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When we got to the Tokyo station we didn’t see any of the famous crowds. Dr. Stapp promised them later though.
We checked into our own rooms in a very nice hotel called the Asia Center of Japan near a section of Tokyo called Roppangi. Unlike many places in Japan we were given a warning about this place. They have had problems with Korean pickpockets in the area so we should see to the protection of our valuables.
Roppongi was similar to the various shopping streets we’ve seen in Japan but there was one corner where large TV screen were attached to the sides of buildings making look a little Times Square. When we went down it we saw many foreigners, more than what we had seen in Japan. There were also well dressed men in suits just standing on the corners looking like they were waiting for someone. They also had a ton of restaurants but this time they included more famous ones including a TGIF and Wolfgang Puck which was pretty reasonably priced for Tokyo. There was a great deal of excitement on my part when I saw a doner kebab (Turkish gyros) stand on one corner. When Kathleen and I lived in Austria, we had this tasty meal as often as we could. We were heartened when we saw the “Hello! We’re Open!†sign in English but all the lights inside were off. We had to console ourselves by eating at a local ramen shop.
One thing we were on the lookout for was melon soda but none of the vending machines or little convenience stores had it. We finally found it at a duty free shop that was quite interesting. Most department type stores have food on the bottom floors, then a floor or two of clothes and a floor or two of electronics or housewares. This shop was no different but since it was duty free, if you bought more than 10,000 yen worth of stuff, you didn’t have to pay the VAT on it. On the bottom floor we found our melon soda and on the clothes floor we found chicken shorts. Don’t ask, trust me.
Tomorrow, the very generous people of Diawa Steel who have made my trip possible.