Yokohama, Japan

We arranged to meet old Japanese university class mate Go Osaki in his home turf of Yokohama, which is sort of another city, but really just part of Tokyo. The remarkable international passenger terminal for Tokyo is here.

Once again Mt Fuji makes a cheeky appearance

Below Go himself. What a dude.

Next day we got up, farewelled our friends till we meet again, got ourselves on a train and checked out of Asia. Over the past 6.2 months we sniffed a lot of the pacific rim, and we liked what we smelled. Thank you Asia, its been just lovely. And of course thankyou to everybody we've met along the way, everybody thats shown us hospitality, and everybody back home that has kept in touch with us. See you all again soon! Bring on London!

Back in Tokyo, Japan

After a day dedicated to fixing sore feet and rest after fitfull busride sleeps we began a random 18 hours that orbited midnight Dec 31st. Rollercoaster that goes 130kmh and through a building, skyscraper sightseeing, Martinis etc @ New York Club (above) on the 52nd floor of the Hyatt Hotel, beers in the backpack street walking, balloon release ceremony at a central city shrine, body squeezingly tight packed night club, 2hr train ride home while Jason drank all his alcahol in reverse all over the place. Brilliant. My camera ran outa bateries early in the night, but the insta-cam I bought is being processed in Brixton London as I write this, so looking forward to the downloads from that.

We decided to shell out for the pic, cos it included parts of us all - Dans chin (top left), Jens hands and neck (bottom right) and parts of Jason, and big bits of Megan and I. This is also about the 5th amazing photo of Megans 'what the f*ck am I doing' face since we started out trip. I should really make a montage of them.

Day 3 - Kyoto, Japan

Our last day before the overnight bus back home. Explored Imperial Palace gardens, and headed to a Zen garden we learned about in first year of design school. Always nice to see these things in the flesh.

Jason being Jolly

Bicycle Day - Kyoto, Japan

Day 2, we hired bikes to make a gang, and explored the Arashiyama area of Kyoto.

Me, some ray-ban rip offs from Thailand, something borrowed and blue from Jason, and a large helping of moss.

This view is from a silent era actors plush pad. He's dead now, but people are still allowed to come in for tea and cake ($20 later).

Pandas paradise.

A lucky plop

Higashiyama and Gion - Kyoto, Japan

This wasn't the first person we saw when we got to the Geisha district (Gion for anyone that hasnt read that Geisha book) but I'd like to have you all believe that.

Kiyomizu temple

View from the temple back over Kyoto, which nestles into a valley

Dan finally finds a word to sum him up

Bullet Train to Kyoto, Japan

Even though the bullet train is about as expensive as flying we decided it was a quintessentialy Japanese experience and not to be missed. We soared through snowy areas towards Kyoto.

Beautiful clear weather unveiled the worlds most famous mountan - Mt Fuji.
2.5hrs and a Bento box lunch later we arrived in Kyoto

Christmas - Tokyo, Japan

My runny hangover from SE Asia afflicted me for the first few days of Tokyo, and I looked to be on the mend, only to have Megans hope of a binge eating xmas dashed when she caught the bug too. It turned out better than it could have though. Megan felt well enough to sample the bits and pieces, we had gifts a plenty and a pricey homestyle xmas dinner. Even bat-down cricket on the street.

The proprietors of a fine spread. Dan and Jen had joined us at Jasons for what was to be our 4th New Year together.

Jason liked his gift from us, a lovely meat cleaver, harking back to the flatting days where he refused to slice even the smallest thing without one.

And what do you think of our xmas tree? I found the loveliest branch from a tree in Jasons outdoor bit, hacked it off, cleaned the spideywebs off, and inserted it to a roll of bubble wrap that was just there, then populated the base with gifts.

Tokyo - Japan

Tokyo, largest city in the world, most of the residents are in this photo.
Jason picked us up from the airport and we sat on the heated train seats for the 90minutes it takes to get to his styley apartment.

Skyscrapers with distinctivly 90's colour schemes and materials, harshly but beautifuly pruned trees and flocks of silverheaded, gold top sock wearing, smiling businessmen cement all the stereotypes we had firmly in our minds.

Megan, Jason and Eiko, his Japanese girlfriend, inside the imperial palace gardens what are only open to the public twice a year, we were lucky enough to be there on one of those days - the emporors birthday.

This image looks like an architectural rendering or something

The big dog Leslie, in the part of town where socks shops rule supreme and the alternative elite gather to text other people.

And just around the corner from there, a murder of rock and roll dancing elvis impersonators, using convenience store beers to enhance there twisty footwork.

Bye South East Asia! - Bangkok Airport

We will miss you

Kanchanburi, Thailand

You may have heard of the Bridge over River Kwai. This is it. Its famous because the Japs built the railway (to Myanmar) during WW2 to cut the Wests supply chain to China, and to access Myanmars oil, and because they wanted to control all of Indochina and rail was the first step. 100,000 POW's perished building it.

This, apart from Bangkok, is our last stop! Bye SE Asia, hello Tokyo!