Nippon!

The reclining seats in this Manga (lit: comics) cafe are quite relaxing.. You could go to sleep in one of these things.. And people do. It's around about 2330hr as I write this from an underground internet cafe in the heart of Tokyo's "neon" district, Shinjuku. This place is certainly a change of pace from when we were back in 'Nam (I've always wanted to say that).. The traffic is orderly, the streets are clean, the people tend to keep to themselves. Pretty much chalk and cheese really..
One of the things I've noticed and that I like the most about this country so far is that even in one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, people still find the time to welcome and say goodbye to every single person that walks in and out of their stores. Respect is one of the focal points of the Japanese culture and it shows.. I have even witnessed a "yakuza" (or gangsta-style) group bowing to each other. As another example, when people hand out flyers here they don't just shove it in your face as they do at home, instead they will announce what they're selling and then present the flyer to each person individually. It's lovely to see.
Another point I would like to make in favour of this country is that Tokyo is supposed to be one of, if not the most expensive city in the world, which is the reason why a lot of people tend to deflect their travels to other parts of Asia. To be honest, I'm not too sure what these people are talking about: it's pretty easy to find quite a big meal for under A$10 - there's a place like this on nearly every street corner, beers from the convenience store are around A$3 each, even the taxi fares aren't all that bad..
In short, I'm really enjoying my time in Japan so far.. Even if I can't understand a single sign..

Photos:
1. This Manga cafe
2. A side-street near our hostel
3. The Subway map - not confusing in the slightest
4. In Shinjuku!