Technologytastic

This is the city where the lifts open as soon as you walk Into the foyer, the toilet seats opens as you move into the cubicle, as you can get your bottom sprayed with water and hot air blown on to you after you finish, all the while sitting comfortably on a heated toilet seat - many times you literally don't  have to lift a finger, as it willow course flush after you have finished!!! This is a nation that takes going to the toilet very seriously. In fact it takes a lot of things very seriously, from everyone wearing the same somber black work suits,  it is no surprise that office workers are transformed to karaoke stars when the office day is done. On the streets the young follow their own crazy fashions, dressing as manga characters, wearing crazy heels and coloured wigs, as they are all desperately trying to look so unique, but incredibly all look the same.  

Despite the cherry blossom coming early this year there is still traces of blossom thought out the city, and a journey to the Ueno district, where only a few weeks ago the park was full of cherry blossom parties, there is now still a few trees still In full bloom and the paths are lined with confetti like blossom, bringing a hue of pink to the grey of the pavement. 

The old traditions really do permeate throughout the city when you see geisha like ladies, minus the amazing white makeup, walking along slowly, with their shoes clattering against the pavement. Along the ancient side roads around the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, traditionally dressed men and women wander around, to the delight of us tourists. This is an ancIent side of life that is still around and a joy to see. In Asia I usually spend my time monk watching, now I have something new to gaze at!!!

Something that I didn't want to gaze at was the view from the stop of the enormous Ferris wheel - what possessed me to agree to go on? and in a totally glass see through capsule.  Feeling like I was in the glass elevator in Willy Wonkers factory, this glass capsule rose high above the city, swaying in the wind.  Not my best use of 900 yen, as my eyes stayed firmly shut most of the time!!! and in true WW style when we visited The Sony showroom, they were staying tight lipped about the spec for the impending ps4 ! Innovation is such a secret. 

 Still I was rewarded with crazy sights after p,to make up for the views that I had missed. In the nearby games world, manga style teens gambled on the slot machines, danced to the games and preened their purple hair.  How many times can I say that Tokyo is such a crazy city -  a mega metropolis of 35 million people ..... That's half the population of the UK!