Beijing to Tokyo

Here I am in Tokyo, Japan.

The transition from the airport to the hostel was the easiest yet. The airport is nice and airy and everyone's friendly and willing to help.

For some reason, Currency Exchange wouldn't take my Indian rupees and said that I wouldn't be able to change them anywhere in Japan. Is there something political between the two countries? I really have no idea.

The 71-minute train journey to Ueno gave me a chance to look through the booklet I picked up from Tourist Information. There's so much to do here, I don't know where to begin!

I followed the walking instructions on how to get to the hostel to the letter and they were absolutely spot on. The hostel (maybe I should say 'hotel') is ideal: it's well-located and provides free internet and laundry facilities. It doesn't have eating facilities, though, which could be a bit of a pain, but I'll cope.

It seems Japan is far more advanced than back home. For a start, my phone doesn't work here. They've deprecated the old GSM mobile networks in favour of 3G and, of course, I didn't stay at home long enough to collect my new 3G iPhone, dammit! At least this will force me to save money on calls and texts for a week!

First impressions? I love this place. This week will rock, that's for sure.