There's a surprise around every corner in Tokyo, that's why I reckon if there's one word that fit it, it's serendipity. As I woke up at 7:30 AM in my capsule I was glad I paid extra to check out two hours later. It allowed me to have another bath and take my time checking out. Steaming it was, and a hot shower on top of it felt great. The plan for tonight was uncertain but I wasn't even there yet. I wanted to go online for a bit and there's no wifi at the capsule hotel, so I got a canned coffee drink from a vending machine, stored my bag, and called in at a manga kissa (internet and comic cafe). For about ¥400 per hour I can surf the web all I want, upload photos, and there's free coffee and drinks on top of that!
For about ¥2500 you can even do an overnight package if you wanted. Many manga kissa have showers and full reclining chairs for overnight guests. This would have been my best option if I didn't get a response from either of my potential CS hosts tonight. The humidity was a slap in the face yet I strolled around serendipitously in search of a new surprise and something good to eat. Pizza would be my lunch after indulging in too many coffees at the manga kissa. Another suprise! I thought I wouldn't find pizza easily but there's a fair few Italian restaurants in Tokyo. In terms of sights and cities I've visited, I would compare Tokyo to Istanbul. The main sights and areas for tourists are Tsukiji Fish Market, the Imperial Palace, Ginza, Shibuya, and so forth but I reckon, just like Istanbul, you don't necessarily have to see the main sights to fully enjoy it. There's always an impressive sign, a great restaurant, a standout sight, a unique form of accommodation, or an artistic (or incredibly violent) comic around every corner.
Even if you do get lost, I reckon there are much worse places to get lost than the serendipitous streets of Tokyo!
Mark and I would meet the following evening at, in another pleasant surprise, at a katsu restaurant in Kichijoji. With the likes of eggplant, shiitake, leeks, and roasted garlic, among things you've never even heard of, on skewers dipped in teriyaki sauce. We cracked open a bottle of Japanese beer and said kampai (cheers) to a great journey in Japan thus far.
Later that evening though, I would be hosted by a CouchSurfer named Edgardo. I would stop at a street stall and try a kebab with meat dipped in teriyaki. It had the most vile aftertaste, and I couldn't wait to have a sip of coffee to get rid of it! I sure hope I didn't bite into cow's tongue!
The Japanese yen is a surprise in itself. The smallest note is ¥1,000 (about US$10), meaning the smallest Japanese note is of a higher value than the largest Ethiopian note (100 birr, about US$6). Coins come in denominations of ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100, and ¥500. The ¥500 coin is the highest-valued commonly used coin in the world (about US$5). One yen is further subdivided into 100 sen but it's no longer used. I should add that the Japanese never baulk at the idea of somebody paying with a ¥10,000 note even for the smallest purchases. Whilst Japan isn't as astronomically priced as I expected, the size of the coins makes you feel like you're spending less than you actually are. The ¥100 coin is worth about US$1 yet is only about the size of the American five-cent piece or the Australian ten-cent piece.
As the world knows, Japan is the world leader in toilet technology. I hope this doesn't spoil your appetite, but the toilets wash your bottom and make sure you're squeaky clean down there. In addition to 21st century toilets there are plenty of traditional Japanese squat toilets.
Across the board, Tokyo is full of surprises. The food is great, the manga kissa are fun, the toilets are interesting, the architecture is lovely, and there's more places to see, eat, surf the web, relieve yourself, and do than you could fit into a lifetime. My favourite thing to do here after a good feed is to get lost on Tokyo's streets and absorb its serendipitous soul.
