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rising sun beckons Thanks to a very quiet night at work Sunday, I got a serious amount of research done on hotels in Tokyo. My method may not be the most refined, but it does seem to work for me. I find the name of a hotel on some hotel booking site, read the details and then try to find the place on a map that makes sense to me. Quite often the hotel map on the booking site will be very street level and trying to match that up with a larger city map takes some effort on my part. I know one thing for certain. I am going to choose a Western style hotel. Yes, some people might say that I am missing out on part of the Japanese experience, but sometimes I like something to remain the same in my life. I like sleeping on a Western style bed and having a bathroom that is not shared by others. Ever so slowly I am forming a mental map of Tokyo in my head. Most of the guidebooks that I have read divide the city into three sections: Northern, Central and Western. Each of them has their own merits and attractions. Last year I had it easy with Ireland and Scotland. Relatively speaking there was no language barrier to hamper me while I was there. Oh, there was the occasional strong accent, but I could read all of the street signs and restaurant menus. I suspect that that will not be the case in Japan. My hope is that younger people will be willing to speak English if I have any problems while I am there, although I have read some reviews of hotels where people said that no English was spoken. ... The weather forecast had predicted rain for today, but if any ever fell I never saw it. It was overcast when I fell asleep and then when I woke up some hours later this afternoon, the sun was shining as bright as ever. Personally I love when it rains during the day because it helps me sleep. Plus my lawn is about four different shades of yellow brown. |