Tokyo, I Am In You (Briefly) etc.

Well, here we are for real, bringing you real-time blogging from the world's most populated city! As expected, the flight was INTERMINABLE, even though I got lucky all the way through - early into Heathrow, didn't have to go through security again, no-one in the middle seat of the row on the transatlantic leg, early into Narita, no problems with immigration and uncharacteristically delayed N'EX from Narita to Shinjuku which meant I only had to wait three minutes.
Nothing exciting to report from the flights except that I got to observe a highly efficient Japanese mother in action with her two kids for the whole journey, and Benjamin Franklin on the Manchester leg was an absolute sweetie. (It's the best name for a flight attendant ever)!
Once in Tokyo, I dumped my bags at the hotel, then went for a totally unmapped and unplanned walk round the immediate neighbourhood - and guess what, I managed to not get lost, despite coming back to the hotel from a completely different direction and being unable to actually see it. Had a great chat with an Australian couple in the lobby while I waited for check-in time, then got into my room and a long-awaited shower. After that I accidentally nodded off while reading a book and VERY NEARLY missed meeting up with Anna in the lobby at 6pm. Luckily we were BOTH running late or that could have been highly embarrassing. A quick trip out for chat, coffee and a ham sando were a very pleasant way to round off my day - I am so happy that we were able to meet after all - Anna';s schedule is always so hectic :)
What else... oh yes, I have a SUICA card in hand for when I return to Tokyo (the Tokyo version of an Oyster card), and I have also booked my onward train to Matsumoto at 7am (yes really) tomorrow. After checking out the castle I am hopping onto a bus for Takayama, where I'll be staying a couple of nights at the Takayama Ouan hotel. That's the PLAN, anyway, so I'll be falling into bed soon.
I've been posting pics to Instagram (and by the magic of auto-crossposting, to Twitter and Facebook too), but for anyone who missed it, I'll do a digest of today's pics here. I may not be able to Instagram every day as it depends on wireless access, but I will surely upload at the end of the days to Twitpic and here, at least.
So, now I'm sitting here in the Sunroute Plaza Hotel, Shinjuku, still feeling a bit jetlagged and suffering from a sense of unreality about being in Japan. Though if I were ever in doubt I only have to look at the wonder of technology that is the toilet, or the unidentifiable fruit drink from a vending machine which is sitting next to my laptop. It suffers from the worst description in English, but I still bought it.

Way to make a drink sound as unappealing as possible, and also, they're funny looking kiwis.
And that's it for today - here's today's photo haul for anyone who missed it:

• Breakfast of Champions, on the flight from Manchester to Heathrow
• Clouds over London
• Heathrow Terminal 5
• Uh... Alex who now?
• My Plane to Narita
• Over the Baltic Sea
• Hello Tokyo Narita
• On the N'EX
• Rural Views
• In Suburbia
• Urbania
• Tokyo Sky Tree
• Passing Stations
• Shinjuku - Maynds Tower
• Hotel Room and Again (Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku)
• Washlet Toilets
• Hotel at Night
• Shinjuku at Night

Oh yeah, and today's theme song is Japan's LIFE IN TOKYO, because... well.