博多で博士と会った。

Another long gap in the blogging, I seem to be making a habit of it lately. This time it’s for a little less stressful reasons than beamtime however. I’m currently sat in the very swank Hilton SeaHawk hotel in Hakata Japan for a scientific conference.

I was really excited about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly it was in a Hilton hotel. My god everything in the place looks so expensive I don’t half feel like a bit of a bumpkin. Secondly this was my first real international conference and not only that my first conference within my new field. Many of the big names whose papers I’ve been rending over the past year are here.

At the start of the conference I was pretty daunted. As I said I’m pretty new to the field and most of the people here have made massive contributions. Also at least 90% of those in attendance are physicists. I’m still a little bit behind in that department and the conference has taught me I have a long way to go.

That being said I can still follow the talks and I’ve learnt more in the past couple of days than I'd managed in about a month. Admittedly I didn’t give a talk, just presenting a poster and I’m quite glad I’m not since I didn’t really have much to present. Anyway it’s been a great week, the vast majority of people at the event are European and I even got to meet a couple of PhD students from the UK working in a similar field.

 

The last day was a real highlight. I spent the farewell banquet sat next to Professor So Iwata, an absolute legend in my field. He’s pretty young but his contributions have been massive. To top it off he’s a cracking guy, really down to earth and just into the experiments that he does. I’m not sure if it’s the long time he’s spent working and living in Europe but he is a very untypical Japanese researcher.

We also went on a bit of an excursion. This was a real typical Japanese, in that it was exhausting we got bustled about and didn't see very much. It was interesting nonetheless. We set out early for a three-hour bus drive to Mt. Aso, the largest active caldera in the world. The central area actually consists of five peaks; Neko, Naka, Eboshi, Kishima and Taka, with Naka being the only one accessible by road.

This seemed like it would be really cool and the tour guide cheerfully told us all (in Japanese though it was kindly translated) the history of the mountain range. According to legend a giant once tried to break through the Aso range to distribute fresh water and fertile soil to the people below. He kicked it three times and whilst not successful in breaking down the range he did managed to create a road.

 

We moved to the top via a cable car that spewed out some of the most esoteric facts I’ve ever heard, even in Japan. I really won’t bore you but it was a detailed break down of the cable cars construction and history. Sadly the top was a let down. The crater was too active and spewing far too much sulphuric ash to safely stay near by. A little gutted we were all bundled back into the bus.

Next stop was a traditional Japanese bbq place. This really was BBQ indoors. We had grills set up with hot coals underneath and the it was just a case of get cooking really, I love how in Japan the more expensive a meal is the more likely you are to have to cook it yourself.

Following that it was back on the bus for another two hours to check out the Daizaifu Tenmangu shrine. This shrine is dedicated Sugwara Michizane, known as the god of learning so fairly appropriate I thought. I’ve been to a few shrines before now but this one still impressed. The three giant bridges leading to the entrance where quite a sight; a large arched one followed by a flat bridge and then another arch representing the past, present and future.

There also many cow statues around the temple, a rather unusual motif in Japan. The legend goes that Michizane died in disgrace and his body was pulled to his burial site by an ox driven cart. The ox however stopped at one point and refused to budge and so it was believed that this was Michizane’s spirit indicating where he wished to be buried. It is said if you have an ailing body part and you rub the corresponding body part on the cow it will become better.

Our final stop was out into the streets of Hakata for the famous Hakata Ramen. The noodles here are a lot thinner than normal ramen noodles, much more similar to Chinese egg noodles which is probably a reflection of Fukuoka’s close proximity to China. The soup is also pretty special. Like most ramen noodles it comes in Tonkotsu (pork bone) based broth. In Hakata however it’s really thick and almost looks white. Extra fat? Maybe. Extra delicious? Definitely.

On the second to last day we finished the morning talks a bit early so I went for a little wander. My initial plan was to try and check out the Fukuoka tower but to be honest the sea breeze was so gorgeous I got lost in my wandering. I think being on the coast again is making me homesick. Anyway after about ten minutes I came across a sign for a place called "Robosquare". I've been here over a year and yet I've encountered so very few robots. This place was like a mini car emporium displaying some of the funky robots being developed in Fukuoka, including robo pets, cleaners and a crazy dancing Ipod stand. Definitely worth the short walk.

Coming out of this I’ve learned a few things about conferences that I’ll share with you here:

 

1.  The old guys speak the loudest – I guess it’s a given, they’ve been in the field longest so they have the most to say. They also love to argue.

2.  The phrase ‘we can discuss it after the talk’ actually means ‘you clearly didn’t understand my question and your rubbish answer is taking too much time.’

3.  People like to talk about their own fields, regardless of how relevant it is to the talk that's just been given.

4.  Generally there is no bad blood though.

5.  The secretaries are always super stressed don’t bother them. This is a golden rule.

Sadly the last one I failed on pretty bad. Having a few allergies is always a problem and stupidly I didn’t notify anyone in advance as nobody asked me (what happened to that being an adult thing?). It wasn’t a issue till the last day and I think in the UK it wouldn’t be a big deal. In Japan though culture around food is very different and I think returning or refusing stuff is a major no no. Live and learn I guess, just wish I’d stop sticking my foot in it.

 

Anyway going forward it’s been a great week on the whole. I’m coming out of it with a bit of a fresher mind and also a more concrete idea of where my research can fit in to this field, which is no bad thing.

Mata neee.

Hachikita ni ita, skitte mimasu

This weekend I embarked into the northern winter wonderland of Hyogo prefecture with my colleagues from work for a short two-day ski trip. Our destination was Hachikita, one of the biggest and most popular resorts in the region. I was a little nervous since it was my first time doing any sort of winter sport, but still very eager as it was something I’d wanted to try since I was small.

A quick peruse of the resorts website the night before revealed that there were rental places with my shoe size so all systems were go. It was an early start as the drive would take us about 3 hours but I still wasn’t over jetlag at this point so rising early didn’t prove too difficult. As we got closer the temperature dropped considerably and soon we were surrounded by a wide snowscape. The northern region of Hyogo is particularly pretty at this time as it is much more rural with many snowcapped mountains and fields of white.

 

After a brief stop to put chains on the car we were up the mountain and ready to get kitted out. Snow sports are absolutely huge in Japan and now I finally understand why. It’s actually not incredibly expensive to do. Hire of all the gear, ski’s, boots and clothing, as well as a lift pass came in at under 8000 yen. This combined with the shear number of ski resorts, all those mountains are good for something ey, makes the whole thing much more accessible than in the UK.

Testament to this was the large volume of people on the slopes. Not just numbers but also a range of ages, from toddlers to pensioners. I went with Ski’s on the advice of friends, it was apparently easier to pick up, and after getting kitted out I was left to my own devices. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but I did enroll in a ski school to get the basics. Sadly I missed the morning class so I just dosed around on the nursery slope till the afternoon.

 

The afternoon was much more fun however. I Joined a mother and her small child in the absolute beginners class (初めてです。) to learn the fundamentals. I quickly grasped how to stop and was told to progress to a different class as I was a little more advanced than my class mates.

The second class had me joining three kids between about 10 and 14 (I think) and was a good giggle. The instructor was really chatty and the kids kept spouting phrases at me in English followed by much laughing. It was a bit annoying but I know I do the same since I really want to practice my Japanese. After learning how to stop and turn safely I went to my first proper slope and after a few goes I could slide all the way down without falling.

 

By 4:30pm it was time to leave and after meeting up with everyone we bundled back into the car to set off for our accommodation for the night. I was pretty happy with how the day had gone, I didn’t fall over too much an even had an excellent opportunity to practice my language skills, all the classes were taught in Japanese though I guess they were fairly visual.

That night we stayed in a Ryokan, traditional Japanese guesthouse, in the wonderful Onsen (hot springs) town of Yumura. Yumura has a long history, having been established as an Onsen town over 1100 years ago. The temperature of the springs at the source is an impressive 98⁰c and many tourists buy eggs from nearby shops to cook in the springs. Alongside the river the are also many places to bathe your tired feet. The whole town has a great aesthetic feel of old time Japan and it really was very scenic.

Inside the ryokan we donned our Yukata and bathed our weary muscles in the inns hot tubs, also fed from the hot springs. Onsens are definitely one of the best things about doing any kind of sport in Japan.  I went back to the room to get changed again and on my way heard one of the older members of staff mumble something I doubt was too kind about rowdy foreigners when she thought she was alone. Classic 本音　(ones true feelings) and 建前　(ones public feelings) in action.

After that it was back up to the second floor to get our lavishly prepared traditional Japanese meal. Sadly the area is particularly famous for crab and beef, two things I couldn’t eat but was assured were delicious, however as the meal consisted of about 12 different dishes I didn’t go hungry. Well fed we went back to our room, I think our boss had hoped for a night of drinking and chatting but everyone was wiped and asleep by about ten.

The following day we were up early and after a quick soak in the tub it was time for breakfast. As with dinner it consisted of many small dishes. Most of it was fine and in fact I quite like miso in the morning but I still can’t stomach rice. Fish no problem, tofu, ok, but rice just doesn't sit right. My boss asked me what a normal English breakfast was like so I decided to try and explain egg and soldiers to his amusement.

We headed back to the slopes and they were as packed as the day before. I was now faced with a dilemma. Do I ski, which I’d picked up fairly quickly and thus could see a lot of the mountain, or do I give snowboarding a bash. My ego got the better of me. I’d really wanted to try snowboarding and I figured since I’d skateboarded for like 4 years it couldn’t be too difficult right?

Wrong. I spent the morning on my bum. I could go forward but I just couldn’t figure out how to turn the board to stop and so rather than crash into anyone I just threw myself at the floor. After a frustrating two hours I joined the guys for lunch, taking a break from the assault on wrists and rear.

Now I had a choice. I could try and get some lessons again but then I’d lose another two hours and not get to see much. I opted to figure out on my own and, rather stupidly now I look back at it, took the ski lift to the top. I strapped on my board and just went for it, worst come the worst I could just go down on my bum.

I’m not sure how but I realized that I actually found it easier to ride switch, opposite foot forward. Suddenly I had more control and could brake and turn a bit. Now that I could control my speed a bit I made my way to the bottom. I still fell over but not quite as much. Feeling a bit more confident I rode up to the top again, the height and incline not quite as daunting as before. It was a lot of fun now I could pick were I was going and how fast to go. I’m glad I kept at it in the end, though my body isn’t, boarding was a lot more fun than skiing once I could bomb it down the slope safely. I definitely want to go again though maybe once my bum has recovered a bit.

 

 Mata kondo ne.

Puppets, Pot Noodle Pilgrimage and Progress

A weekend off at last. I feel as though I’m saying that more and more of late but well I knew what I was signing up for right? Well either way it’s always good to get some downtime and some rest. So naturally I spent the whole weekend travelling about.

The reason was actually because a friend from university is actually over in Japan right now on her honeymoon. During the trip she had a few days planned in Kyoto and asked if I’d like to meet up somewhere in Hyogo. We decided on Osaka and I set off bright and early on Saturday.

After the classic moment of phoning someone then realizing you were staring right at them we set off on the underground for Namba. I didn’t have so many plans for what to do really as I wasn’t sure what they’d be interested in. Also the weather was not on our side so anywhere indoors would likely be best.

Our first stop was Dotombori for some lunch. It was time to introduce my friends to Okonomiyaki. Definitely one of my favorite foods and as my friend is both vegetarian and allergic to milk a pretty safe bet. This time I actually ended up ordering Monjayaki by mistake. It’s very similar but the batter is much more watery meaning it has a gooey texture similar to melted cheddar. Still tasty though.

Following our meal we walked a little ways away to check out Amerika mura, home of many imported clothing and other items. It wasn’t quite as exciting as I expected, I think it really comes to life at night. Still there was a burger king, something I hadn’t seen before in Japan, and also a shop that had it’s own DJ. Also all of the streetlights in the area had this kind of iRobot design that was simultaneously creepy and awesome. I kind of hoped they moved but sadly not.

Next we headed off to the national Bunraku theatre just a short walk away. This is somewhere I’d been meaning to go to for a while and was happy to have some people with me to share the experience.  Arriving at the theatre it seemed fairly full, with a more or less even split between Japanese and overseas patrons.

Bunraku is a type of traditional Japanese theatre using highly intricate puppets to tell the story that originated in Osaka. These puppets are incredible, usually about 2 to 3 feet in height and controlled by more multiple puppeteers dressed all in black. Accompanying the puppets are people playing the Shamisen and also a chanter known as a “Tayu”.

We decided to opt out of the English headset and just try and pick up as much as we could. I made the error of trying to read the subtitles above the stage rather than just siting back and being absorbed in the action and impressive movements of the puppets. I could understand more than I expected but still not much. Thankfully we were given a pamphlet with an explanation of the different acts.

We only stayed for the first act since the whole thing takes 4 hours, although I was up for watching the whole thing so maybe I’ll go another time. We were quite fortunate really as the Bunraku season only runs for 20 days in November and actually finished on Sunday.

Cultured out my friends kindly headed back with me to Umeda so I could check into my hotel. Sadly it was back to the capsule hotel since I hadn’t managed to book into a hostel. On the way we stopped by a supermarket that was selling the autumn flavor range  of my favorite (never thought I’d say that) Soy milk brand. Well I had to buy a couple to try out, purin and chestnut yum.

Checked in it was sadly time to say good buy although not before introducing my friends to the wonders of でっぱちっか or department store food. The quality always amazes me considering the price. I spent the rest of the evening in a mangakisa since I couldn’t face the thought of hanging around a bunch of seedy old men in the capsule hotel. Plus free manga and anime what’s not to like.

The following day I set off bright and early for Ikeda, a district just outside of central Osaka. This was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me as it is the birthplace of instant ramen. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of instant noodles, I think I’ve been eating them consistently since the age of 3 so it shouldn’t be too much of a shock.

Before arriving however I sat down on the train and an old man sat next to me. Nothing strange about that but he started talking to me and obviously, it'd be rude not to, I responded. Suddenly we were having a conversation. I learned about his travels. His son in San-Francisco. His love of climbing mountains and plans to visit Yosemite next spring. He also told me about the time he'd spent in Italy and how he'd really like to visit England one day. All of course in Japanese. I think I might be getting somewhere finally and my responses were a little more than just 'hmm' and 'I see' for a change. Truly a light bulb moment.

Leaving the station and following noodle dori (no joke that's the name of the street) I soon came across my destination, the Momofuke Ando Istant Ramen museum. A.k.a noodle heaven. Greeting me at the entrance was a Christmas tree covered in little plushies of chicken ramen’s (the worlds first instant noodle brand) mascot. No prize for guessing what it is.

The museum was two things. Firstly very cool and informative, you’d be amazed at how much thought actually went into the pot noodle, seriously. Secondly it was jam-packed with people. The Japanese it would seem love instant noodles even more than myself.

The exhibits were well laid out, there was a reconstruction of Momofuke Ando’s shed where the instant noodle was invented and an entire wall displaying a timeline of potnoodle releases in japan. Sadly there were no English explanations but it was fairly simple, this place is actually aimed at school kids I think, so I got the gist. It’ amazing to think that the instant noodle has been around since th 50’s and that pot noodles are over 40 years old.

Anyway the highlight for me, and the hundreds of other people, was the my cup noodle factory. You got to make your own pot noodle, design the cup and choose the filling. Yeah ok I’m sad but I enjoyed it. Actually the cup I made will be a gift for someone else, maybe I’ll go again sometime to make my own.

That's all for this weekend but I'll leave you with a few extra piccies from the museum cause I'm that cool..

Mata ne Minna-san

Tokyo Day 3

On day three I was woken up quite early by a rather pleasant surprise. My friend Jane from Liverpool University was finally finished visiting mount Fuji and asked if I wanted to join her and her mate Jonathan in exploring Tokyo. My own pans to summit Fuji had sadly been dashed by bad weather so I was more than happy to.

Jane also informed me that she’d heard that there would be a firework display somewhere tonight. Before heading to Shinagawa I asked about the display at the front desk, never thought I’d need to use the word “花火“ (firework) but well there you go. The clerk told me that it was one of the biggest of the year and pointed out where it would be on the map. It sounded good and was something to look forward to later.

 

After telling my parents where I was off to I started the journey to Shinagawa. It was actually a bit of a pain to get to. Whilst it is well serviced by the JR lines it is nowhere near the underground stations. Never mind I’m learning to love trains now.

Shinigawa was a pretty imposing place. It had recently undergone a regeneration and so was filled with giant skyscrapers, looming down on me from all sides. I headed over to the hotel Jane had told me she was staying at.

What she’d failed to mention was that it was a giant complex, with over 30 floors and multiple towers. In fact it also contained a cinema, an aquarium and even an indoor rollercoaster. I think the Japanese believe in go big or go home.I basically went the wrong way, ended up on the wrong side of the building in the really posh area. After a lot of confusion I managed to get to the hotel lobby where Jane and Jonathan were waiting.

It was really nice to be with some people my own age again and very nice to be chatting with some people from home. It sounded like they had been having a good time so far, although they hadn’t seen much up Fuji, confirming my fears that I wouldn’t be going up.

After a brief chat about where to go we settled on heading for Shibuya, I wanted to go back anyway and the guys were interested in trying to see some of the quirky clothing. We had a few hiccup trying to get train tickets, I’ve had an Icoca card so long now I’d totally forgotten, but were soon on our way.

Shibuya was just as sprawling during the day as it had been last night. In fact there seemed to be some sort of rally on the go though I’ve no idea what it was all about. We checked out the two 109 buildings which are the homes of all the quirky fashion shops. It was a good laugh to be honest some of the brand names and slogans where hilarious ‘engrish’.

Admittedly there is only so long that this can entertain and soon tiring of it we moved on to Akihabara, back to electric city. Wandering with no real purpose just sucks up time with not much gain though. Whilst I was happy to be with a friend I did want to see other things also.

I Showed them round one of the massive arcades, that are pretty much everywhere in Japan, and pointed out a few of my favouites. Jane I think wanted to see if anyone was playing ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ but I couldn’t find any of the machines. She rightly pointed out that Akihabara seemed to have a major male bias.

About an hour later Jonathan and Jane needed to leave to check into their hotel rooms. I opted to stay in Akihabara a little longer, I wanted to find an electronic dictionary. Talking to a few clerks though I was a bit disappointed, they seemed to all be in Japanese and incredibly expensive, not really worth it.

I had planned to see a bit more of Akihabara, there is a lot more to Akihabara than I managed to see but I just ran out of time. I needed to get back to the hotel to meet my parents before we went to see the fireworks. On the way back I stopped of briefly at the Gundam café. That's right a Gundam themed café where all the meals are inspired by the series. I bought a Gundam “taiyaki”, shaped like a mech rather than a fish and very tasty.

 

Rendezvousing with the rentals I jumped in the shower quickly before heading back out towards the location of te firework display. I was really looking forward to this. Apparently they would be setting off 10,000 and it sounded pretty exciting.

As we ot closer it looked as though all of Tokyo were coming as well. The trains were rammed as where the streets. There were people camped out everywhere, it looked like they had been there all day, grabbing the best spots. We headed towards the baseball stadium, there seemed to be something going on in there but as it was over 4000yen for a ticket we decided against it.

The fireworks were pretty impressive however we had to constantly battle not only the security but also the waves of people jostling from side to side. In the end this plus the heat of the night just got a bit too much for my Mum and Dad and so we headed back to Ningyocho. I said goodbye to Jane and Jonathan, agreeing to meet up again tomorrow, whom also headed back to their hotel.

Ningyocho was pretty dead, I guess everyone else was at the fireworks. The upshot is that we had a pick of the resteraunts. We went to the resteraunt nextdoor to the hotel which turened out to be a “すきやき“

 (sukiyaki) resteraunt. Essentially you are iven a mini gas BBQ, some slices of meat and vegetables and you grill your own dinner.

What was really unusual is that this place was serving lamb, something I’ve not come across in my time here. Very lovely, although my Dad joked it was a bit of a rip off since we were cooking everything ourselves. The waitress was alo very entertaining and I even managed a short conversation. The whole holidy has actually proved to be pretty good practice.

Ja mata minna-san.

Day6: Exploring the new world

After a good long sleep I started the day by organizing my trip to Tokyo. Whilst my parents would have the luxury of travelling by Shinkansen, my budget wouldn’t stretch to that and so I booked myself on an overnight bus. Whilst less comfortable the round trip would also cost less than a one-way ticket by train so I was happy.

By about 11am I travelled over to Tennoji to rendezvous with the family. We had a brief chat about our plan, getting to Tokyo and so on and decided to go our separate ways for the day. Whilst it has been months since we’d seen each other, you can always have too much of a good thing. My mum and dad set off for Namba or a bit of retail therapy, whilst I decided to check out a bit more of Tennoji.

In the guide book it was claimed that Tennoji contained many of the historical sites within Osaka, read more temples and shrines, but there were some other things to check out as well. My parents had claimed that everywhere had been shut when they looked and thought it was a bit of a dump.

I had decided to check out Tennoji park but my first stop was for luncheon, I was not repeating the mistakes of the previous day. Unsure what to go for I decided to suck it up and give Mos burger, probably the most common western inspired Japanese fast food place, a go. I got myself a teriyaki chicken burger and it was actually pretty decent, a far cry from Maccies.

Coming back up above ground, yeah I retreated to a mall to escape the heat whilst I ate, I wandered over to Tennoji park. Like nearly everywhere in Japan you have to pay. It was only a few hundred yen though and it was a very pretty and expansive park, including a rather lovely greenhouse and a zoo, which I gave a wide berth.

The central portion of the park is a traditional Japanese style garden with a large central pond full of Koi. Hat really made me giggle is that as I got close I noticed an old Japanese gentleman tossing bread into the water. I guess normally people would feed the ducks in England but over here they feed the Koi. I love little observations like that.

I carried on over a picturesque arched bridge that gave a great overview of the park before finally exiting over the far side. Right next to the park was a very large Buddhist temple that is actually fairly hidden  by the tree cover, I only noticed it due to a large golden spire at it’s centre, that and by it's rather colourful frog bins.

The to Oni statues guarding the central exit where very imposing and impressive. In fact it was a very nice temple complex altogether. I almost felt as though I was intruding a bit, being the only foreign visitor at the time. I think that many of the Japanese people present were observing O-bon (a Buddhist celebration of the dead). I made a quick dedication at the shrine before setting off. This is also the reason I didn't ake too many pictures it seemed a bit disrespectful.

This temple is part of what is known as the “Nana-saka” or seven slopes of Tennoji. Each one has it’s own theme and a major temple or shrine located along the path. I considered seeing all of them but decided that I’d had enough of temples and shrines for the Day.

Instead I moved on to a rather less tranquil are of Tennoji known as “Shin-sekai” (new world). This region used to be one of the main entertainment districts of Osaka however now it was more a representation of Osakan llife in the 60’s. It’s not a bad place actually with many street vendors and gaudy neon signs. On the way I also found a vending machine that sold coconut milk, which made my day.

 

The main attraction of Shin-sekai is Tsukentaku tower (the tower reaching to heaven) which has at it’s top a shrine to Billiken, a deity of happiness invented by some American lady in the early 1900’s. It is said if you rub his feet you will be granted good luck. It seems this place is very popular with Japanese tourists but I braved the huge queues for my turn with Billiken-san wishing Yuko a speedy recovery.

Just before leaving the tower I spotted a few bottles of "ramune" (basically lemonade). Nothing unusual there its very common in the summer in Japan. What was bizarre where the flavours. Kimchee, wasabi and Kare were all present. Not what you really want in a 'refreshing' beverage I'm sure. Still from what I've experienced no one loves a good gimmick better than the Japanese. 

I then had a quick look around the neighborhood. It’s nowhere near as mad as Umeda, apparently it’s quite a destitute area these days, in fact due to ties with the Yakuza it is supposed to be one of the more dodgy areas of Osaka though I think that's wildly exaggerated. During my wander I managed to pick up a new pair of shorts and a rather swank one piece T-shirt.

Wandered out I headed back to Tennoji to meet back up with the rents at the hotel. We chilled out there for a bit before heading back to Fukishima. Earlier in the day I’d discovered a shop that served tomato ramen. I’d heard about it before from a friend and it seemed like it was something that I needed to try. It was only actually a small place (the best places in Japan always are) and it was rammed.

My self and my dad got “Tomago tomato Ramen” (noodles with egg) and my mum opted for the seafood option. It was supremely tasty, the tomato sauce was nicely seasoned with herbs and had a very Italian flavour whilst the noodles where steadfastly Japanese. They were a good mix and rapidly disappeared.

We headed out after a rather hasty meal, the queue outside was building up though I think this was more because the Japanese love a good queue even more than the brits. My parents walked with me to Umeda sky building, the tallest building in Osaka  believe, where I would be catching my bus. I tried to convince them to go up for the views but the outdoor glass elevator seemed to put them off.

Getting on the bus was actually surprisingly fuss free. I tried to get settled but the man next to me was a bit of a blob and, being Japanese, was fast asleep as soon as the engine turned on. In fact there was a very interesting mix of people on the bus including what I can only assume where the Japanese equivalent of scals. It tried to settle down for what I was pretty sure would be a long night and dream of Tokyo.

Ja ne minna.