Last weekend we went to the showroom of the biggest toilet producent in Japan, Toto, and tried their state-of-the-art toilets. We had great fun pushing the different buttons on the remote control for the toilet. We did not go on fire though: Pas på - Toilettet brænder!
& Japanske toiletter bryder i brand
Everything here is well.
We just spent a great weekend in Tokyo that included crazy architecture, French gourmet, Brazilian company and clubbing in the expat district, Roppongi.
In Roppongi we also visited two huge shopping complexes. One of them, the one month-old Midtown Tower has the tallest building in Tokyo Prefecture (248 m.), and the other, Roppongi Hills, is the one with the spider sculpture.
There was another Earthquake this weekend, but we did not notice it...it was probably too far away - or maybe we could not differ between what was hangovers and what was earth shaking.
Now we are back in Koriyama where the cherry trees are in full blossom and they are definitely as beautiful as expected. Unfortunately, the weather is terrible, so walking under the trees includes raincoat and gloves! Not our idea of spring.
Henrik shows the signs of a flu and is trying hard to avoid having to bear the infamous white mask.
Our program this week is rather tight, but we will try to update the blog again by the end of the week.
As the two latter days had been all about browsing we wanted to dedicate this day for typical must see places. We started in Asakusa, which used to be the "Yoshiwara" for Tokyo, the red-light district. Some how, this area of Tokyo has succeeded keeping a historical atmosphere intact. For us this place is very different from what we so far have seen in Tokyo.
The most famous tourist attraction in Asakusa, is also the most visited attraction in whole Japan: The Senso-ji Temple. 
To reach the temple we walked through three impressive gates. After the first gate, we found our selves at the Nakamise shopping street. Here is full of life from the many little shops and the many visitors on their way to the temple, believers and tourists.
In the many small shops we found endless rows of Asian souvenirs, like decorative fans, various kinds of rice crackers, samurai swords, Hello Kitty mugs, colourful kimonos, miniature ninjas and the 2-5 toed stockings. It was all a bit too overwhelming for someone finding Japanese souvenirs soo kaiwai (cute), but in the end – too much of it all. We enjoyed some freshly made ningyo-yaki (pancake batter cakes with fill of bean paste), and bought a few items before heading to the temple, leaving the rest of the shops, for the next time.
The Senso-ji temple was built to honour the goddess of Mercy, as a small golden statue picturing her, was found in a nearby river a thousand years ago. We forgot to see the statue this time, but due to the size of the temple, it must be very special.
At the temple we used all the options we could find to enhance life. 
After watching the native Japanese having their fortune told, we wanted to try for our selves. We rattled a container until a stick fell out and we matched the character written on it, with those on the drawers. 
Barbaras fortune was not very good, so she tied it to a rack, so that the wind would neutralize it.
We also wrote a wish on a wooden stick. We were told that the priest would burn it during his prayers the following morning. Lets see, where it takes us.
Finally we purified our selves, first with smoke and then with water, and entered the temple. 
We bought a shuin-cho, which is a pilgrimage book. On the front is written our last name (the small characters on the left). Inside the book, a calligrapher wrote the name of the temple. In every temple and shrine we visit from now on, we can have the place’s name written with calligraphy. Beautiful. Isn’t it? (Our Japanese teacher cant read it – so we doubt we ever can too)
Next to the temple is the Asakusa Jinja Shrine. It is quite small compared to the temple, but turned out interesting as a couple was getting married.
Afterwards we were up for something completely different, so we went to Harajuku bridge. It is not the bridge itself that makes the Harajuku bridge a must see. It is the people standing on it. Teens and young women dressed up in gothic Lolita looks or like manga figures. Why? Hmmmm. Let us know if you have the answer.
We had a rather ambiguous feeling, watching all these girls. Even though there were other tourists, we felt like the odd ones being watched…
We completed the day with an o bento hunt on the Tokyo train station…. It's a hunt, because so many places sells o bentos, and they are all different, so you want to find the best one, to enjoy on the train ride back to Koriyama.
What a day to wake up: A sunny spring like Saturday in Tokyo.
In Denmark you have a saying "If the weather is great on your birthday, it meant you have been a good girl" :-)
The day we dedicated to shopping and browsing. We never made it to half the places we wanted to go to. Tokyo is way too big. We did made it to Tokyu Hands, where we stumbled over things like CD holders that blink according to the sound in the room and tea-kettles in the shape of giraffes among the largest selection of handyman stuff we have ever seen.
For lunch, we went to Paris, as we passed a good French place. How to tell it was good? Well, there was quite a line in front of it. In Japan it seems perfectly normal, that you have to wait an hour or so to get a table at a well reputedly place.
It was all worth it. The restaurant was located on the first floor of a patisserie and decorated like a classic brasserie. For a couple of French food lovers like us, we indulged our selves in foie gras, lamb and red wine while we enjoyed the jazz-tones that filled up the room.
Celebrating your birthday in Tokyo, but feeling like in Paris is kind of neat!
After lunch we went people watching you never get tired of that in Tokyo. Just to give you an idea of the diversity of the Tokyo citizens, the guidebook lists 13 different kinds of types to look for. All types you don't seem to find any where else.
The nights restaurant hunt, resulted in a great place in the Shibuya district. We were seated in the bar with perfect view to the action of the sushi chefs. Someone ordered Fresh slices of mackerel. The chef grabbed a fishnet and went for the fish tank. Back he came with a twirling mackerel.
The mackerels friends were staring from the fish tank as the chef quickly filleted the fish. While the chef arranged the fresh sashimi, the fish was still twirling even though it was naked right to the bone, literary spoken. Now, that is fresh mackerel!
We went for something less alive, accompanied with something as great as six different kinds of Sake!
Afterwards, we took a stare at one of the karaoke palaces and said hmmm...next time...
We know it was not much of a birthday in the traditional way of gifts and cake and family get together - but that is one of the many prices you pay for living abroad, - and a little adventure in the big city is an ok drug to cover up the fact that we miss being with you all.
Very conveniently Henrik had some meetings in Tokyo Friday morning, leaving us no excuse for not celebrating Barbaras birthday with a Tokyo getaway.
We have been to Tokyo briefly during our pre-visit but due to its 12 million people, these to be found in many curious categories, there is so much to see here – with out even looking at the sight and museum lists.
Tokyo can seem as quite a big mouthful, especially for someone who should be wearing glasses but isn’t, who could get lost in Copenhagen after having lived there for 10 years and who easily get distracted by fun little details. It took Barbara less than 15 minutes to get lost…in the rain…. And less than 5 minutes more to find a Starbucks, where she thought she could get a grip of the situation.
From there, she pretty fast found her way to the Ginza area, which is the glitzy glamorous shopping district of Tokyo and where you find the Worlds top designers represented. But to find a specific shop in Ginza was more of a challenge.
Looking at the map, looking in the guidebook, trying to find landmarks, readable signs. All while it was raining. No success.
Eventually a helpful man, Mr. Makoto came to her rescue. He invited her for a cup of coffee and a sandwich at a nearby coffee place, showed her where to buy a cheap umbrella and walked her all the way to the lost shop. If that is not sign of the Japanese’s kindness. What is?
Later we met up in the local Illums. We stocked up on our Danish cutlery that have been taken of the Danish market and went to the Shibuya area. Shibuya has its contrasts. One part of it is the embassy neighbourhood filled with French restaurants etc. Another part of it is the hip youngsters paradise. 
The energy is bustling with the centre being a huge crossroad, where thousands of people cross every few minutes with their super cool hair, high heel boots, glitzy mobiles, trendy bags, miniskirts, funky suits and well dressed dogs. All the buildings are plastered with huge plasma screens, and the neighbourhood counts several Karaoke palaces, noisy Pachinko places, mobile phones sale stores, gothic jewels and clothes stores, huge music shops and endless many cafes, bars and restaurants.
Whenever we went for a stroll there, we completely lost our breath and stopped talking to each other. The environment had us enchanted.
We found a hotel, and went restaurant hunting. As you might have noticed earlier, finding a restaurant and figure out how to order can be quite a challenge.
Somehow we ended up at a really cool place and somehow we managed to let the waiter know, that he could decide what we should eat. He brought us Teriyaki Chicken, Eggs and Daikon (Japanese radish) boiled in some sort of black thing and he brought us beer and Sake. 
Normally you get a small cup, or as we have tried in Denmark and Brazil, we get a square cup made of lacquer ware and you know you should drink of it. This time the waiter first put a lacquer ware cup on the table. Then he put a glass inside it. He poured in the Sake in the glass, eventually it worked as a fountain and filled up the lacquer ware as well.
Two glasses in one. Had never seen that one before! 
We ended the nice evening at the 40th. floor of the Cerulean Tower. We had a couple of cocktails and a snack (turned out to be little dried whole fish) while staring out the huge windows giving a perfect night view over Tokyo’s endless skyline.
