Tokyo: Sunday

Xmas tree @ Tokyo Tower
Okay, before I start with today's adventures, I'll do a quick recap of Friday and Saturday. Also, I will hold off until another time to upload pics. My hard drive has been making more noise than usual, so I don't want to overburden it until after I get home (i.e., try not to make it crash).

Friday
I really didn't do too much on Friday. It was a case of, well, if I went out again I might end up with another 1000RMB mistake due to my poor bargaining and haggling abilities. I can be a hard ass in the office, but when it comes to this sort of thing, well.. I just plain suck at it. So I just chilled.

That evening, we went out with another person (she worked in Montreal before coming to Shanghai and works with Abe). We went to this hot pot place that was across the way from Abe's place. It was quite good, despite the fact we had to wait until about 8:30 for a table and Abe got a number for our reservation around 6PM! Yeesh! Anyway, we each got our own little hot pot with the broth we selected. We got a selection of meats and veggies and other things we can dunk into the simmering water. We were all quite full by the end of it all.

Saturday
We got up early to hail a cab for the airport. My flight was at 9AM. The trip to the airport was an adventure in itself. I really wonder how these people learn to drive. I think lane markers are only a suggestion. These guys just weave in and out of traffic all the time. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents here in Shanghai.

Anyway, we made it to the airport in one piece. Abe helped me with my luggage. I checked in. I gave Abe a hug goodbye. He'll be back in Montreal in a few weeks, so we'll probably get together at some point. I make my way to the gate. Got on the plane and off I go to Tokyo.

After I landed in Tokyo, passed Customs/Immigration and got my bags, I waited for my friend. He was only a few minutes late, but I did get a chance to exchange whatever RMB I had left for some Yen. When my friend did finally arrive, we headed down to the JR office to get my JR Pass and tickets for the Narita Express into town. However, before we got to the JR office, a couple of police officers stopped us and asked for our passports/IDs. We showed them our papers. They took down our information and asked a couple of basic questions like what do we do for a living. Since Wayne spoke Japanese he helped answer their questions.

So, after getting to his place, I threw in a load of wash. Then we headed out to look for some dinner. We walked it over to Ebisu and wandered around a bit before settling on this sushi place. It was quite good. Then, we still had time and grabbed a taxi for Tokyo Tower. It was quite busy there, but since it was a Saturday night, it was to be expected. We went up to the main observation deck then bought the ticket to go to the upper observation deck at 250 meters. I tried to take some shots of Tokyo at night. I think a few of the shots actually came out clear.

Ginza @ Night
Today
Well, I guess I slepted in a bit. Granted, I did go to sleep a bit late. Despite my late start, I did make my way to the antiques flea market at Togo Shrine in Harajuku. I wandered around there for a little while. This little ceramic thing with a dragon on the lid caught my eye. I didn't buy it right away. I wandered around some more. I checked out some obis and kimonos. I just have a hard time parting with my money. Anyway, noticing that some of the vendors were starting to pack up, I went back to look for where I saw the dragon thing. I found it and bought it. Thankfully, it came in a small wooden box.

**Okay, it's 12:45AM and I'm beat. I'll continue in the morning.