Well, this isn't working, as predicted. The text is way too long and I could go on much longer still, so I'm going to wind this up pretty quickly and maybe meander a bit more on a subsequent Tokyo trip discussion. For now, I'll just close with two obvious sights that we visited. The first, pictured here is the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa. This was the spiritual heart of the common folk in Tokyo for centuries, but completely destroyed in WWII. It was rebuilt faithfully and continues to serve as a giant community center. At front under the huge paper lantern are Somchai and our friend Madoka from Tokyo. Importantly, at this entrance you can pick up a rickshaw, which are manned by very goodlooking Japanese athletes who are a tourist attraction on their own. After the rickshaws and the paper lantern, you proceed down a jam-packed shopping arcade and into the almost as crowded temple. The temple has all sorts of activities going on: fortune telling, people giving offerings or burning incense, students praying for good grades, etc. It's sensory overload, like Tokyo.