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I want to thank you all for the kind birthday wishes last month. I got most of them one day late, even though they were sent between 0000hrs and 0100hrs on my birthday. That’s because I didn’t have telco coverage at that time. We were somewhere outside Tokyo Bay. I received a birthday cake from the company too, which was pretty cool. I and another American engineer both celebrated birthdays on board the vessel together.

Having been in Japan for about a month and half now, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been exploring. The vessel is now docked at bay since last week, and I have had some great outings since then. It doesn’t feel as odd to be carrying an SLR in a place like Tokyo because everyone else does that too. The first photo above was shot in the TokyoEuno (my bad; wrong pic) train station, where, in addition to the city trains, the inter-city bullet trains (the Shinkansen) also stop.

Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most interesting places. It is also where ‘The Waiting Dog’, Hachiko’s statue is. Many (and I mean many) people like to make this their meeting place before heading to somewhere else. And this was also the place I first met Kim Huey in Japan, who’s doing her Masters studies here.

That’s Shibuya at night. In Malaysia, the only time you get to see so many people crowding the streets is probably during a demonstration or a rally or something (like the peaceful march to the palace?). Anyway, we actually returned to this junction after dinner (nearby) to snap more photos of the moving crowd. We stood on a higher ground, and just watched the crowd cross the road. They looked like ants. Hundreds of them.

We both loved to take photos (camwhoring included, but I shan’t put too many of those here…), and because Tokyo looks pretty darn amazing at night, we had a field trip with our cameras. We even went up to the Tokyo Tower - our first, and likely to be the last time - to take photos of the city’s night skyline. In the day, if the weather is perfect, the magnificent Mt Fuji is also visible from the tower.

Last weekend, we decided to go to the touristy places and be tourists for the day. Mint tagged along too, armed with a Nikon D80 with a super zoom lens. We met up before 6am (sun’s up even at 5:30am here) and headed towards the largest fish and seafood wholesale market in the world - the Tsukiji Wholesale Market.

I took tonnes of pictures in there. There are also fish auctions but we missed them. The tuna was kinda like the most popular fish there or something. Measuring at about 1m long, they all have had their tails cut and their body frozen for sale. The wholesale market has somehow become a popular tourist joint, although the local traders still go there for serious businesses.

We wondered if the sellers ever felt annoyed with the presence of all these visitors, who’re usually more interested in taking photos rather than actually buying anything. The walkways are narrow, usually wet (obviously), and there’re lots of fish-transport scooters zig-zagging all over the place.

After spending close to to about an hour in there, we exited the market and breathed in some fresh air. Camwhoring was inevitable. We later adjourned to a nearby sushi restaurant for breakfast. It was during this time we felt the building swayed, as the hanging lamps were swinging like a pendulum. This was due to the earthquake in Kurihara (about 400km from Tokyo), which, as of today, has taken at least 10 lives.

Our sight-seeing continued with a visit to Ginza, the shopping district. I guess it’s where the ladies would love to go. Zara’s got one whole block to itself, Gucci and other brands have theirs too. I preferred Akihabara though - the electronic district - where I bought a super-cheap tax-free iPod nano. Anyway, it’s interesting to note that the blocks of shops here (in pic above) are spaced a small gap apart. I guess this must have something to do with the earthquake-resistance mechanism that most buildings in Japan have.

The Imperial Palace was another very touristy spot, with very wide open spaces - maybe for the Emperor to take his evening walks. There was some kinda running event going on outside the palace courtyard when we were there. The “visit-able” area in the palace was closed for public, so we couldn’t pay the royal family a visit.

Ueno, another shopping district, was next on our list. It was kinda like KL’s Petaling Street, but they sell original stuff. I checked the price of a pair of Adidas sneakers - it was comparable to the original price in RM (if you’re wondering, no I do not earn in Japanese Yen!). Also in Ueno, there’s a park where the homeless old folks get food aids from the social workers.

Odaiba is a lovely place, especially at night. The pic above was shot from inside a train, the Yurikamome Line. And no, it’s not a bullet train. It was traveling at normal speed (’normal’ for Japanese standards anyway)! It’s the camera’s slow shutter speed that gave this effect. I absolutely loved it. As a matter of fact, the whole of Odaiba is ideal for photography, dating, dog-walking and dining all in one. Lying on a man-made island, it also has its own man-made beach.

That’s what I’m talking about. There was constant cool breeze from the sea, coupled with killer night scenery and very wide walkways along the shoreline - no wonder that place is so popular at night, especially among the lovebirds. Don’t be surprised to catch some steamy action here, although I didn’t notice anything indecent while I was there.

The entire stretch of shopping malls, restaurants and gaming outlets along the shoreline of Odaiba (note the moon on top-right of photo). When I say the locals love to take their dogs here, I don’t mean only the outdoor park. Dogs are very much welcomed inside the malls too, because these malls sell everything and anything you need to pamper your dogs. Dog prams are a hit here (yes, with prams, the dogs don’t have to walk at all).

One of the malls also houses the famous Toyota Mega Web showroom, arguably the best Toyota showroom in the world! The showroom is a must-see for car enthusiasts and Toyota fans alike, because the vehicles on display are always updated with new models every now and then.

We went to the showroom the next day, and it was quite an eye-opener. The entire showroom was kinda like a motor show exhibition. Toyota has just launched their new Alphard, so it was a big hoo-haa when we were there.

The showroom was a showcase of Toyota’s continued research in developing disabled-friendly cars, hybrid engines and practical vehicles. There are rides, simulators, a test-drive track around the showroom, and even a motion-master theater!

We took a ride in one of the electric-powered, self-driven vehicles that took us around the showroom. It was pretty cool. The car relies on electronic sensors to move around the (very narrow) track, and the steering wheel responds to the road direction on its own. It also accelerates and brakes accordingly when ascending and descending a slope.

The same shopping mall also has an automotive gallery called History Garage, where some of the milestones in automotive advancement are highlighted and preserved under one roof.

That’s just a random shot taken in one of the malls. The open-air concept in most part of Tokyo is something we don’t normally get to experience in Malaysia because of our warm climate.

Finally, this is the view from Kim Huey’s balcony. Is that awesome or what!

Shorttalk: I’ve been having alotta fun in the past few weeks in Japan, mainly because of the company of my friends who’re studying here. Not that there’re many, only two so far and they’re such great hosts. I must say that I’m really lucky this time because the project I’m working on allows me to relax for a while before going out off shore again. That said, I still have to work on weekdays on shore. But at least there’s internet connection :D I won’t be returning to KL probably until July, as I’m the only dude here now. If I leave, the office will have to dispatch another engineer to replace me. Come to think of it, it’s not so bad being alone out here now, is it?

P/s. My Japanese still suck.