions in Japanese written out for me, should I need help (always!!) thinking, well, is Tokyo not a great place to purchase one??? (Not!! more expensive than at home and the darn things are made here!!) ..... hmmm. Took me the better part of an hour to find the "store" ..... I had walked past it a few times because it just looked like another shop selling all manner of junk, from clothing to facial cremes, suitcases to furniture, shoes, phones, purses, all manner of junky toys and charms galore (Japanese seem to love these little things ..... keeping the Chinese factories working overtime) and finally, success on the 7th floor, cameras!! ..... Silly me, I was still in Canadian mode, and had been looking for something resembling a Blacks Camera store, not a mishmash store, tucked away in a tall building with not a single picture of a camera on it's storefront!!! Must admit here though, I cheated!!! I enlisted the help of someone on the street, making good use of my, by this time, superior charade skills ..... the young fellow, being sweet and polite as the Japanese are, walked with me to the store .... "eight floors of store" I may add ..... in a tall narrow walk-up .............. another hour later, having tried out various cameras, picked out a Canon, had the clerk set the camera to "English mode" it was time to high tail it to Haneda Airport and catch a flight to peaceful (hopefully) Okinawa for my next stop! Grumpy old me was ready go somewhere with hopefully not a single skyscraper, few people, no pollution, ocean fresh air and above all else, no more of the mass "people-moving" trains, boats, subways, taxis ........ and an ocean to swim in!!! This may be a bit much to ask of a country of almost 130 million in a space that could almost fit into half of Alberta!! I decided to leave Japan and all the historical cities such as Kyoto, Osaka for another trip ..... best to explore with friends, a smaller suitcase (or rather one instead of two!!), a guide of sorts to help navigate the maze and have way more time to do so. I am hmmmm, not a Japanese tourist :) ....... With the help of Kiomi, the concierge, we both decided that Okinawa would suit me admirably....