This is the inside of the Kabuki-za from the nosebleed seats where they put the people with single act tickets. We actually saw two acts (from two different plays, and in two different Kabuki styles). Luckily, there were special headphones available playing an English language translation of the play so we could follow along. Teri really enjoyed Kabuki very much.
After the play we stopped by the seven floors of Sony consumer electronics in the Sony building. Allyn got to see and handle an F-828 camera for the first time. The F-828 sounded like it was going to be an exceptional camera when it was first announced but Sony had some problems with it and it came out much later than originally expected.
Ginza at night is another amazing array of lights and neon. It was very crowded here with people walking everywhere.
We stopped by the famous Akihabara electronics district to see what all the fuss was about. We saw store after store with consumer electronics and appliances, and most stores were seven or eight floors tall. There were no surprises noticed in the area of digital cameras, they seemed to be the exact same models as in the United States. And the prices were much higher than in the United States, sometimes by as much as 50%. Needless to say we didn't buy any electronics.
Teri checks out a fancy refrigerator. Everything is smaller in Japan.
Another example of all of the electronics. These are electronic translators.
Day 8: Tokyo. (Days 6 and 7, spent at the Tokyo Disney Resort, are in part 2 of this travel report. Day 8 is included with Days 1-5 to keep all of Tokyo in part 1). We were exhausted from our two days at Disney. Early mornings and late nights on both days. So we spent a lazy morning at the hotel sleeping in. We hadn't had a chance to visit the hotel's 400-year old Japanese garden. It was very beautiful, with ponds, waterfalls, bridges, koi, etc. By this time it was afternoon and we were hungry. We ate at a teppanyaki restaurant (like Benihana where the chef cooks in front of you) right in the hotel's garden. The building was circular.
There was a circular counter with grills around the inside of the restaurant. Each diner was outfitted with an apron.
We had the Japanese beef (which cost quite a bit more than the American beef).