We were all a bit confused about when Sunday stopped and Monday started… I think it was somewhere over Russia anyway!
We arrived in security to be greeted by a sign (of which I didn’t dare take a photo…) telling us that no camels or products from camels could be taken into Japan. This did not help our sleep deprived delirium but we managed to sober up enough to convince them to let us in the country!
A lovely Audley agent met us on the other side and went full blown Keith on us checking we had all the listed tickets. Fortunately we are big fans of thorough.
The taxi ride into Tokyo was a revelation… it is enormous. 30 miles from the centre and it was already completely built up. The kids managed to sleep a bit which made the rest of the day much less painful…. for them!
Our hotel is lovely. The most important factor being the highly effective air conditioning. It has been 39 degrees all day. Enough said. We managed to navigate ourselves to the recommended road for “street food” and find the scariest restaurant known to man.
Immediately it became apparent why we had gone to such lengths to learn a bit of Japanese. We scarpered in great haste… only to realise that I had left my hat behind and had to slink back to get it. We survived the meat kebabs we were eventually brave enough to buy but at least two of them remain unidentified.
Our afternoon consisted of a very hot walk, a queue and then an amazing view of Tokyo from the Tokyo Government Building’s South Observation Tower.
Our main aim was to try and stay awake until something approaching bed time. We had a little rest in the cool of the hotel before braving the humidity of Shinjuku and finding Ichiran- a ramen restaurant that would be beloved of anyone with ASD- you order your food and pay at a machine that is reminiscent of the one found in car parks. Then you state your preferences by circling options on a piece of paper.
No human interaction is necessary. Even better, you sit in individual booths facing a closed curtain to eat your selection. The perfect choice for all jet lagged parents!
Our day ended at 6.30pm when Mila, Keith and I all fell asleep while doing something else… Danny is obviously better equipped to deal with less sleep and managed to brush his teeth and get into bed before he succumbed.