9.9.09

(Just realised that today is all about 9s…I wonder what the significance of that may be??)

Tokyo

In a city of 35million people this must be a great place to be ordinary amongst the crowd. I've been here for a few days now observing and realised that people are sleepwalking here more than any city I have been to.

Tokyo is about working hard and playing hard, people are consumed by technology, robots walking. They are attached to their phones and gadgets, even when crossing the road they don't look where they're going. I am yet to see a person smile at me in the streets that they probably think I'm weird when I'm looking at them with Joy. However having said that the people in the service industry are extremely friendly, it's such a contrast. I wonder if I was to see them in the streets or on the metro after work would they be as miserable?

Shopping (window shopping for me) is so much fun. There are enormous department stores built over each train station. I feel terrible ignoring the shop assistants who keep shouting out something every other minute to me. It is the same line and I try to figure out the meaning. Could it be "if you need help just ask?" but then why would the same person repeat that like a parrot? Surely I would have heard her the first time (not understood it obviously). And then they just follow you around the shop, anything you touch has to be displayed fully with all other colours available. But it is so much fun anyway! The technology stores are out of this world, I got such sensory stimulation that walking out quickly was the only option. There is so much noise coming from each part of the store, all the TVs are on full blast, all the radios, video games…and everything is displayed so close to one another. I walked into one of Tokyo's many extremely noisy game arcades yesterday and couldn't believe the level of sound that was coming out of those machines. And yet it was full of people completely paralysed in front of their screen.

It sure is an interesting city. I just love getting away to the parks everyday, just to reconnect with nature, watching the man made lake and the lotus fields, ignoring the sky risers of the city at the background.

But the food is just amazing, I love trying new things each day, eating so much sushi and rice based food, yummy green tea, and fresh fruit from the market stalls. As I'm crap with the currency I have no idea how expensive things are but when it comes to food I don't really think one should hold back.

And to finish off my days I go to the Ladies Healing Room on 7th floor and sit in the shiatsu massage chairs to sooth my aching legs, ready for net day's adventure.