Saturday 21 September 2013

contrasts

Some snippets from the day.


Left behind two travel staples today. My trusty black wolf daypack and my portable wi-fi. It's pretty darn obvious we're tourists, but somehow cargo shorts and a backpack broadcast it almost embarrassingly. (BTW, I've never been friends with 3/4 pants for men. What is that? Why do otherwise reasonably dressed men somehow associate overseas travel with 3/4 pants? Is it a bet each way on the weather or what? Not me anyway.)


But I digress. Today I decided I'd load up these cargo shorts with the essentials, and that would do me. Minimalist sightseeing, and I'm a convert. Sorry old friend (black wolf), you will be reserved for necessary supplies on less predictable excursions. And after another round of phone calls the Visitor SIM is now officially written off as a waste of money. And you know what, a blessing in disguise it is. Sorry Mr Foursquare, you won't be hearing from this traveller, except maybe for the odd hotel checkin when the wi-fi is on the house.


So here are some of my snaps from today.





Breakfast on the way to the station and would you know it, Mr Miyagi was there!






As cliche as it sounds, Tokyo (and Japan) is a land of contrasts. A serene garden only a few minutes from gaudy shopping strips, and a sky scraper as backdrop. And a temple and an iconic Shinjuku building.





These sake barrels are gratitude gifts from brewers to the (Meiji) emperor every year. I just can't imagine CUB stacking up barrels for the Queen. I love how cultures are so different.





Meandering along the trendy streets of Roppongi a journal caught my eye with the same name as favourite cafe in Melbourne. The subtitle of the journal is 'discovering new things to cook, make and do.' The bookshop also stocked English editions, so I sat myself in a prime people watching spot with an ale and my new literary discovery while Maria wandered slowly and curiously with her camera around Roppongi Hills and captured some shapes and colours in the soft afternoon sunlight.