what do you see?

Didn't do much last weekend except to go to the Immigration Office for our re-entry permits - now we can leave Japan and return as many times as we want without losing our visa. The office was a stupendously ugly, 8-floor concrete edifice, which seemed like it had come straight out of 1970s communist China or something. Actually a lot of Tokyo is stupendously ugly, but incredibly interesting and appealing nevertheless.



Anyway...we saw quite a few more foreigners than usual - mostly English soccer fans (hooligans?) I think...please let the World Cup be over soon! We had our first (and last) experience of eating octopus - very small pieces encased in some kind of batter which we bought by accident. Not too bad, but a bit too like mildly fishy rubber for my liking...also went to a couple of new areas of Tokyo - even more bizarre than ever. Took a few photos with a disposable camera - hopefully we'll be able to send some pictures or better still get them scanned and emailed around. We also visited the "Sake Information Centre" where you can try 5 kinds of sake for free, and mark down your preference on a postcard which will then be sent back to you with an indication of how good your palate is...we wait the results with bated breath. We also walked quite a long way up the (Edogawa) river on Monday evening, reaching bridge after bridge, looking up river to see...more bridges, more urban sprawl...fading to grey in the distance. But also the most bright red sunset I've ever seen - red like a traffic light in colour!



Accidentally bumped into a businessman at the station the other evening...he just made a long, low grunting sound, and then said in a strange voice "What are you doing?" (in English!) as he walked off...!


And the students keep on coming, and get no less strange...