Today was hot. As in sun blazing, energy sapping, birds falling from sky with heatstroke hot. The day was beautiful but I wanted to spend as little time in the direct sun as possible as even simply walking short distances would create rivets of sweat down your back.

I had a relatively relaxed day. Kristen took me to Sensoji temple, a buddhist temple near her house. It is a beautiful traditional temple with stunning embellishments all over the buildings. The streets in the leadup are lined with souvineer shops and street food vender. There are some days when an icecream is the most satisfying thing in the world.

After, we quickly visited the sky tree which is 634m high and just opened in May this year. Tickets to go up have been sold out for months in advance but as I had already seen so many views of the city from other vantage points I was not too concerned about going up.

The Sky Tree is like the b****** son of the Sky Tower and the Eiffel Tower. Lots of metal in a streamlined triangular formation ending in a point with a couple of bulbous formations near the tip. I should also mention that the Tokyo Tower I visited previously is also very Eiffel Tower-esque and red. And the mascot looks like a phallic symbol. I guess all of the towers in cartoon form run the risk of turning out like that.

Kristen took me to see Guy's school called English Corner. Yes, he teaches English there. He is also English. And its located on the corner. There is a website www.englishcorner.jp. Have a quick look and a read of the teacher profiles (ie Kristen and Guy).

The rest of the afternoon was chill. We had a big night coming up with a student of Kristen's (a Japanese businessman).

For dinner, we had Yukiniku. This is essentially Koren BBQ using Japanese cuts of beef. There are some beautiful cuts of beef here with marbled fat which just melts in your mouth. I was the grill chef for the evening. For those who dont know, with this style of food they bring you plates of raw meat which you cook yourself on a charcoal grill built into the table.

So I tested my bbq skills out. They werent too bad and I only created foot high flames a couple of times. There is nothing more spectacular than flames rising high above the table into which I throw slivers of meat and turn them. Didnt burn myself but did spill a fair bit of sauce in my lap. There was also alot of beer. Japanese beer seems lighter than other types, although it could just be the heat which makes you knockback many beers in quick succession.

Next up was Kareoke part one. Kristen, Guy and I were taken by Kristen's student to a private kareoke bar. It was run by 'Mama', a sweet Japanese woman who brought snacks of fruit, edamame and nuts to us. She would also provide you with a heated towel for your hands everytime you went to the toilet. It was a Japanese squat toilet and my first time using one.

We had the little bar to ourselves. Sadao (who took us there) sang a few traditional songs in Japanese for us (well apparantly for me as I was the guest for the evening - Kristen and Guy reguarly go out for dinner and kareoke). Kristen and I sang a few duets (think You're so Vain, Time After Time etc). Guy sang a few Beatles and John Lennon songs. I sang Hotel California and attempted Crowded House. Guy and I also did a duet of Can You Feel The Love Tonight from the Lion King movie. Appropriate as Kristen and I were going to Disneyland the next day.

Mama sang a song in English (even though her English is not fluent) and was word and pitch perfect. Its quite intimidating here with kareoke as everyone can sing really well! Kristen was an amazing singer!

Next stop was a yakatori place next door (think skewers of chicken). I was then informed we were going to another kateoke bar and the first bar was only practice. The second bar was a philipino hostess bar with a kareoke stage. Essentially the hostesses are beautiful philipino girls wearing little dresses who will talk to you (at least one hostess per person), fetch you drinks and food, organise songs for you to sing, laugh at your jokes and sing with you if you are struggling with a song (which makes you sound really good). For the record it is not a strip club.

So at this place you sing on stage. After a warm up duet Kristen jumped up on stage and belted out 'All By Myself' to an enraptured crowd. I then had to follow that act and perform 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. I think the hours at Mama's Bar helped as I made it through the song with out stuffing up too much and the patrons appeared to appreciate it. When I started singing one of the hostesses joined in and then let me sing on my own as I was able to stay in pitch. Kristen and I then tackled Whitney Housten. We had a bit of applause. The like the ballads here.

Its great on stage when you get into the moment belting out those power ballads. Note to self, get singing lessons when I get back and perhaps pursue a stage career (ever the dreamer).

I think we stumbled back at 2am. A reasonable hour as Kristen and I had a busy day planned to 'the happiest place on earth' the next day. Guy also had students to teach.

So off to bed with a slightly spinning head. So much beer/wine/shouju. And food.