The Day The Earth Stood Still

(stood still for about three minutes before we walked everywhere again!)

So it all started off with a misunderstanding at Starbucks. Yes, we know what people think about Starbucks, but the human wanted english breakfast tea (it was breakfast) and they do it! First off, she was a little embarrassed about not being able to get it (whilst the doors are automatic, on some of them you have to press a big grey blocky thing so it'll open) she ordered it, was given a little tub to put the tea bag in (a splendid idea!) and then the lady behind the counter started talking in very fast Japanese and pointing at a Christmas menu. In hindsight, I explained to Freyja that I think they were doing samples and asking if she wanted any, but I was in the bag at the time and couldn't help.

Breakfast today consisted of a chunky chocolate chip bread thing from the Family Mart down the road. We all decided that they surely wouldn't put meat in with chocolate so we should be safe. It turned out to have its own surprise - filled with yummy chocolate goo! N'yum N'yum N'yum!

A few trains later, Harajuku! I cannot decide if it is a good thing or not no such place is in Sheffield. If it was, the human would be very happy, but very poor and would stop buying things for me and SH. I shall ponder this.

Anyways, ups and downs many many many streets of excitement and wonderment and awesomeness. I think, apart from the lack of hippos, there was anything the human could ever want! She wouldn't be able to eat, but she'd have a very exciting house! She also seemed overly excited by the sock stores. Who knew someone could love socks so much? Sadly for her, but luckily for us and her bank account, it turns out her bank card doesn't work here (more on that later) so she could not buy very much at all. We walked all around with no real plan and saw a big store with King Kong on it.

We stopped at another Starbucks (sorry - there are millions of them!) as the human had arranged the possibility of meeting with the other human again today so needed to check emails and had been told that Starbucks always had wifi in Tokyo. This turned out not to be true, but it did mean we got to make a nice temporary friend who was sat next to us also trying to get wifi. After that more walking and looking at fancy things and places selling lots of exciting clothes (although not Austin's Beatles tshirt), Gumby, Carebear, Doraemon, Powerpuff girls, Nintendo, socks, presents, shoes, excitement!

Now a quick trip to Akihabara (Electric Town). It was verrryyyy preettty. And I mean that in the way those little insects get caught into those bright light insect killing machines. So many lights! So much excitement! We watched some people play some exciting games. There were lots of those games where you try to grab the prize, only in so many varieties with much more exciting prizes. Instead of trying to get something in one go, the aim seemed to be to pick something up and nudge it ever so slightly until it falls off the edge. We had to pull the human away because she gets very addicted to those types of machines and we could see something bad happening.

We went upstairs in one of the arcades to see all the exciting games and fun, only to find we couldn't get down again! We used the fire escape stairs to the second floor when the fire escape stairs had a big sign up saying no good (or something to that effect) - good thing there wasn't a fire! Then we found more stairs in the middle of the shop. I'm not sure our brains could have survived all the flashing lights had we been stuck in there forever (even if our brains are just fluffy fluff).

Then the 7-11 (this is the first part of the sad non-use of bank part of the story). We finally spotted a 7-11 which we had been told would take our bank card. It did not. Oops! We then walked around a lot of Akihabara looking at the pretty lights and for another 7-11 (just in case the first one was just moody!)

I started to get tired and Sleepy Hippo was already done for, so we took a nice train home to Ikebukuro. The human was exhausted and must have looked it, because another nice man gave up his seat for her and us and all our bags.

Back at the hotel, a discussion with the human's mother and brother formulated the plan to find a Citibank which apparently accepts all cards ever known to man kind. There is one in Ikebukuro but we didn't know where. We decided, after a nice rest, to go vaguely look for it but really explore Ikebukuro.

We mostly found restaurants and restaurants and restaurants and restaurants. Freyja says she also saw a couple of "naughty adult" stores, but why any one would want to buy a naughty human, I have no idea! We also found lots more bright lights! Then we stumbled upon what we later found out was the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Centre (a funny looking building) and we sat outside it in what seemed to be a general outdoor sitting area, and watched some teenagers make up dances. They were scarily good at all doing the same thing.

By then it was getting ready late, so we came back to the hotel and had pizza at the restaurant downstairs (Margherita pizza is hopefully vegetarian, right?) and then bed time.

Sleepy Hippo and I were worried that posting every day/every other day was too often, but we're already having complaints for being too slow! We did want to say thanks for all the comments and emails - its nice to know people are out there, reading this.

B.