Tokyo    

Perched on the top lookout of the Tokyo Tower, you can't hear the bustling traffic over 800 feet below.  The everyday sounds of the metropolis underneath you seem unrealistically absent.  You brace yourself for the overpowering 360-degree panoramic view of Asia's gateway city.  The complex urban landscape of Japanese skyscrapers, temples, freeways, ports and parks seems to extend forever. The ominous Mt. Fuji looms in the distance.

Tokyo, home to more than 21 million people, has unlimited theaters, museums, art galleries and special exhibitions.  Why there's even a full scale Disneyland within the city limits!  Not to be missed are the Tokyo National Museum, the Shinjuku National Garden, the Japanese Sword Museum, the Ginza shopping district and the Kannon Temple Complex.

The latter is our first stop in the historic Asakusa district.  The discovery of a small statue of a Buddist goddess Kannon in the Sumida River here in 628 was the beginning of what is now a gigantic religious center.  The Sensoji temple, built over a period of 1000 years, stands accompanied by four smaller, red lacquered temples and a towering five-story pagoda.  Fragrant incense burns everywhere, cleansing the faithful who have come to worship.  Crowded narrow streets jammed with a colorful mixture of saki shops, teahouses, Kabuki theaters, exotic food stalls and wandering acrobatic performers characterize the Asakusa district.

In another part of town the Shitamachi Museum offers an intimate vision of Toyko's beginnings as a major commercial center in 1868.  A series of preserved wooden houses and stores commemorate the cultural history of working class people when Japan first abandoned isolationism and started trading overseas.  The rooms are open and visitors are encouraged to handle the tools and toys that were part of everyday life 150 years ago.

Timeless traditions continue as seen by an early morning visit to the 8 square city blocks housing the Tsujiki Fishermen's Market.  Although the market is open to the public, Tom and I find that we are the only tourists around this fast paced scene.  Bizarre sea creatures, most of which I've never seen, are neatly displayed on shaved ice.  Hundreds of truckers eagerly converge to deliver today's catch to the thousands of Tokyo's world famous seafood restaurants.

A unique look into future technologies is to be had at the Sony Center in the fashionable Ginza district.  Here on seven floors of the Sony Building is a mind-boggling exhibition of high tech inventions.  A few can be purchased, but most of the electronic devices are still in their developmental stages.  Visitors are encouraged to use the equipment and provide feedback to the manufacturer.  The incredible multimedia presentations envelop you in holographic and 3D presentations that will one day supercede High Density Television. Arcades of virtual reality games and computer programs are accompanied by coffee stands and small cafes for those guests spending hours mesmerized by this fascinating showplace.