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Today Im a little sleepy - could have something to do with getting back to home base last night after eating Shabu Shabu Tabehoudai (All you can eat Shabu Shabu) and going for a run over to and around the Roppongi Hills tower. Was a great run though and I only got mildy lost twice!!

Sorry about the bad punctuation - I cant find the proper English punctuation on this keyboard!

Made my way over to Asakusa on the JR Yamanote line, and visited the sensouji temple. First thing to greet me were these guys running around pulling carts with people on them. You can get a two person cart drawn by a strapping young man starting at ¥1000 for a 15 minute tour around the historic Asakusa area. However I reluctantly declined and walked through the shop lined walkway, stuffed with gimcky wigs and chopsticks, to traditional biscuits and sweets. Went right up to the kaminari mon (Thunder gate). The temple itself isnt that old, the one built back in the 1600s survived the 1929 earthquake but not the WWII bombings. So as it was rebuilt in 1969, it`s elegantly reengeneered with reinforced concrete. The east gate, however, is still the original, and largely ignored by tourists, so I took a good look at that.

Afterwards I bought some traditional Japanese crackers to take home, and a pack of chopsticks too, and pretty much went straight to the subway.
In the end I was more impressed with the yasukuni shrine, it had more meaning I think and it was less tourist-tacky.

Caught the subway to Ginza, and frantically bought some rice balls and some spinach and cheese bread thing. I was ravenous!
The glistening 6 level frosted silver Apple Computer store complete with rotating apple sign was right outside the door of the exclusive mitsukoshi department store that squats right on top of the ginza subway station. Thats where I am now. Level 4 has free live seminars going all day in a theatre teaching people how to use apple software and computers. Im at the top where they have free internet access.

Anyway I`ve got a nice sweet bread sitting in my bag waiting for me so Ill get out of here. Ill try to keep out of the rain though.