First Night Out in Tokyo

After returning from dinner on Tuesday evening, Monica and I headed down to the lobby bar where the young female bartender literally spent 5 minutes preparing my martini, against a backdrop of stunning Tokyo skyline. After handing us our drinks, she then stood there watching us to see if we were satisfied. Now that's the famous Japanese service!

We then headed out for a stroll around Tokyo. The lights, crowds, and energy reminded us that we were in one of the largest, most vibrant cities in the world. Our exposition included a brief foray into the reportedly seedy Kabukicho district. Although there were a few questionable establishments, we found it to be clean, safe, and populated with a majority of legitimate restaurants and shops and the streets to be filled with all manner of people, including children. While nothing compared to China, there were a few hawkers; curiously, mostly of Jamaican descent, it appeared.

We ducked into a small pub/restaurant (small, as in two tables) run by a husband and wife who spoke no English. We had a beer and some fried "yams" wrapped in seaweed (there is no way these were yams), and she took our picture out front (above). As we walked back to our hotel at around 11 it appeared by the crowds that things were just getting started in Tokyo.