Tokyo
Quite contrary
Japan Tokyo
Exploring Tokyo in a day and a half means finds herself thrown between extremes, from robot toilets to ancient temples
Laura Gelder
M
y toilet seems to have its own mission control panel and in my jetlagged state it’s making me anxious. I’m trying to work out how to flush and helpfully the myriad buttons have English translations to explain their use, like: “Equipment to cleansing the buttocks with warm water.” Not really what I’m looking for, although apparently, “the angle of cleansing water coming in contact with the buttocks is adjustable.” Impressive. I give up and rise from the loo, at which point it promptly flushes automatically. Wrapping my complimentary red kimono
around me, I settle into my window seat in the Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho hotel and gaze down at the city’s sparkling lights laid tantalisingly before me. Despite being hermetically sealed into a glass tower, I can sense the energy and imagine the lives of over 37 million people playing out below. It’s oddly comforting to feel a part of this human stew, though I’ll only be here for a day and a half – hardly enough time to do the world’s biggest city justice. For dinner, my colleagues and I leave our glass tower to dine down
sake barrels
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