Arriving in Tokyo I was already so used to seeing and hearing Chinese that Japanese looked and sounded strangely familiar - could it be that I am less lost in translation here than there?  My hotel has a heated toilet seat, the skyline is a mass of neon shining off the wet ground that would make the Cinematographer of Bladerunner call for additional film, and young girls are queuing around the block to shop in a H&M store in Ginza, but after a Japanese pancake, some sake and a walk around the mad colourful shopping district I have my arigato nod just so.  Tokyo starts properly tomorrow.