"I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us." -- Konrad Lorenz

I'm writing about this trip, so I don't want to blow my load with details now. But today was interesting, and involved some traditional Japanese dining and a wabi sabi tea ceremony.

Yesterday we checked out of the Park Hotel and into the Mandarin Oriental. The service here is TOO good, meaning you can't piss without someone appearing out of nowhere to hand you toilet paper. I haven't opened a door for myself or hit a button to call an elevator since I got here. This was David's transitioning plan -- we stayed at a pamper-me-fancy hotel when we arrived, and now we're staying at one before we leave. In the middle, there were two pamper-me-fancy ryokans and a five-night stay at the Park, which was very nice. But it didn't have an 82-foot ceiling over a restaurant and waterfalls and a piano on an island of granite surrounded by water in the bar on the top floor.

I've taken pictures, and trust me, I will post them. I have photos from the gallery opening, Shibuya, Harajuku (where teens play rock music in the street and dancing Japanese Elvis groups compete for attention), and today's events, the ceremonies.

We're right next door to a really cool looking museum that we'll check out tomorrow before we leave for the airport.

It's funny, you know. I'm not really looking forward to going home. I was just kinda getting the hang of this place. I'm familiar with the various subway lines, the various districts, and some basic phrases that get me through the day easily. I'm addicted to the matcha tea latte at Starbucks (David wants to write the board and request that the drink be served in San Diego).

Two days after we get home we'll be driving up to L.A. for photo L.A. and two weeks after that, we fly to Boston. We'll arrive in Boston on Valentine's Day, and will dine with our friends that evening in celebration of our happy relationships.

But right now, I'm still in Tokyo. So I'm going to go enjoy it while it lasts. More pictures will appear soon, so check back if you want to see all the fun.

Domo arigato gozaimas for clicking!

-Barbarella

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