We arrived in Tokyo in the early evening, crossing Tokyo Bay over the double-decker Rainbow Bridge. It was busy and so very modern - so very different to the peace and quiet of Kamakura a couple of hours ago.

Chris had booked a restaurant. We made our way through the busy and neon-lit streets. Such a difference to the peace we had enjoyed elsewhere.

Aqua was very modern with aquaria set in to the walls. We were not sure whether these acted as decoration or a menu... The food was excellent. The starter was something orange in colour, waxy in texture and tasted sour... oh, yes: it was cheese. We had not eaten dairy products for a fortnight and it tasted very strange at first. Narumi would not touch it, and perhaps I could understand why.

On our return to the hotel, we passed through the little winding streets of East Shinjuku lined with tiny restaurants and bars filled with businessmen. Some places were so small, a dozen customers constituted a crowd.

The next morning we rose at 05:00 to get on the coach at 05:30 and go off to the Tsukiji fish market: Tokyo's equivalent to Billingsgate in London. It is an amazing place - huge and very busy - and we were almost knocked down at every turn by little pick up trucks and barrows charging through the narrow thoroughfares.

Nevertheless, three of us and Chris decided to have breakfast in a nearby café for a sushi breakfast, on the grounds that we would never again have the opportunity to eat such fresh fish, despite the fact it was still only 07:00. The staff were friendly and the sushi superb!

We went back to the hotel and (after eating a second breakfast!) picked up the others and made our way to the Maji shrine where we saw the monks celebrating the Emperor's birthday.

Then a tour of the city, including the Senso-ji temple and market. This is Tokyo's most sacred and spectacular temple, built in 628 when two fishermen found a gold statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, in the Sumida river. The temple has survived various earthquakes, but not the bombing of World War II and the present buildings are relatively new, but follow the old layout and style.

We also did some shopping in Ginza, the area full of designer shops and department stores. We then went up the 48-storey Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices for fantastic views over the neon lit city.

That evening, we had our last meal all together. It was another banquet with dozens of delicious dishes. There were speeches and awards (I got the kindness to animals award for my feeding the deer. Bruce got the research into Japanese chocolate award). A good time was had by all.