Getting around

Getting around Tokyo is actually more challenging than getting around in Nepal. Most signs and menus are in Japanese, and we find fewer people who speak English. We're learning, though, and took our first solo subway ride today.

Tokyo is a very pedestrian friendly city, at least in our part of town. And there are bikes everywhere, not to mention trains, subways and buses. We walk for hours here.

Our hotel is a lovely, 60-year-old ryokan, an old fashioned Japanese inn with futons on the floor and bathroom down the hall. It's quite nice, and for the first time on our trip, we have heat and electricity. We missed them more than anything else, I think.

One recession related fact we learned is that many Japanese workers live in company dormitories, so as the recession hits hard here and people are getting laid off, they lose their housing and jobs at the same time. Something like one-third of the workforce is temporary workers, so people are easy to get rid of.

Anyway, Japan is interesting, more later.

KR