Mind is officially blown

I think they brought me the the Shinjuku area as early as possible just for the constrast between it and any other place i've ever been. Shinjuku is the busiest train station on the planet, with about 2 million people passing through it daily. It was nuts and we were there on a weekend when it wasn't at full-capacity. My country-mouse wife would definitely be unhappy there.

The area around the station is all neon and shops and entertainment. It's where much of Lost in Translation was filmed. Dave and I wandered, met up with some of his friends, then met up with my old pal Joel Rush, with whom i did quite a bit of adventuring in Costa Rica in 1993. We hadn't seen each other in roughly 10 years, but out of the crowds we were somehow able to pick each other out. Cell phones of course facilitated this.

We went to a couple Game Centers, or video arcade with pachinko and slots. I think i just watched. They have all kinds of wacky simulation games like guitar, drumming, taiko drum and shamisen simulators, and boxing in which you have to swing your arms and move your body to dodge punches. We searched unsuccessfully for a ping pong simulator.

We went to a restaurant in which sushi comes by your seat on converyer belts and you take what you like. You pay by the color-coded plates when you finish. I have to say that I am now longer afraid of eating eel, but squid is still not my favorite.

We met Gan and a guy named Oyaji at a British pub, then went to the 45th floor of the tokyo government building and looked at all the lights of a city that apparently just keeps on going.

I have a very comfy little bedroom of my own with a TWO futon matress thick bed. Gan's Mom, Fuji-chan, is very kind to have converted a storage room for my stay. She also has been making us food before we go out for the day. tasty stuff. Rice or noodles are good fuel for wandering all day. I try my best to communicate my appreciation but my japanese is a little limited. Yesterday i tried telling someone my age, but ended up saying "i am 3 oclock".

Today's plan includes going to a garbage island, upon which a mall and amusement park have been built.