Japan 2006 Days 9 & 10: Lost in Translation

Tokyo! What a fitting finale to bring this blog to a close. If one had to distill Japan down into one image, one final picture to sum up everthing that makes this country so unique, I'd cast my vote for the blazing neon lights of the Shibuya crossing. Reputedly the busiest intersection in the world, the famous crossroads just outside the Shibuya train station is a magnificent kaleidoscope of neon signs, giant video screens, screaming j-pop tracks and a vast throng of Tokyo's youngest, hippest citizens, all rushing to be somewhere important five minutes ago.

But before we get to Shibuya, a few shots to set the scene. First port of call on our whirlwind tour of the mega-metropolis of Tokyo was Shinjuku - the business and financial district. Here Rock admires the distinctive architecture of the monolithic twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.

More architectural appreciation from Shinjuku, this shot looking straight up in the NS Building, a unique hollow skyscraper. The skybridge spans the vast atrium, while glass elevators give panoramic views of Shinjuku as they whisk viewers to the upper floors.

Nope, this isn't a freeze frame from Lost in Translation. Here we are, about to... well cross... the famous Shibuya crossing. With the rain falling heavily, the neon glare dances across the slick pavement, while the crowd of humanity merges into one seething mass under the countless black umbrellas.

Rock - having struggled in vain to find the camera's manual exposure settings - has to settle for a more rudimentary method for trying to capture the frenetic blur of motion that is Tokyo...

But all good things come to an end. After 10 awesome days in the land of the rising sun, it's time to sign off. Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and make sure you sign in again later on this year for a whole new set of adventures in Southern China. As the ads say... Shinkansen tickets to Tokyo, 16,000 yen... yakitori in a sidesteet in Kyoto, 3000 yen... ryokan in Kamikochi, 109,000 yen... standing under the neon lights on a rainy night in Shibuya, priceless... There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there's Mei's bank account ;)

Sayonara.