First days in Japan

No cycling yet but plenty of walking (and eating)

Chris and I are usually blessed when it comes to weather for cycling. Not so on this trip. Our planned one-day bike tour of Tokyo city was cancelled due to rain on our first day here. And then it rained again the day we hoped to hire bikes to cycle around Lake Kawaguchiko (near Mt Fuji).

So, we have been doing lots of walking. (And we’re thankful we followed advice to pack umbrellas.)

Thanks to the wonderfully efficient subway system, we found it easy to get around Tokyo. We started slow, only venturing as far as the centrally located Tsukiji Market and the Imperial Palace East National Gardens on our first (wet) day. But over the next few (dry) days we used the subway to dip in and out of different parts of the city, creating our own version of the bike tour that wasn't.

Tsukiji is the site of Tokyo's old fish market (now moved to modern premises in nearby Toyosu). But it still hosts lots of fresh fish stalls, as well as many small eateries and other shops down a series of narrow alleyways. We enjoyed the bustling atmosphere and seeing all the different fish for sale. But it gets very crowded so it was nice to escape to the relative calm of the East National Gardens.

Days two and three were full days in Tokyo, starting with a visit to digital art museum, teamLab Borderless. It's an amazing place and the highlight of our trip so far.

The idea is that it’s a place without borders so you are free to roam around the different rooms, some of which have installations that move from room to room with you, and others that are hidden down dark corridors waiting for you to find them. It's all constantly changing and every installation is mesmerising.

Use of smell (floral scent in the room full of blossoming digital flowers), temperature (alternating hot and cold to reflect the changing mood of another exhibit) and mirrors (on walls, floors and ceilings) all enhance the experience. In one area, you're encouraged to draw your own fish with crayons, which is then scanned and is soon moving about the digital aquarium surrounding you.

The experience extends to the teahouse, where a digital flower blooms in your teacup, sending brightly coloured petals around the table when you move it.

We were so impressed with teamLab Borderless that we immediately booked tickets for teamLab Planets the following evening. This offers a more structured experience that takes you through a series of exhibits in two main areas - the Water Room and the Garden. While we enjoyed it, it felt much more crowded and we thought teamLab Borderless was the better experience.

For the rest of our time in Tokyo we enjoyed checking out different places - from the well-heeled areas of Azabudai Hills and Roppongi, full of pricey boutiques and tempting pastries, to the more lively Shinjuku, home to bars, eateries, electronic stores, cheap consumer goods - and Godzilla.

At Shibuya, we added to the crazy Sunday afternoon crowd checking out (and trying out) the Shibuya Scramble - the world's busiest pedestrian crossing. We amused ourselves by joining in and making the crossing several times. But the group zooming through in go-karts wearing onesies looked like they were having the most fun.

Then there was the young creative vibe (and big brand shopping) at Harajuku, walking around parks and gardens in the steamy heat of a 29 degree day at Meiji Shrine and Ueno Park, and (Chris) taking photos of Tokyo Tower from nearly every angle.

We discovered a Lamborghini showroom and a Ferrari showroom just around the corner from our hotel. And the street they were on seems to attract a different class of boy racer to what we're used to. Forget your Nissan Skylines and Subaru Imprezas - these guys were revving up in Corvettes and Maseratis.

We saw few cyclists on the road in Tokyo - most use the footpaths, which seem to be shared paths. The wider paths had clearly marked white lines encouraging cyclists to ride on one side and pedestrians to walk on the other. Bikes came in all shapes and sizes and were clearly designed for transport (kitted out with baskets, boxes and child carriers) rather than recreation.

There were places to hire bikes all over Fujikawaguchiko and we did see some hardy souls braving the constant rain and drizzle. We took to our feet instead and enjoyed a lazy walk half way around the lake and back again, as well as (Chris) taking lots of photos of spiders.

Mount Fuji was hidden in a mass of grey clouds for most of our stay and we despaired of ever seeing it. But I woke up to Chris banging around the room at 5.45am this morning because the skies finally cleared for an almost perfect view. (It was gone again a few hours later.)

Today was a travel day (one bus, two trains), taking us through to Hiroshima. I was a bit anxious about connections (with only 20 minutes between services) but it all went smoothly - and quickly on the shinkansen (bullet trains). It helped that we had sent on our main bags from Tokyo (rather than taking them to Fujikawaguchiko), which is a fantastic service and standard practice here. Apparently only foreigners insist on lugging heavy bags around with them on public transport.

We have been eating very well - food is cheap, plentiful and delicious. So far, we've sampled ramen, tempura, hoto noodles (a Fujikawaguchiko specialty), okonomiyaki (a savoury noodle pancake with seafood and vegetables), fresh sushi and lots of tasty breakfast dishes. Then there’s the sweet treats like daifuku (glutinous rice paste with a sweet filling) and dorayaki (little pancakes sandwiched with bean paste). There is no way we will go hungry.