In Tokyo...Day Two

I never know whether it should be Day One or Day Two, but I've called this post Day Two because, theoretically, I was here yesterday too. It's odd being in a place where, technically, I'm living in the future by eight hours. When I woke up this morning at 0600hrs – yes, I finally did fall asleep and I can't remember any strange dreams – I realised it was only 2200hrs on Sunday evening back home in the UK, so I'm living in the future. I'm living in a box too, and by that I mean the size of the room. At least it's not made out of cardboard.

Room 302, Act Hotel, Tokyo – it's small!

One big plus point for the hotel is the shower. It works, that's the main thing, but second to that, there's a kind of shower fitting in the ceiling measuring something like 10in x 12in and it's what I would call a proper rain shower. I switched it on and was greeted by an invigorating downpour of warm water, it was like standing in the rain during the monsoon in India. It was absolutely wonderful and such a downpour I could hardly hear myself yelping with delight at the experience. Well, alright, I wasn't yelping, I was probably saying out loud something like, "Wow! Wonderful! Excellent!" The usual stuff that might confirm to others that I'm barking mad or simply pleased by small things, which I am. Take my new Peter Storm walking shoes (I thought they were trainers, but they're walking shoes). They're brilliant: comfortable, they lace up well, they fit well, they look good, I love them and I've just taken them on a stroll around Tokyo.

I was showered and dressed by 0700 hrs and I went in search of the hotel's breakfast room, until I discovered that there wasn't one. The mild-mannered gentleman on the front desk said, simply, "Outside, outside." I'd have to go in search of breakfast and very nearly weakened and ended up in a McDonald's until I spotted a place called Precious Coffee Moments (Estd: Kobe 1933). They even had an English menu, which helped, believe me. I ordered a BLT and a black tea, no milk, and sat there listening to jazz music while watching Japanese commuters make their way to work. They've got power points and free WiFi too so my plan is to head back there very shortly to do some work, although one might question why I want to do that when I could simply stay here in the room, but being cooped up in this tiny 'cell' all morning, without access to water or tea, might prove problematic, and besides, working is something best done in a conducive environment and Precious Coffee Moments seems to me like the place to be.

Dessert at Hills Café Space, Roppongi...

Sadly, when I got to the Precious Coffee Moments café I found I couldn't access the WiFi so it was all academic, and Japan is not the sort of place where you ask for somebody's help on what could be a complex task; I just knew it would be more trouble than it was worth considering the language barrier in the café. I did, however, get some work done and then, after dropping off my lap top in the hotel, I went out in search of the Grand Hyatt, strolling off first in the wrong direction before realising that it was very close to where I'm staying. I then took a wander around the Roppongi Hills shopping complex, which demonstrated to me that however far I travel, I'm never more than a few feet away from a Zara, Adidas, Reebok outlet, not to mention (as I have already) McDonald's and Starbucks (I've found two of the latter now). There's also Armani and I've spotted Stella McCartney's name too. They're all here basically.

Lunch was the best meal of the day at Hills Café Space where I enjoyed a kind of Thai green curry with a no-alcohol beer by Suntory (and very good it was too). I finished off with a cherry cake and a Moroccan mint tea and then continued to wander about for a bit. That's what I tend to do: I wander about looking for places to eat – once the work has been done, of course, I'm not simply ambling about all day doing nothing, but let's not talk about work, this blog is all about having a good time and I enjoy ambling about, whether it's on a bike or wandering around some strange city somewhere in the world – in this case, Tokyo.

Colourful Roppongi at night...

Right now I'm back in the room considering another one of those refreshing rain showers and in the end I had one: perfect. There was work to be done and a cocktail reception to attend and the latter involved a trip to the top of the Mori Tower to check out the view of Tokyo at night. I should have taken a photograph, but there was too much in the way of reflection so I didn't bother. Later, after a quick change into jeans and a fleece, I headed off in search of something to eat. It was getting late, but that didn't stop me from wandering around trying to find the right place, which is difficult here as a lot of the places seem to exhibit photographs of their food offering, which I've always steered away from, and it's hard to walk into a restaurant with confidence because it's difficult to work out whether it's a good place or not. At the higher end of the market it's easier because there's decor and vibe and surroundings and, of course, pricing, and let's not forget that Tokyo isn't cheap. However, if, like me, you're not drinking alcohol and you're dining alone, then it's considerably cheaper than it could be. The downside of being 'the loner' is that it's very depressing, sitting on your own, playing with the mobile phone and then simply eating your food and leaving the restaurant.

I chose a place called Tango Trattoria and Restaurant and it didn't disappoint. They seated me at the bar, the only solo person in there, and I ordered pasta with bacon and peppers, which was chilli hot, along with a couple of Suntory alcohol-free beers, which, like lunch time, was very good. Desserts didn't tempt me further so I asked for the check and left. This place had a nice vibe, a pleasant, friendly and efficient waitress, decent food and a good selection of background music. I could have stayed there longer, but decided to heat back to the hotel.

On the way back I noticed how colourful Roppongi (which is a district of Tokyo) can be after dark: plenty of colourful signs and lots of hubbub – taxis picking up and dropping off, people walking in all directions, touts trying to get you to visit their bar and so on. I'm now back in the hotel and ready for what will hopefully be a good night's sleep, or at least better than last night. I was thinking this morning that Saturday and Sunday turned into one huge day without sleep. I was reminded of my late teens and the concept of FriSatSunday.

I'm amazed that I had so much wakefulness. Today should be slightly better and then the real work starts in the morning, but not before an amazing shower, easily the best I've ever experienced anywhere in the world.