June 16, 2001

Upon arrival in Toyko, my first unique experience involved going to the bathroom!  I wish I would have had my camera with me to take pictures!  You walked in to a beautifully decorated area with large stalls.  When you closed the door, soothing music began to be piped in.  The seats were heated and they were Western style (American style) with buttons for bidet, noise cancellation, and seat heat adjustments.  All that sure felt like a luxury after that long flight!

We went through customs where we were greeted with warm smiles.  But, we were all relieved to see our “Japanese lesson” teachers and their FMF signs at the airport.  We enjoyed a round of “Japanese bingo” on the way to the Akasaka Prince Hotel, and were greeted by Ed Jones upon arrival.  After getting our luggage to our rooms, we meet and were given our first installment of our 'stipend' and converted it to Yen. Some of the group joined Ed for dinner while others grouped and went on separate food excursions. I chose to eat at the hotel and enjoyed listening to a young woman play the piano...her choice of music seemed appropriate, "Be It Ever So Humble, There's No Place Like Home".

Rainbow Bridge

Bridge is designed to move freely during earthquakes

Architecture in Japan varies from the ultra-modern to the old and traditional. In Tokyo, when a building is taken down, a new number is assigned, not based on the lot itself but on the number of the building built. This makes it very difficult to locate buildings along streets, as they do not follow a number order.

There's No Place Like Home

Toyko from my window.  Notice traffic.

 Toyko from window.