Halala que de choses à dire.....par contre....ce post ne sera pas en français (désolé)...ni en japonais (Ureeru)...bon ni en espagnol non plus evidement...(lo siento) mais en anglais ...(sorry) car on m'a dit que c'etait la langue que le plus de gens comprenait ^^'....allez c'est parti !!

I said some time ago that I will write my following messages in English....but i was lazy    until now....

To repair my laziness, I'm going to relate our fabulous week in Japan in English (and even Japanese sometimes...well ok just some words ^^).

Thanks to a friend of Seb (merci encore sylvie), we (Seb & me) could get very low price tickets in United Airlines Company....and this in Business Class ! Well for the outgoing trip, we couldn't benefit of the business class because all was crowded, so we were flying in economic class...but we didn't care because we were really exited to go to Tokyo.

From the airport (Narita), we took a train (equivalent a un RER) during almost 2 hours...i didn't thought the airport was so far...but we could see Tokyo Suburbs (and many Japanese style houses which are quite pretty from the outside). We arrived at Ueno ( which is an important metro station) and get a map of the subway...^^ haha very funny the map of the subway... let's say...complicated. Ok at first, we thought...mmm well ok it just have lot of lines...much more lines than Paris...but unfortunately that was not the only difficulty...There is 3 main train companies which have each some lines of the subway...and so if you have to change train, you might have to take a line from another company...and you must buy another ticket...and prices change depending on which station you want to go....   (for this I prefer Paris system which with only one sort of ticket you can travel from any part to Paris to any other part of Paris (and it's cheaper ^^))... but with our great sense of orientation (lol) we get used to Tokyo metro at the end...and we took Day Pass tickets (which permit to not get a headache trying to understand which ticket we have to buy....^^')...ok enough talked about the metro....loll

We meet Shoko at Ueno. She is our super guide, and a great friend ! We went to our hotel take off our luggage...and then...direction Shibuya in order to eat our first Japanese meal....RAMEN ! (you know what Naruto always eat lolll ^^) and that was very tasty and really good !! (But Ramen can be good or bad depending of the restaurant....the one Shoko and her friend Ayano choose was very good !

After we went to Roppongi....to live our first night in Tokyo.... Roppongi is a very famous place in Tokyo, known for its nightlife. Roppongi literally means "six trees". It was the residence of feodal lords during the Edo period. Even today it remains an upmarket place to live with many embassies located in the area. The area was completely destroyed in World War Two, it was then rebuilt as an amusement area for foreigners in which you can find many bars and clubs.

The animation there was very impressive whatever the time of the night ! What I found funny is on the street there was many black men who were trying to convince you to go in their Hip-Hop or Rap Club. So, they stop you in the street, they say "Hey guys ! What are you planning to do tonight ? I know a place very cool, with good music (i.e. Hip-Hop-Rap)!! It's only 500yen!! The best place in Tokyo, I promise you!! Come on!». Not easy sometimes to get rid of them!! lol but that's funny. Well... most of the place are Hip-Hop & RnB music (like in Taiwan), however there are some pubs with Rock and Pop music. We spend a good time in there and it was very interesting to see the nightlife in Tokyo (Totally different from Taipei).

In the following, you will know all about Japanese Hot Springs : 'Onsen' and 'Rotenburo' !

The place we went was at 1h30 by train at the NW of Tokyo. We meet Shoko's sister there and they invited us to a very traditional restaurant. This restaurant was the place where Shoko do her 'baito' (student's job).

We were on a private room with a low table (coffee table) lightened by some typical lanterns. We were sat in the Japanese way (i.e. on the knees)...well i was not able to stay like this more than 10 minutes loll but chhhhttt

We had many different meals (like 10), all of them were delicious. It was my favourite restaurant because of the food but particularly for the place and the ambient. (Thank uuuu again !)

After we went to....Onsen!! Onsen?? What's that ?  Onsen are natural hot springs. They are numerous and highly popular across Japan. There are many types of hot springs, distinguished by the minerals dissolved in the water. Different minerals provide different health benefits, and all hot springs are supposed to have a relaxing effect on your body and mind.

Hot springs are used to be enjoyed naked...of course men and women are separate ( don't dream lolll even if it’s true there are some particular onsen which are mixed).

We didn't knew at all how it worked...so all was discovery....so after taking out the shoes, we entered the changing room, motivated, with our bag composed of 2 towels ( a big one and a small one...very small one )...until we saw a old man naked just passing front of us..." Uhhh ?? Ah yes that's true, it's a naked place...er....^^' " We were staying like 2 idiots..."Where the hell are we ???" - "Er...I don't feel like changing here in the middle of all, ah toilets ! saved !!"

That was our state of mind at the beginning, but then we get used to and less intimated. After changing, it was time to enter the big bathroom. At first we wanted to go inside with the big towel...but there was nobody with big towel inside..."Maybe we should take the small one" - " Yes the very small one... I'm affraid we have to..."

So we look for an empty place to wash our body and run to it...we sat on very little chairs, there was a wood bucket (seau en bois) to wash ourselves...it was funny...some persons washed themselves like for 30min !!! (When was their last bath???  loll). Now, time to go to the hot bath...there was some inside (and also a sauna) but we went first outside...on the rotenburo.

The place was very beautiful, as it was raining a little, there was a lot of smoke over the water. The rotenburo was made by black volcanic stones. There were 2 kinds of bath. One 20cm deep (just enough to lie on it) with the little rain which cool us down the face, it gave us a very special but very comfortable relaxing. The second one was deeper so we could seat inside. Hot Hot Hot...

We stayed like 30 min there (including some pause) and then went back inside. For people who stayed too long on the rotenburo or for too old people (like seb ), it's advised to take a cold bath after...we didn't do it (coz we didn't knew at first haha^^)...for me it was okay, but seb was sweating after...so important thing to not forget !

I really enjoyed it ! Even if it was a quite strange system for us...There were all age people : from 4 years old kids to grandpa of 80. That was a really funny experience  !

The following day, we visited Tokyo by ourselves.

We went first at Ueno Park....That park is at the center of Tokyo! It's quite unbelievable...when you are in the park...you don't see anymore any building at all !! (and God knows that there are a lot of very high buildings near that place !!). So you can really escape from the city when you are going to this park. Now the things that catched my attention....first : "CROA CROA CROA CROA". Whereas Paris is the city of pigeons (and noooo Shoko ! we don't eat pigeons in France !!), Tokyo is the city of ravens !! (corbeaux). We can find very beautiful temples all along the park...and there is a Zoo inside that park (we didn't go). Ah ! Another funny thing ! There is a lake in the park where there were many small boats sailing there...and if you look closer...you can see that the people who are on every boat (but really all boats) were always young couple... . And I don't want to be mean to Japanese boys...but most of the girls I saw on boats seemed to be really bored...  I don’t know if it's true or not but that was my impression.

Then we went to Tokyo Looping! Looping??? What are they talking' about?? Well what we call "looping" it's a freeway which makes a loop instead of a normal turn...well it's hard to explain (pictures are clearer). Anyway, when we went close to that looping...we couldn't see anything...so we climbed a building to get a better view...that was fun!

On the top of the building, we saw the Tokyo Tower over there...so we found our next goal...climb the Tokyo Tower...OK I admit...finally we took the elevator...but you must now that the Tokyo Tower is a little higher than the Eiffel Tower (333meters). But well of course with an antenna of 50meters !! It's easy ... lol

The tower is less impressive than Eiffel Tower, but the view is really beautiful ! Well It's really impressive to see so many buildings on all direction ! We got the view by night ! With many color! Great!!

Then we finished the day by watching the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco. Alonso finished 1st and Montoya 2nd! As I was for Alonso and seb for Montoya, we were both happy! (Well it's because a 2nd place for montoya it's like a victory!! it's so rare !!  )

OK now it will look like a visit guide of Tokyo! I'm sorry if sometimes it's not so interesting...but if someone wants to go to Tokyo...he can find there my impressions of some of Tokyo most famous places.

Asakusa

 Let's talk about Asukasa first. Asukasa is a neighbourhood of tokyo which is quite festive and typical. The interesting places there are drawn Sensoji Temple, the Five Storied Pagoda and the traditional Nakamise shopping arcade. We have been there with Ai and Nozomi, i liked the ambient, the little commercial roads are very pretty. We could see a lot of katanas, kimonos and others Japanese stuff. Then at the end of the Nakamise arcade, we arrived to the Sensoji Temple. The original was destroyed in the air raids of 1945, so this is a reconstruction built in 1960. On the right, there was the God of the Wind, and on the left, the God of Thunder.

We could see from far, the Five Storied Pagoda which is a temple with 5 big floors and quite high (over than 50meters high (that's quite a lot for a temple).

Then we went to Okonomiyaki (it's a kind of restaurant where the waiter bring the food, and you have to cook by yourself in the heating plaque inserted to the table.)! That was pretty good.

In asakusa, there is also new amusement parks and business building with some sculptures quite strange!  Like this big golden.... shit...^^

Shibuya

Vibrant, lively, fun, faddish, crowded, cramped, and busy...this is in an few words Shibuya for me^^'  Shibuya is another shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo. It's somehow the rival of Shinjuku and has a cleaner, safer reputation. There is a famous crossroads there : there is a time when all cars from each road have to stop and then  every citizen cross the streets at the same time. There is even crossing way in diagonal ! There we visited a little by ourselves the different places that Japanese like to go...we discovered Pachinko (sort of casino) and to my mind seemed quite boring...i wouldn't spend an afternoon there ^^'.

Harajuko

 Harajuku has a reputation as being the fashion hotspot of Tokyo. This might be true, but one finds that there are numerous other places in Tokyo where the same thing is true. The only thing that sets Harajuku apart is one long street that is lined with most of the Roman empire fashion names of our day. So... in others words....only girls things ! We were on some very strange shops and café (like the café where the waitress were on quite ridiculous suits...)^^'. It's funny to do once ! I will describe this place as a Cosplay place...lol

Ginza

 It's one of the most expensive place on Tokyo. There we can find the SONY building (but it was closed when we went there), the APPLE center, and many expensive shops....This place is more for middle aged persons.

Akihabara

Akihabara specialized in domestic goods and accessories, in the inter-war years it was bicycles, but now, it's gadgets galore - from the latest most useful to the latest most useless. Akihabara is the electronics capital of Japan. We went there in order to find the Bandana of Naruto that Seb wanted so much ! After many shops...we finally find it....but price was 4000 yens !!! SO we just take a picture of seb with the bandana on his plastic wrapping ... haha ^^'

OKay that's all!  I hope I gave you a clear and complete image of Tokyo and I will advise you to go if you can...

Maybe that place is not a really good place to go for work... (Hurry and lot of pressure)...but to study and visit, it's really great!