I did not realise when I booked our hotel accommodation in Shinjuku that the Airport Limousine Bus actually stopped at the hotel 4 to 5 times each day. I had envisaged Mick and I lugging our bags to a nearby bus stop, or even the Shinjuku Train Station (which would have been a nightmare!), in order to make our way to Narita.

But, I was able to book through the hotel to catch the 11.15 bus to Narita Terminal 2, which is near to the hotel that we are booked into for our final night in Japan.

Our hotel in Shinjuku was in a fabulous spot, the breakfasts were excellent, the staff were wonderful and the rooms and shared spaces was kept spotlessly clean. But….

….the rooms were tiny.

I did know that of course when I booked the hotel, but the price for rooms in Tokyo is quite steep. We paid $245 (AUD) per night, but if I was booking the same room for tonight it would have cost us $382. It obviously pays to book well in advance.

At 16 square meters in total for the bathroom, bedroom and hallway, the only option to place the double bed is against the wall. So each night I had to enter the bed from the foot of the bed! Luckily my yoga practice helped with that tactical move. Getting out was not very lady-like either.

Each time I rolled over, I had to be careful not to graze my knee or my nose.

All that was acceptable to Mick because he was sleeping on the side where he could get in and out of ‘normally’ and……our room had its own smart (Toto) toilet.

Tonight’s room is more than double the size and quite a lot cheaper (at $170AUD). There are two chairs – yes one each, a small table, a desk with a third chair and space for me to enter the bed from the side.

Luxury.

Our stay in Tokyo has only been short, but I think we have seen quite a lot and experienced a great deal as well.

If you have been to Tokyo before you can ignore this final bit, but as a first-time visitor these are some of my observations of the city:

• Business men and/or male office workers appear to dress in the same outfit of black trousers and white business shirt. It is very obvious when the traffic lights change and as you cross the road you pass by dozens and dozens of men dressed exactly the same.
• Big shoes – mostly younger people seem to have a penchant for large, over-sized shoes. Not only with fat heels but also goofy-looking shapes.
• Japanese people are extremely polite and punctual.
• Lack of pet dogs – Mick and I spotted only 2 dogs on leads being taking for walks during our stay. This could have something to do with the next observation.
• No public garbage bins on the streets or at the railway station.

Yukimo had asked us to take our rubbish with us when we were on our first tour. She explained that there were no garbage (or trash) bins in Tokyo since the incident in 1995. Neither Mick nor I could recall the incident when 12 people were killed and more than one thousand injured as a result of the release of a toxic substance (from rubbish bins) in a coordinated attack in Tokyo’s subway system.

The Japanese people must organise their rubbish according to categories: combustible, non-combustible, recyclable and organic waste. Clear plastic bags are used to help identify the type of rubbish. In our hotel for example, the cleaning staff would go through each room’s rubbish bins and sort the waste according to these categories.

Piles of these clear bags would be placed on the street on collection days and small trucks would collect the bags.

Tomorrow morning our flight departs at 10.25am. It will take us just over 13 hours to get to our next destination, and when we arrive we will have lost 6 hours.

Can you work out where we are going to? (If you can, I am super impressed as I would have no idea how to do that).

My next post will possibly be in 2 days time.

Sayonara.