Day 2 proper

Today we hit central Tokyo. The metro system is quick easy to use and very efficent. No sign of the crowds and people being pushed into crowded carriages but travelling at 9am into Tokyo was a lot less stressful than the central line at Oxford circus.

Its raining this morning but very humid. Attempts to wear a raincoat fail as you end up wetter inside than out due to the humidity. Where are all the people????? Underground actually, we found out that the Metro stations link underground and all the stores open out into an underground street that seems to run for most of the central shopping district.

First port of call was the Sony building for the latest consumer electronics. Unfortunately is was shut until 11am, so we walk to the imperial palace to see the gardens. These were pretty impressive but in an understated way. No big formal beds or lots of finely tended plants. More like an arboretum or semi wild parkland but in a enclosed setting. The gardens are on the site of the medeival castle of Edo so the ruins set the scene and everything is surrounded by massive walls made from hand cut granite blocks and deep water filled moats filled with wildlife. We spotted Turtles, Cormorants, Swans and Carp.

We returned to the Sony building at lunchtime and after purusing the somewhat unexceptional tech and a spot of lunch, decided to to visit the Tokyo Tower. This is a landmark telecomms tower built in the late 50s when Japan was just reasserting itself as an economic power. It shows to... built along the lines of the Eiffel tower it is 300ft taller and weighes (At 4000 tonnes) nearly half. Its a typical tourist trap with tacky shops and chain resturants and low rent exhibits. Still the view from the top is exceptional and to top it all the sun came out and illuminated the city at our feet.