OK, it wasn't quite like going to the moon, but BOY was this a long trip (and a strange one too!)  But I digress.  There was this time travel thing that threw us into a whole new world ...Japan, the land of the rising sun (when it's not overcast, that is ...)

Houston, The Eagle Has Landed!

(Or, if it's Tuesday, This must be Tokyo!)

Day 3 - June 13  Revised June 15, 2006

The neighborhood where our hotel is located has some cool lights and billboards ...

So we finally made it to our hotel and the room (more about that on another day).  As soon as we unpack we are to meet in a room to hook up with a student from Waseda University to take us to dinner. We are randomly sorted into groups of four Here's my dinner pals:

Left to right:

Ippei Inoue (our guide)

John Nippolt (HI)

Emery Warnock (GA)

Cody Zalk (NY)

So John asks us what we want to eat and I said some Japanese food.  John tells Ippei "Steve wants some real Japanese food."  Ippei gives us a big smile and says "OK!"

So the entire group of 100 people are walking down the street and Ippie and John turn in to a subway station.  John says something about this is going to be really sweet, and Emery and I are following along like lemmings ...  but, hey, that's why we're here!  I think, as I almost get lost trying to follow them and take pictures for all of my virtual friends ...

We pop out of the subway and suddenly find ourselves in the Times Square of Tokyo ... Shibuya!

In the middle of this area is a statue of "Hachiko", a dog that waited for his master in vain on this spot.  His master had died, yet Hachiko waited until he too passed away.  Now it is a popular meeting spot in this very busy part of town ... just TRY to take a picture here ... jeez!

OK, so this was about dinner,right?  Well, it turns our that Ippei decided that real Japanese food was a place like one of his favorite places to go; Masuda-tei, a "Monjayaki ya" style restuarant, where you cook your own food on a hibachi that is also your table. This place was three stories high, but barely wider than the entrance door.  The food was incredible and cooked in ways I've never seen. Oishii! (Delicious!)

One trick is to burn the bottom and flip it.  Another trick is to make a dam for the sauce ...

We left, fully stuffed, for less than $20 each. We got one last look at the huge crouds that cross the world's largest intersection and got lost on the subway home.  No problem, because a "salaryman" came to our rescue after figuring out we were lost.  He could even say my name from my nametag!

Here's one last photo of the gang, happy and really full, that was sent to me by Ippei today by e-mail.  Domo Arigato, Ippei!