Roppongi Hills

At the end of September, we all went to Roppongi Hills, a new area of Tokyo which is supposed to represent a new age of urban living. The building at Roppongi Hills are supposed to integrate both business and non-business life into one nice and easy to swallow package. It is certainly impressive but the one drawback that most people will have is finding the money to live there.

We decided to go there to admire the views from the top floor and to walk around the Mori Art Museum. As soon as we arrived, it was obviously the place is not typical Tokyo. There was a lot of wide open space and there were no cars or bicycles to avoid as we walked around. Tokyo can sometimes feel a bit claustrophobic at times so I quite enjoyed the spacious open areas of Roppongi Hills and the opportunity to amble around without constantly having to change my tack. As you can see, Clara was pretty interested and was snapping away at every opportunity.

One odd thing for me was the smell of hamburgers wafting around the lower levels - actually quite a pleasant smell which reminded me of queuing at Abdul's snack van for a cheap hamburger laced with vinegary sauce in Somerled Square, Portree.

We headed straight up to the 54th floor to sample the views from Mori Tower. As it was raining earlier in the day, the crowds were light and it was a nice change not to have to queue anywhere. The views from the top were impressive and the sprawl of Tokyo spread into the far distance.We visited to Mori Art Museum and also the aquarium, but they both disappointed. The views from the top were certainly the highlight of the visit. After descending (alarmingly quickly) in the express lift, we sat outside and watched the world go by for half an hour. Clara and Yuki ate some Hokkaido ice cream while I chilled out with a nice cold Sapporo beer. After that, it was time to head home for a relaxing night at home. It was good to do something different on the weekend as I am often guilty of hanging around the house and achieving very little before Monday morning comes around again.

It did come back

My lost iPhone actually did come back. It was handed in to a lost & found office in central Tokyo a couple of weeks ago. Japan is quite famous for the regularity in which lost items find their way back to the original owner. I would not make the mistake of making a sweeping statement saying that Japanese people are more honest than others, as in many ways they are not. However, when it comes to getting lost property back, I'd rather lose my phone in Japan than in Scotland. Now I have a spare iPhone which might prove handy next time I fall asleep in a taxi and lose all my worldly goods.