Day 5 - The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

With the intention to go to Ginza, I went to Shinjuku instead, deciding I couldn't be bothered with any train-changing, and after browsing the shops for a while, decided to head back to my hotel ... until ...

Walking back home, I came across a street map (The "You Are Here" kind), and noticed there was an area called "Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden", and thought it might be a nice quiet place where I could sit for a spell before returning to my hotel.

When I arrived, I discovered there was an entry fee ... but given that it was only $2, I thought it was well worth the price.  I mean, $2 for this place, when Sydney's Chinese Garden of Friendship is about the same price for considerably less space!  (144acres vs ... about a few hundred metres ... if that?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyoen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship

It was kids day, so there were many families there, which was fine by me, as the place is incredibly spacious, with a few restrooms and vending machines strategically placed around the borders of the garden.

It was also there that I learnt that my new Pentax Pentio80 has a limited recording capacity with in "movie mode", and even though the instructions say to hold down the button for as long as you want it to record, that doesn't work.

On the whole, I think I like Shinjuku much more than I like (what little I've experienced of) Akihabara.

Day 3 - Shinkansen

Got the JR Metro from Shinanomachi Eki (Eki = train station) to Tokyo (actually went in the wrong direction, got off at Akihabara, only to find a young American who is here for a year who needed directions - he was told that both exits to the train station were the East exit ... luckily I had my phrase book with me and looked up the word ... higashi.  And he went on his way.

I got back on a train to Tokyo, then hopped the Shinkansen to Osaka, but got off at Kyoto ... (I thought Kyoto was further away than Osaka, but the Kyoto stop was before Osaka??)

On the train there were two men talking, and I asked about seating - on the Shinkansen someone with a non-reserved seat can sit anywhere they please, but only on cars 1-5.

Anyway, I got off the train, walked around the block, did some gift shopping at ... was it "GRAND SHOP"? at the Kyoto station, then came back to Tokyo.

Had to catch a connecting train from ... Ochamizu???  to Shinanomachi ... stopped at a convenience store on the way and got a chocolate almond ice cream that was lovely - I think it's the same brand of ice cream I bought when I was in Hawaii.

That is all from me for today.