Douglas Johnson (official web site)

TRAVELS

MY FAVORITES

SITE MAP

CALIFORNIA

CHINA

GERMANY

JAPAN

Day One

Mt Fuji

Tokyo

Yokohama

Please enjoy the following photos and feel free to share this web site URL with your friends and family.

Typical Airport Limo Stand at Narita Airport (also known as Tokyo Airport)

The fare to travel from the airport to the hotel in downtown Tokyo was 3,000 yen. appox $30 USD. This was a 90 minute bus ride since Narita is south of Tokyo and the weather was a bit rainy at times. My limo stand number was 17 but there was no limo at the time I shot this photo.

Hotel Bathroom (very small but functional and clean. appox 4' x 5'- 6")

Yes small but functional. We Westerners could learn a thing or two about craftsmanship from the Japanese. Much better workmanship than most hotels in the US and Canada. Notice the full-size shampoo, conditioner, and body soap dispensers in the tub area? There was even a special toilet seat with an automatic deodorizer and water washing system. I won't explain the water washing but you can imagine it tickled a bit. ;-)

Hotel Room (yes. Just a bit larger than the bathroom)

Typical room at this hotel. Flat panel TV; only two English speaking stations - CNN and BBN; a really cool lighting system controlled from the wall switches and the bedside clock control center. The bedding included a fitted bottom sheet but no top sheet. The duvet cover was used as a sheet and cover changed daily and very comfortable.

Tokyo Day Scene from Hotel Room (a view to the left - note building w/round top)

During the day the air was rather clear. Not much smog as one would expect.

Tokyo Night Scene from Hotel Room (a view to the right - note building w/round top)

Nighttime was beautiful. The photo doesn't do the view justice. You had to be there.

Tokyo City Scene (Japanese for sure but with Western influence. Note McDonalds & KFC)

Western influence in Tokyo is noticeable. In Tokyo you will find McDonalds, KFC (see Colonel Sanders in the far back of the photo), AMPM's, and yes Starbucks among the many Western style businesses. Most of the shops also played American music from Top40 to some RAP. A surprise to me that all the music was in English.

Tokyo City Scene (bicycles everywhere and most were not locked up)

Amazing. Nearly every major city block has groups of bicycles. On some blocks the rows of bicycles stretched the entire length. Something equally surprising is very few bicycles were locked up. If this was in any major US city the unlocked bicycles would be gone the next day or sooner.