Back home from Tokyo…

I arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon from my four week trip to Singapore and Tokyo. It was good to get back to HK – “home” (I picked up my resident ID card today which proves it!) for the final 6 weeks of my attachment… how the time flies! I’m back in the same apartment, I’m at the same desk at work - so in some ways it feels as if I’ve never been away.

I’ve really enjoyed having the chance to explore other parts of Asia (and my exploration isn’t over yet!). It’s fascinating to see how different the various parts of the region are – to see the impact of colonisation and then independence in Malaysia and Singapore; the opposite for Japan – which has maintained its independence for over a thousand years (although is increasingly being impacted by globalisation and westernisation); and the transition from colony to SAR for Hong Kong.

As promised, here’s what I got up to on my last full day in Tokyo. I started off in the Ueno area (to the north of the city centre) where there’s a beautiful park and many of the national museums. Saigō Takamori and his Satsuma Rebellion (conjures up a lovely picture of a food fight) was the basis for the Tom Cruise movie, the Last Samurai. Despite rebelling, he was still highly regarded and was recognised with this statue - although not in military uniform – but walking his dog… The full size model of the blue whale is at the National Museum of Science and Nature and the Rodin sculptures are at the National Museum of Western Art.





After my cultural exploits, and before heading back to the hotel to pack, I took the 40 minute river bus from Asakusa to Hinode – which gave me some very different views of the city. Of all the places on my itinerary I was least looking forward to Tokyo – but I enjoyed it much more than I expected…