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Here we go again.
I am writing from Bangkok, but retracing steps through Tokyo. Long travel day San Diego - Tokyo. Jet lag was not too bad, but certainly felt it.
Spent a week in Tokyo. Wow - what an amazing city. Big, fast, crowed, opulant, old, and new, crazy - there arn't enough words to describe it. I had limited time and pushed pretty hard to see as much as I could. Sky Tree, Temples, fish market, river boat rides, Asakusa, Ginza, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Miles and miles of big department stores, mostly with expensive items. It appears the Japanese economy is very healthy. Very impressed by the cleanliness of the city and the appearance of the people - everyone is well dressed, polite and for the most part; helpfull. I did see one fight in the subway that nearly caused me to miss my flight to Bangkok, as the access gate I needed to pass got closed down. Spent what seemed like endless hours on the subway system. As big and crazy as above-ground Tokyo is the underground world (subway system) is just as big, crazy and confussing. Got lost a couple times. Once I figured it out, it was an incredibly efficient system that moves what appears to be millions of people in thousands of directions. Found it interesting that I was turned away at a couple bars as the bartender very politely says "Japanses Only". Also had an interesting experience on my first morning. Went for a stroll around 5:00am (jet lag) and found a sign that said "Coffee - Open". I could hear voices from an upstairs room. I went up the old wooden staircase and into the small coffee shop, 5-6 older men having coffee. The place went silent when I entered. I sat at the counter and asked for coffee and was served. Still no talking, got a bit uncomfortable so I left. The chatter resumed before I got to the base of the stairs. I'm not much for big cities, but this was an incredible place to visit. Probably won't go back, but certainly enjoyed seeing it.
On to Thailand.
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