Edo (former name of Tokyo) Museum was a chance to see how the modern Tokyo developed into the city it is today. The museum is stock full of scale and life-size models, and there are plenty of interactive exhibits to keep those with short-attention spans interested. It is also probably a more international friendly museum than most Japanese museums with sufficient English translations and pictorials to guide the way. If you’re in Tokyo it is worth dropping in for a couple of hours to enjoy it – I know Dad sure appreciated it.

After the Edo-Tokyo Museum it was on to Akihabara (or Electric Town). As the name suggests the area is devoted to all types of electric and electronic appliances. The latest technologies and gadgets can be found here though it is not as cheap as one would like – I guess you’re paying for the fact that certain technology was available at all. It seemed that most buildings had a pattern to it with the large displays of flashy cellular phones inviting visitors into the store. This was often followed with the digital music players, then a floor for computers, household appliances, and then often a gaming or adult floor. My parents discovered a hidden treasure – if you’re waiting around for your friends to finish their shopping or if you’re tired, simply find one of the floors that have massage chairs on display. These full body massage chairs are absolutely divine but after some time of sitting in various chairs I actually felt a little nauseous. Pat tells me it’s because the toxins are being released in my body but it was nice while it lasted. So nice that Stephen and my Dad were even tempted to import one back to Australia! But good sense prevailed in the end … I think.

An unplanned stop saw us going to Roppongi for the balance of the evening. Roppongi is … interesting to say the least. With the highest concentration of foreigners that I’d seen anywhere in Tokyo it well deserves its status as the International City That Does Not Sleep. A number of bars and clubs were fronted by African men – but I couldn’t figure whether that was to attract the locals or the nationals. Yes the place is most definitely seedy but that just makes it more interesting to observe or be a part of. Hey – where else am I going to find a full body Pikachu suit?!