finally met up with my dear friend (and our tokyo native guide) yu, and the first order of business was to get out to a local bar and try the sake... and we did try plenty... (i like it hot)

tokyo from 36 stories up: we hid out in this giant mall to escape the rain~

tokyo tower stands over the city like a big red eiffel tower, and from the top you get the most incredible perspective on the mix of old and new that makes up tokyo~

better late than never, we got to tokyo just in time for the end of sakura season~ and the city looks great in pink! very cool to witness such a huge symbol of japan

visited the temple and gardens in asakusa and was so impressed~ everything is huge and bold and bright red!

basic breakdown of my travel group this week in tokyo:

marijn and thomas, trying to cram everything in the lonely planet guide into five short days


andrea and jean-baptiste, making everything infinitely more difficult and loving it


and me, wondering how i got stuck on this trip with the four most high-maintenance european boys i've ever known