Whoo hoo!

Just got upgraded at the Hilton to a massive room with free breakfast. Gonna splurge and get me some room service.

Found them!

And I've got a spare pair for one lucky chair owner, let me know if you want/need them. The sun came out today so I set out with camera and without umbrella. The Gion festival parade took place this morning but by the time I got uptown all red and sweaty it was already over. Then there was a thunder storm. Food today included 'mini hot-dog' and 'banana-chocco pancake'. Off to meet my friend Kazushi for dinner, hope it's chips…

Mos Burger

In answer to Reenie's question, Mos Burger is like McDonalds but better…slightly…a bit. The branch I went to today was staffed entirely by elderly ladies, one of which was having a bit of trouble with the stairs. They were very sweet and looked hip in their Mos visors. I tried to do the Mr Spicy (hot dog) quiz on my place mat but I fell at the first kanji, it was probably aimed at five year-olds. It was oishikatta (delicious) but the coke was a bit dubious even if it was in a real glass.

I couldn't find a Mr Donut today so I branched out into Doughnut Planet for a cup of coffee. Managed to find a seat outside, in the shade, with a breeze. Luxury! The heat is getting to me, I have feet like barrage balloons and fingers like Wall's sausages (uncooked). My hair looks like it did when I was ten and anti-frizz serums hadn't occurred to John Frieda yet and my eyelids crunch with salt every time I blink. Had to retreat to my hotel room with pot noodles and crisps again but I might see if a shower and a quick rest can revive me. It's unlikely though, I've been up since five this morning and it's nearly seven thirty now so I've seen the sun rise and set today. I might just see what's cooking on the telly but if there's girls under the age of twenty-one on it I'm going to have to mute them. ‘Night.

Love the Stuff

Ah Daiso! 5 floors of pound-shopper's heaven but make that 80p. Took the Yamanote line this morning which is like the Circle line but overground and with aircon. I might just go and sit on it for the rest of the day, it's sunny out and hotter than a MacBook Pro.

Arrived in Harajuku before the shops had opened so I had a stroll around and was a sweaty mess by the time the temple Daiso opened. Worth it though, I got a bag full of super-useful tat. Reenie: I got you a 'ranchi bokusu' that you'll be able to fit a whole tomato into, providing you slice it first. I'm still hunting for the chair socks that I saw last time and have been kicking myself ever since for not buying. They were like little dog-booties to stop you scuffing your floors but I liked the idea that you could prevent your chair-legs from getting chilly.

Anyway Mos Burger calls, I have to walk through an underground 'city' to get to the station, it's slightly less humid than the street though. Mmmm, chilli-dog.

Tokyo Park Hotel

I've arrived in one piece. Have a room on the 34th floor with an amazing view of the city and train tracks, great for watching the bullet trains come and go. The weather's awful, grey and drizzly and so humid my clothes were sticking to me after a 10 minute walk. I was too tired to go anywhere for lunch so I came back to my room via the local konbini and bought snacks instead. Had a shower and now I'm watching daytime terebi. The only English language channel is the oh-so-serious BBC World so I've been flicking away and I'm sure the women's voices get squeakier as the channel numbers get higher. I watched a cooking programme where they made 'creamy spaghetti' with mayonnaise and a yellow barf-like concoction. Then I'm certain that the pretty-boy chef (who was wearing eyeliner) added mint sauce and stirred it all together in an ice-filled bain-marie. Top tips for us Europeans, we've clearly been doing it wrong all this time.

Desperately trying to stay awake for another couple of hours since it's only 5pm but I'm lagging badly. Laters.