Shinjuku

My last full day in Tokyo, I fly out 10:55 tomorrow from Narita, arriving Heathrow 15:15 the same day, amazing how fast these planes fly :-)

It was a gloriously sunny day so we took off for Shinjuku Gyoen National Park; a massive park split into different nationality gardens, plus a Mother & Child wooded walk. The crowds (and photographers) were out in force, but it was great to get away from the street noise and we had a good time exploring.

After it was into Shinjuku itself for a spot of retail therapy (after afternoon tea; the coffee in Tokyo is great but all week I only found one place that could serve up a decent cup of tea). I stayed outside Gap whilst Noriko and Kio went in to buy tee shirts. The crowds milling around and moving in and out of Shinjuku Station where unbelievable, the entire population of Tokyo, then some, must have been there. I tried some street photography with varying results.

We travelled back to Funabori for dinner and managed to get into an okonomi-yaki restaurant. This is a kind of do-it-yourself meal where you order the raw ingredients then cook it on hotplates build into the centre of the table. A good fun, noisy event resulting in some very good food.

I shall miss Tokyo, and of course my son and his family, but like all large cities, they're often better in small doses. It will be nice to get back to the relative tranquility of Stratford upon Avon, teeming with summer tourists, but at least I'll understand the language.

Tokyo is a strange and wonderful boiling pot of humanity, with huge contrasts between city skyscrapers and country parks, and a very Japanese mixture of Western and Eastern cultures. I think my blip photo may in a small way illustrate this.