Wednesday 23rd October,  26 cloudy with showers.

Another hearty breakfast at our hotel. Not my favourite hotel because you are expected to check yourself in and out, the bed is against the wall and our room is for disabled, therefore handrails everywhere. But it was only for the one night.

It's very cloudy but not raining so we walk to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building where there is an Observation floor on the 45th level. From here you could see Mt Fuji on a clear day, however there is low cloud so visibility is limited.

We walk back to Shinjuku and take the train to Shibuya. There is the famous crossing called the Shibuya Scramble Square which can be viewed from above at Starbucks on the 2nd floor. Of course you are obliged to purchase a "mocha" before taking your photos of the huge crossing where pedestrians come from six corners to cross in all directions.

It's a laugh to see the number of tourists who stop in the middle of the intersection while Instagram photos are snapped. 

We then head for Takeshita Street but when we are nearly there the rain starts. We hop from shop to shop until the rain eases briefly and get a photo of the popular hangout for the young and outlandishly dressed, then head back to the station.

Arriving back at Shinjuku there are plenty of large department stores, neon signs to entertain the Japanese and advertising everywhere.  It's a city on steroids, so much going on hitting all your sensors. I think the quiet of the shines are a necessary part of life for these people.

Back at the hotel by 3pm we are met and taken to the airport. We have a long wait in the lounge before our flight at 7.30pm.

General observation from our holiday here...

No one touches - when men greet one another they bow, when girls meet up there are giggles and excited hand gestures but no touching, hugging or kissing.

No phone calls in public areas. You are told to keep your phone on silent while travelling on public transport.  No one stands in the street talking on their phone. The phone is used by everyone but for texting and gaming only I assume.

Smoking in the streets is at a minimum, most streets and public spaces are smoke free and smoking rooms are provided in restaurants and airports.

Beer is a common drink for all, we found people drink beer on trains, and with meals we never saw anyone drunk.

No-one walks on a particular side of the foot path, it seems there may be rules in some cities but not a consistent rule for all, so it gets confusing and there's a lot of near collisions which are then followed by a lot of bowing and I assume apologising.

The Japanese are very polite,  very quiet, very clean. On that note there are no garbage bins in public spaces and everyone is encouraged to take their rubbish home, which they do.

Very little English in museums. Minimal English on signs where required and menu's are often abbreviated for the English speaking customer, not always desirable. No English TV in most Hotels unless they have CNN, then all we get is Trump v Harris needless to say it's election time in the USA.

Japan still has an unspoken hierarchy in society, interestingly you were never promoted in the Edo period you had to be born into your class. The Shogun also had a distinct hierarchy and although abolished during the Meiji restoration it is still obvious today in the home and at work.

Instagram for young girls is huge. You see a couple of girls rehearsing in public places and recording their movements ready to post.

Toilets are always bidets, some have very hot seats, some have automatic waterfall noises when the door is closed. Most flush automatically but all have been very clean. Occasionally you find squatting toilets available in public places but not commonly.

Japanese always present you with your receipt or change with two hand and bowing is usually involved as well.

Baggage forwarding from one destination to another. It was recommended we do this when using busses to travel from one destination to another. It is around $25 for a suitcase and it works very efficiently. 

Our hotels were all 3 star and very comfortable,  providing breakfast, water and amenities. There was a dehumidifier and air-conditioning in all the rooms, overall quite adequate for our holiday. The rooms were from 19 (I think smaller) to 24 sq m. This may have been the case but some bathrooms were so large it left little room for the bed. Overall hotel rooms in Japan are small.

Trains run on time, the system is easy to use however the ticket machines can be a challenge, for me anyway.  Most busses also run to a schedule and are reasonably accurate.

Packaging of anything needs improvement.  I have never seen so much over packaging. Biscuits are boxed but individually wrapped. When you purchase anything they put it into a plastic bag, when you say no, they throw the bag away!!!! We had to use plastic bags to carry shoes around a museum, when I returned them, straight into the bin. Plastic and wooden chopsticks, stirrers, knife's and forks are common. There are plastic wrapped wet wipes provided with every meal or cup of tea, so much plastic.

Tokyo is full of young people, where are the middle aged and old? It's different in other cities but Tokyo is for the young.

Taking your shoes off - not my thing and unfortunately you have to do it more often than you want. I went into the change room at UNIQLO, yes shoes off as tatami mats are on the floor. Then there are the Shrines, the Museums and the Ryokan's of course.

We flew with Japan Airlines business class and it was very comfortable. The service was great with plenty of food options. The entertainment system was not extensive but coming home we flew through the night so I tried to sleep. We feel our three week itinerary, that our tour operator Steph from "Inside Japan", enabled us to see a lot of the popular sites and experience Japan and some of the traditions which make it unique. A lovely holiday.