khiemtran | Tokyo

Still very busy, but at least here are the first of the photos. Let's start in Tokyo...

Street scenes from Harajuku...

As a fashion destination, Harajuku doesn't mean much to me, but it was fun to walk around the crowds of people. There's an enormous amount of human energy here, and you can feel it just walking around. Lots of people out having a good time, or simply to watch and be watched. Just reading the stream of slogans on the clothing as people walked past was entertainment in itself.

Nearby Shibuya was even more crowded, but I also got to tick off one thing from my Tokyo wishlist - visiting Hachiko at Shibuya station.

Hachiko was a famous Akita dog who met his owner each day at Shibuya station on his return from work. When his owner died and failed to return one day, Hachiko continued to turn up each day at the time the same train arrived, and came to exemplify the "Gambatte" ("do your best") spirit.

And, very appropriately, to get to Shibuya station, you can ride the Hachiko bus...

These little buses are sort of like a clipped version of a "normal" bus. So, from the front, it looks just like you're getting on a full size bus, and it's only when you try to move from the front back towards the "middle" and find your way blocked by the wall of passengers sitting in the back row that you realize just how small it is.

Of course, not all Harajuku is crowded... Not far away, things were positively laid-back. Quiet streets, trendy shops...