When we first thought about where we where going on our trip I wanted Sushi in Japan for my birthday. It wasn't my birthday but I finally got the Sushi. We knew Japan was going to be expensive and we were right. Distant relation Sharon (cousins' sister-in-law) is married to a Japanese bloke so we managed to scrounge a night on their blowup bed, sample some Japanese hospitality (I don't think that cheesecake is authentically Japanese, but it was homemade and it was lovely), have a tour of the local temple before a feast of Sushi. Sharon and her husband Mitsu (who is learning Japanese sword fighting, very impressive) were brilliant hosts for the night before we moved into the big smoke of Yokohama.
Japan doesn't seem as harsh as China in terms of language, writing (Chinese is very square, Japan curvy) and manners. Everyone queues for the train, they wait at the lights to cross even with no cars coming. They are pleasant and smile and wave a lot. We followed the locals and went to Disney, the most visited theme park in the world. Two parks make up Disney resort Tokyo and we only had time for Disney sea which was fantastic. As nice as Florida but with a bit of a language problem on some rides. It's not owned by Disney but the attention to detail everywhere makes for a brilliant attraction. The shows were spectacular, the night time fire and water display was superb and the cool breeze from the pacific made for a really nice day to wonder around. And the number of children in the resort could be counted on two hands - the number of OAPs in wheelchairs on your toes!!!
Yokohama itself is small compared to Singapore and Tokyo in terms of big buildings but beware of rush hour. Tokyo station carries 2 million people through it's door, EVERY DAY !!! Yokohama was bad enough with the constant throng, the trains where fast, efficient and amusing places to watch commuters packed in, listening to MP3 players, playing on mobiles, games consoles and reading books all while swaying with the train.
Funniest part about Japan, the toilets. Dubai was the first toilet with instructions I say, that was nothing to this. Water temperature, air temperature, water pressure, flushing noises, deodoriser and more which I couldn't understand. Everything you need for a pleasant number two experience was on an arm at the side of the toilet - or for a simple number 1. Too lazy to reach by your side, they have remote panels at head height. I wanted to see one with an Ipod docking station and newspaper holder but didn't have time to find one.
Our last few days in Japan was in an authentic Japanese hostel. I said Japan was expensive, accommodation is really expensive but deals can be found. We got a room, about 1.5m x 3m (in old money that's (5 ft x 9 ft) with aircon and a tv for £30. It was big enough for our needs and when you stored the dining table and rolled out the beds you could get very comfy.
Vancouver is our current location. We arrived about 7 hours before we took off and have to admit, watching loads of movies on a plane is not good for your brain. We've 4 days in Vancouver and have already booked tickets for the baseball on Saturday with fireworks (11th night celebrations.... I don't think). Seattle next week the start of our 6 weeks in USA before back to Canada in September. Disney sea photos to follow after some sleep - a 16 hr time difference is something else.
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