Tokyo

Well I wasn't expecting snow and sleet and conditions that made me feel as if I had woken in Glasgow! It was grey, wet and windy, what we call "dreich" in Glasgow, and freezing on arrival here in Japan. And I can't tell you the last time I wore four layers of clothing and needed socks! Anyhow I am used to this type of weather, historically, but remember in Thailand the temperature is in excess of 100 ℃ and getting hotter and at night it rarely dips below 20℃. On arrival it must have been about 3℃. As I left the aircraft I felt my ears tingle with the cold momentarily.

Not much to tell you about today as I was exhausted and cold and the priority was to collect my telescope in downtown Tokyo and sort out a couple of parts, which I did easily. Clearing customs and immigration at Narita Airport was very fast and in my case included a peremptory bag search. At immigration technology is used very smartly; there is a little screen aiding the process and it is programmed to use the passport holder's language. So it reverted to Thai for the Thais and English for me. Index finger prints are taken as well as photographs as part of this process but it worked very well and I cleared in less than ten minutes. Straight onto a very rapid train transfer downtown

Public transportation is impressive. I travelled downtown on the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori at a cost of 2,400¥, ( about 900 ฿ or £18). Clean and comfortable and very helpful staff, the train left on the dot and arrived on the dot. Real hi-tech, fast and smooth. Changing lines on arrival at Nippori was easy thanks to helpful staff. Automation is the order of the day. The platform barriers are easy to use with luggage unlike the "rottweilers" on the London Underground. All in all the underground and railway struck me as very efficient, clean and easy to use. It doesn't seem to be quite as noisy and frenetic as its London or New York counterparts.

The people around me seemed very somber quietly going about their business. Just an initial impression. Downtown Tokyo also seemed to be quiet too and easy going. I was struck by how people wait for the traffic lights to change before crossing the road - definitely not my style!  The roads were not clogged with cars and dominated by the sound of horns and engines. No congestion tax either. I get a sense that Tokyo is also quite low-rise perhaps due to seismic risks....there are towers but not like London or New York. Buildings also seems to be very modern. I do not know the extent of Second World War bombing but this may explain why.

I spent the morning sorting out my stuff and in the afternoon headed to the western suburbs of Tokyo to a neighbourhood known as Kasai where I had booked a room at Fifty's Resort through www.asiarooms.com. It is near Tokyo Disneyland and is also very near to Kasai Rinkai Koen, a bayside park recommended as a birdwatching location.  It didn't disappoint on a brief visit but a combination of freezing cold, wet feet and tiredness meant my first visit was less than an hour. It looks very promising. Fifty's Resort is perfect: a small, clean room with everything I need plus it is quiet and warm! And here they use lots of technology: check-in was done via a machine that  processes payments and gives out change and then issues a key! Plus they have wi-fi which meant I was able to chat with Luna. My mobile phone doesn't work and there do not appear to be an abundance of free internet hotspots in Tokyo. Thailand appears to be more wired-up or at least it seems to be easier to get online there.

I think I am going to enjoy my few days in Tokyo. So watch this space!