Amy and I go to a different foreign city every year on her birthday. Last year it was Rome; this year it will be Tokyo.
Even though I spent six years working with or affiliated with Softbank, I never managed to make it to Japan. So – this will be our first trip. Once we decided to go, I emailed Jenny Lawton and asked her to send me a typical stack of Tokyo tourist books.
She included a couple of gems, including a book by Rick Kennedy of Tokyoq called Little Adventures in Tokyo: 39 Thrills for the Urban Explorer. I’ve gobbled this one down (ignoring the several other “here’s what to see and do in Tokyo books” – I’ll leave those for Amy to look at.) Instead, I’ve learned about kohdo (incense cerimony), kyudo (archery), tea in temples, the Shinjuku Station Rush Hour, pachinko, hydroplane races, retro Tokyo, banana splits, skiing inside, miniature formula-1 racing, and a bunch of other off the beaten path things to do.
I expect this will be a weird trip.