THE DAY i DiSCOVERED THE MEiJi SHRiNE

After days of hitting the pavement in job search mode I decided to take a day off relax and discover. I decided to just walk, not expect anything. Just walk and let chance take the wheel...

I walked for a while and soon found myself surrounded by tall trees and standing in front of a huge "Torii" (a traditional Japanese gate found at the entry to a Shinto shrine).

This was the last thing I would have expected to discover while just outside the centre of Tokyo! I had stumbled across the Meiji Shrine. It was quite the sight amongst the one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

The Shrine is dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife. I walked through the park, the size of this place is indescribable. I soon found myself in the main courtyard of the Shrine itself.

Surrounded by the walls of the shrine and the temple buildings. I had the incredible timing to witness a traditionally dressed Shinto Wedding Party walk through the temple court yard. Like a welcoming gift the wedding party paraded past.

Other Guide Book Worshipping Tourists snapped photos. I became slightly angry, this wasn't a tourist attraction, this was someone's wedding - have some respect.

The shrine and park grounds are extremely well maintained. The Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 700,000 square-meters (about 175 acres). The forest contains 120,000 trees of 365 different species all donated when the shrine was established.

I took my time walking around the gardens, sat on the grass and recharged my batteries. Sitting in the middle of this oasis you forget that you're in the centre of this modern day metropolis. A true contrast between the bustle of the city and the wind through the leaves of the shrine.

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1 iN 6.6 BiLLiON

Tokyo makes you think... in the scale of things I am but one person in a world of billions.

As I sit here and sip my Starbucks Chocolate Mocha looking at the Hachiko Crossing which is in front of the Shibuya Station. This station alone sees 2.4 million people on an average weekday.

Or that the world's second largest train station Shinjuku Station sees over 3.5 million people a day. You can't help but feel like a tiny speck in the universe. What impact will my life have on the world?

I think about all of the people I have met in my twenty something years of existence. How many of those people did I really get to know? Would half of them even remember my name if I saw them today on the street?

In my entire lifetime will I even meet a quarter of a million people? All of the people walking past me now, they have their own family, in-laws, work colleagues, a circle of friends. They are the centre of their own world.

The idea of fate, destiny and the law of attraction seems to make more sense when you're staring at half a million people dodging each other in a crowd. Six degrees of separation says that everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth...

If I disappeared right now, would anyone even notice? If each of those people gave me one yen I'd be a millionaire in a day. We are all consumers, brain washed by advertising. Working jobs we hate to pay for crap we don't need...

HOTEL HUNT

Japan is expensive, a normal motel room in Oz about $80.00 a night, in Japan about $250.00 a night... ouch!

But there is a solution The almighty Capsule Hotel, to explain it simply - its basically a plastic box in which you sleep in, with 400 drunk Japanese business men who missed the last train home. They are of course contained in their own plastic boxes and you do of course have a pull down wooden blind for your see-through piracy. These were attractively priced at about $30.00 a night.

After a little asking around we soon got directions to the nearest Capsule Hotel. Shannon didn't speak any Japanese when asking the locals for directions. I found this a little odd, seeing he has lived here for quite sometime and his wife is Japanese. One of my concerns before leaving Australia was the fact that I didn't speak the language. Shannon was quick to brush off that concern saying that most people speak English. Almost everyone he asked, didn't...

We asked another random Japanese person on the street, they seemed to be a little more helpful. He even drew a map. We walked off and he then ran after us telling us to go the other way.

We checked me into the Shinjuku Green Plaza Capsule Hotel, there was some confusion with yet another non-English speaking local. Shannon quickly resolved this by calling his wife and having her translate. So much for everyone speaking English!!!

With my bags dropped off we hit the streets. We grabbed a beer from a convenience store (which defies all laws and logic back home). With a cheers and my first taste of Japanese beer Shannon again welcomed me to Japan. He said he was really looking forward to having an Aussie mate here to hang out with.

This set off alarm bells, were these Shannon's true motives? Had I been played? Had I been led 13,000 kilometres from home because Shannon was lonely? How could I have not seen this? I know when people have hidden agendas or aren't showing their true face. I put these thoughts on the back burner and kept walking.

Right next to Shinjuku is well the Red Light District... We were soon approached by a short heavily made up Japanese girl. Who said, what I believe to be "Let's have Sex!" this was much to my surprise! Shannon and I had a good laugh, Shannon even walked back to ask her how much. Not even in the country a day and having women throw themselves at me. Of course there would have been a price to pay.

Shannon got the last train back out to where he lived, which is about a 40 minute train ride west of Shinjuku. I bid him a good night and returned the to Capsule Hotel.

SHiBUYA & SHiNJUKU

Shibuya - this was more like it. The crowd was now comprised of young fresh youthful faces. A lot of girls in school uniforms, just like a scene straight from anime. Again I explored.

I was to meet Shannon at 3.30pm at Shinjuku Station. A few stops on the central line which loops around central Tokyo. Shannon's instructions were to meet under "the Big TV Screen"... from what I've read about Shinjuku that might be harder than it sounds.

Shinjuku was the Japan you see in the movies. High raise buildings, with neon advertising on every surface. Movies like Blade Runner were based on the ideals of Shinjuku.

Now Shannon gave poor directions... Shinjuku had at least four different exits. None of which you see a large TV screen until you had well... exited. So I rang him on his mother-in-law's borrowed mobile phone. He said it was the West Exit, problem solved.

It was great to see Shannon again. Travelling is always better if you have someone from home to share it with. Now to find a hotel...

TOKYO FiRST iMPRESSiONS

Nothing could have prepared me for Tokyo. Something I had read came screaming to the forefront of my mind. The whole twenty-one million people who call Australia home can fit into Tokyo and then some. Let me rephrase that for emphasis:

"The entire population of my home country can fit into Tokyo!"

As the train doors opened on Central Station I was thrown into a world of crazed Japanese people all power walking, on a mission to get where they are going. Everyone was so focused on the steps in front of them. A world of blank faces, formal attire, leather briefcases, polished shoes.

Escaping Central was my mission. Everything was clearly labelled, like it had been designed with foreign travellers in mind. I soon located a locker large enough for my thirty kilogram suitcase.

The frosty post-winter air greeted me as I walked outside. It was a cold, overcast morning in Tokyo. This appeared to be the business district. Surrounded by high raise office buildings for large companies turning over billion of yen every year. Extremely well maintained tar road ways and yet more Japanese business men. I began to explore.

I didn't know it yet but I had began phase one of culture shock: The Honey Moon period, I was in ore of my new surroundings.

I walked around for about an hour, with no goal, plan or mission. Just to explore, I have always found the best things to happen when you don't plan or set limitations on yourself. Walk around a corner to find something amazing, a lost temple, an abandoned house.

I soon came to the decision that this was a business district full stop, no retail, no stores nothing really of interest. I decided to head to Shibuya which is about five stops from Central.