Day One - Friday 12 December 2014

Well, after what seemed like a long journey we finally arrived in Tokyo.

We boarded a fabulously comfortable train from the airport which took us to a major

station close to our destination - Shinjuku. 

Then we had to swap to a domestic train, fighting through peak hour traffic with two enormous suitcases. 

We had a bit of excitement when the kids went one direction and we went another but thank God we ended up on the same platform. 

The train system is a miracle here. The first train that came along was too full and we waited all of three minutes for the next one. 

We managed to squeeze in without too much trouble and four minutes later we arrived at our station -  Shinokobu.

We staggered out of the station, probably looking like typically dazed tourists, consulting Jim's preprinted book of maps, but soon realised the hotel was less than five minutes walk away. 

Shinokobu is just a small suburb of Tokyo but it's streets are full of neon lights, noise and people, people everywhere. 

There's nothing like a bit of nightlife to perk you up. 

All thoughts of going straight to bed disappeared instantly.

Our hotel, the Tokyo Plaza, is rather small and a little old - but rather sweet. 

The room, however, is tiny - absolutely minuscule. It contains two double beds, a bedside table and a coffee table and a TV.  Once our two suitcases were installed there's not much room to move around!

With four adults, we are very snug!

The best place of all is the bathroom. It's like something in a plane or a boat - where space is at a premium. 

You have to step up to get in and the toilet is right next to the sink which is right next to the shower. 

In fact, the sink and the shower use the same taps so you can either wash your hands or have a shower - but not both. 

I suppose you rarely want to do both at once, so it hardly matters. 

Anyone over six foot would hit their head in the bathroom ceiling - so thank God none of us are too tall.

The toilet is very high tech though - with a seat warmer and spray settings to clean your derrière. 

After an average dinner at a local Korean restaurant, we went back to our room to our tiny beds with pillows stuffed with what seems like bamboo - and went straight to sleep.