We've arrived

I think it's fair to say that first impressions of Japan are somewhat underwhelming. 

From the air, it was everything we'd been promised - even at 5000 feet the sense of order was clear. Even the fields we flew over were unusually rectangular.

On landing, however, we are met by brown and beige featureless buildings. Yes, immigration is very efficient and the toilets offer to bidet you (if that isn't a verb, it should be in Japan - more on that later) but everything feels like it is from the 1980s or earlier. It feels like a less dirty Hong Kong. The monorail and train whisk us into central Tokyo with smooth and silent efficiency. But the seats are covered with lace doilies and there are curtains in the "tube" train's windows.  How long would they last in London, we wonder?!

It is somewhat overcast, so we take a taxi from the final metro stop. It's efficient and the driver is polite to a fault. But again, it's all rather dated and his sat nav is so old it looks like a toy.

We check into our hotel. The views are limitless (photo above) but the room is somewhat limited (photo below).

Apparently this is a spacious room by Japanese standards...

Time to go and poke around the locale!