Japanese Exploration

We arrived in Tokyo around 4:00, and took the limousine bus to our hotel.  The Kudan Kaikan hotel is just outside the grounds of the Imperial Palace.  By the time we arrived, however, it was too dark to see anything.

We showered and went to eat in a small restaurant with amazing food.  I could not tell someone how to get back there, but it was very good.  It was one of those places where it helped to have a native for translation, so maybe we had an experience that many Westerners would not have had.

I thought that I was pretty good with chopsticks, but it's a whole new ballgame when you are eating salad with them.  If you are planning to go, buy some cheap chopsticks and try to eat all your meals with them...you will once you get there anyway, and practicing at home might save you some frustration and embarassment!

We returned to our Japanese-style room back at the hotel.  If you are looking for a somewhat Japanese experience, while not giving up certain Western comforts, this might be a good option.  I will say that the futons we had were not very soft and fluffy, so if you have back troubles, you may want to try something different.  However, we had a nice Western-style toilet room, complete with slippers to wear just for in there, and a huge shower divided into a section for the shower, and a deep bath.  One of the great things about the Japanese is that they know how to bathe: when they're already clean.  And the bathtubs are nice and deep so you can literally immerse yourself in warm, clean water.