And now we go to Nigel, live in the field...

J110 Friday August 10th

Hah! Internet cafes rule! I'm an internet cafe high above Akihabara, having found it after nearly an hour of searching.

I've been hanging out in Akiba for most of the day, just walking around and checking out shops. It's kind of funny, but because I can't read Japanese, and they don't sell a lot of stuff that has English language options, I really can't buy anything in Akihabara. Nerd capital of the world. Go figure.

It's still fun to walk around, though.

All the lockers filled up at the train stationb efore I got there, so I've been lugging my duffel around with me. I didn't pack super-heavy, but it is a good 15 extra pounds of weight my shoulders and back could do without hauling around. Still, I'm doing okay.

I'm not sure where to go next. I want to hit Asakusa, a big temple district, and I'd like to get out to Gainax if I can. Gainax may have to wait until tomorrow, though. I also want to hit Harajuku tomorrow.

Tonight I plan on staying at a capsule hotel. I don't have reservations for a standard hotel, nor could I afford to stay at one. I've found some good lists of capsule hotels in the Tokyo area, which I plan to use tonight. Most of them have shower facilities, which will be essential to prevent an international incident.

If this post comes across as poorly spelled, I apologize. I don't have my normal spell checker on this machine, and the whole thing is in Japanese. I'll check it when I get done.

I bought an hour here, which will probably come out to be 600 yen or more, depending on the specifics. Drinks are free, but everything else is Tokyo prices, which is to say prohibitively expensive.

I've been trying to get in touch with Brain today, to no (current) avail. I figure he's probably still at work. I'd love to bum around with him tonight and/or tomorrow.

Anyway, I know this entry isn't as polished as mine normally are, but I figured I'd do the best with the time I have. I think I've got about 35-40 more minutes to go on the clock. I need to check up on hotels in Kyoto, either an actual hotel, a capsule, or a ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn).