It’s been a long week in China. I’m battling a small cold or something along that line. It may have been from the smog in Shanghai or all of the cigarette smoke I inhaled at the train station coming to and from Hangzhou. It’s been raining the last couple of days so that only makes it worse. I complete my flight to Tokyo this morning is rather quick fashion. The flight was a quick 2 hour hop and skip from Shanghai to Tokyo.

Last night in Shanghai was fun. I had dinner with a friend I met travelling last year (Mao Yong) and a coworker from the office (Yun Wu). Yun was cute and I could tell she was a little nervous about her English. It didn’t help that Mao and I only spoke in English. I learned a little Mandarin that night but if asked what I learned in a few weeks I would say I don’t remember. I’m going to try to keep in touch with both of them. This finally gives me a reason to learn Chinese.

Getting to Japan was a breeze. I was in and out of the airport in about 30 mins. I had no idea how to get to the hotel so I asked around with the information desk. The easiest way was by bus but it ran about $30. The cheapest way was the Kesei Train. With a transfer at Nippori station (not easy) I was at my hotel in about an hour and 45 minutes. The Shinjuku Station in Tokyo was insane! Reportedly 2 million people pass through that station per day. I now know why Tokyo is a bustling city. Looking around and observing the culture I see that fashion here is more inherent than anywhere I’ve ever been. The girls all dress provocatively in schoolgirl stockings and knee high boots. It’s a little hard to not be distracted. I found out last night about the term “Office Ladies.” Apparently they account for 90% of the fashion bought in Tokyo. They are the women who work but still live at home with their parents. Instead of paying rent they spend all their money on themselves. Regardless. Japanese women do know how to make themselves noticeable.

The Hotel Sunroute Plaza is pretty nice. The lobby is really modern. My only complaint is the room is really tiny. There’s not too much space to walk around. It does have an LCD screen and free Internet so I can’t really complain. After checking in I went in search of an ATM. I found a few but for some reason my withdrawal kept getting rejected. After a phone call to Wells Fargo they told me I was trying to withdraw $3000 instead of $300. So after I was on the phone for about 30 mins. everything was cleared. My conversion rate math was apparently off by a 1-digit.

It was off to find food after getting sufficient funds. The Lonely Planet suggested a Sri Lankan restaurant call “The Court Lodge” I went there and enjoyed their local beer and some chicken curry. It was really good. My hosts Ajith and Dulip were pretty nice to talk to. They gave me some good tips about Tokyo. I told them I’d be back before my trip was over. Next stop. The Roppingi district of Tokyo.

Roppongi is probably the hip spot to be at night. Filled with boutiques and fancy restaurants the Roppongi reminds me of the City Walk at Universal City. Bright lights, modern architecture encompass the walkway to Roppongi Hills. After walking around for about 30 mins I was dead tired and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.