We got in late last night. Roppongi. Mark as dangerous. The area I was told not to go was of course the first destination for the CSR crew boys here. A late night and a lack of sleep did not help getting up this morning, despite Tokyo being on our door step. Indeed, it took shaved ice with pure glucose sauce to kick me out of my stinker of a hangover. Roppongi.

Ele, Kauru, Junko and I live it up

Never have I seen so many energy drinks in one place – ‘functional’ drinks are huge in Japan, including Yakult and many other nutrition-packed liquids

Kauru ties the fortune knot to the bar in Asakusa (not to be confused with Akasaka – our hotel)

A local takes some time out to breathe on his Mild Seven

Kimonos were a surprisingly common sight – wonderful

After my shaved ice salvation and cruising around the Senso-Ji temple in Asakusa (confusing, since our hotel is in Asakasa) and emerging out of the metro to be faced with Philip Starke’s Asahi Museum work, we headed off to * to check out some of the shopping and then to Harujuku to meet Junko and Ian. Harajuku, for those not in the know, is the place in Tokyo to see the bleeding edge, drop-dead fashions -the goths, the rockers, the girls wearing makeup to enhance ugliness, the school girls, the Elvises and the zombies. I bought some sunglasses.

Zombie woolly hats in Harajuku

Utterly insane Pachinko – I played twice in games lasting all of 20 seconds and I have come to the conclusion you need a hole in your skull to play, and another to keep slotting money in.

Dinner was Shibuya. A human hub, its road crossing is apparently the busiest in the world. It was here where I learnt that Ximending in Taipei gets its inspiration from. I swear, even down to the street lighting it was copied from this place. This was my vision for Tokyo and it happily matched it. Shabu Shabu was booked for dinner, which is a communal cooking pot with meat an vegetables comprehensively blew the doors off my local favourite Taipei version; I did not know it could be better. And I also did not know how much Japanese girls can eat in one sitting.

Shibuya – waiting to charge!

Ele, Ian and Kauru enjoy THE BEST SHABU SHABU I have ever had – and that is saying something. I am fairly sure my stomach became a solid ball of meat.

Back to Akasaka, and after meeting up with Ele’s boss Gordon we headed straight for Karaoke to round off a great day in Tokyo – albeit a day with a rough, rocky and stormy start. Ending with Whiskies in the rooftop bar was perfect, and i have this feeling that I will be back in Japan sooner rather than later.

Singing our hearts out guaranteed sexy voices the next day