A Playful Misconception, A Childhood's Dream

Tokyo in the middle of August is warm! Silly me to expect England’s summer weather or at least some cool breeze. Taking my first step outside of Narita Airport, I was kicking myself for bringing along a light jacket.

Few things I learned about Japan on my first day, or Tokyo at least, is that bicycles are quite a common mode of transport. Even hot chicks ride them. The sidewalks have dedicated bicycle paths as well.

The ‘hotel’ (Keio Presso Inn) I was booked into was small to say the least but I’ve been told it’s a norm. It’s situated one subway stop away from Ginza, called Higashi-Ginza.

Another thing that immediately caught my interest was the toilet bowl (and this isn’t limited to hotel toilet bowls!). There was actually a panel on the side with a few functions such as warming the seat, bidet, spray, and even an odour removal function. Now that is called high-tech.

Fact: Japanese people here are very clean and well-disciplined when it comes to public toilets. Upon entering, you will immediately discover that it is as if the toilet has just been cleaned. The floor is dry and there is no pungent smell.

But in actual fact, it is the Japanese people who keep the toilets clean after use. If they wet the sink after washing their hands, they will use the paper from the dispenser and wipe the area dry before leaving. Something everyone can learn from.

Food here was mostly delicious. There was one incident where the soba was too salty but other than that, I don’t really have any complaints but only nostalgia looking at these pictures.

My first taste of sake.

In smaller food stalls, you actually purchase your order from a vending machine (actually vending machines are everywhere). A ticket will be issued and you will present it to the kitchen staff behind a glass counter. You will be called when your order is ready. Glasses are placed on a counter where you can pour yourself some water.

However, toilets in these stalls are the tiniest I’ve ever seen.

Recycling is a serious business here. Road sides usually have three bins for different kinds of rubbish. Even in McDonald’s.

And as mentioned before, vending machines are everywhere. Even in some offices, the company actually provide a free vending machine for its employees. I can only wish I could try all sorts of their beverages sold in them.