TO CELEBRATE our 60th wedding anniversary , ( my wife ) Baby dreamed up a trip to Japan .

Trying to get from A to B on our own in a totally strange place where people spoke an alien language , proved a great exercise for the prevention of Alzheimer ’ s .

We had to count train and bus stops to know where to get off , we had to remember landmarks to grope our way back , we had to recall names of places .

All that aside , it was a wonderful adventure . Of course we also availed of a few guided tour groups . We were most impressed with Japan .

The people are so clean , so courteous and helpful , and so efficient . The trains of course ran on time . Sitting in our hotel room ' s private throne had me marvel at such advanced technology with so much emphasis on comfort .

The seat is delightfully warm and the temperature can be set ; the bidet offers complex choice .

It will take several blogs to document our brief travel tour , but let me start with personal images of the many places we enjoyed and the the means by which we travelled .

MAY 19 :

On arrival at our Keio PLaza Hotel , Tokyo , on May 19 , we were told at the check-in desk that we were booked , not for today , but for tomorrow .

Knowing that our travel agent had

picked us up at the airport and taken us to the hotel , we reasoned that we had the right date . Baby produced our voucher and that was quickly cleared up .

SUNDAY , MAY 20 : The following morning , we left our room after locking it . On our return after an American breakfast we placed the card on the white button on the door of our room several times and nothing happened .

Back to customer relations desk where he had us try again , while informing the house keeper . We talked to the maid cleaning a room near ours and she said we should just place the card on the sensor . Back to door 2868 .

It turned out we were flashing the card on the white doorbell instead of the flat black sensor beside the door knob ! Ay naku . How silly can you get ?

All ' s well that ends well for the ignorant and exhausted .

After free breakfast we then left on our own to take the train from Shinjuko Station to Ueno Station where the Tokyo National Museum was located .

It proved a long walk from the station , but after some groping , we made it . Enjoyed the museum .

On our return by train , despite counting stations , we got off one station ahead and spend much time looking for our hotel .

After a lot of walking back and forth and asking here and there , we followed various suggestions to go back to the station and buy another ticket and take the train one stop farther to Shinjuko Station because

it would have been a long 25 minute walk from where we were .

Getting back to the hotel proved another challenge as we followed instructions , but our route did not look familiar at all .

Two Taiwanese ladies ( students ) we asked were kind enough to check their cellphone for location then escorted us to where their cellphone would operate as we were in a tunnel-like walkway .

When we got to open air , lo and behold , there was our hotel !

We bought takeaway food at the convenience store and ate in our room and our now recovering .

The first error had been in our counting the first station we had stopped after Shinjuko as number one , and therefore we got off in number one instead of the next one after number one .

Then when we had asked people in the street , they kept pointing to the train station and saying in Japanese ‘ Shinjuko ’ - advising us to go to the station and take the train to Shinjuko - and we kept saying no we had just come from that station , assuming that they were pointing to what we thought was Shinjuko Station .

MONDAY , MAY 21 : Had a good lunch . Then took the train to the Kamaeido-Tanjin Shrine .

This time we followed the right stop given to us only to find out we should have taken the next stop . Luckily , a Filipino passenger told us this just when we had gotten off but while still inside the Station .

So we simply went back to the same platform and took the next train and got off the very next stop .

We walked looking for the Shrine and finally asked someone , a Japanese , who told us where to go ; in fact , he actually walked with us all the way to the Shrine .

Looking at it , we would not have found it without him . What a nice guy . He said he was a salesman for wine glasses . An angel sent to us . We got back fairly okay the same route we had taken yesterday .

TUESDAY , MAY 22 :

Up early to test our trip tomorrow with our group . breakfast at Jurin Restaurant freebee this time full buffet . Had cereal , omelette , the works with orange juice and tea . Helped myself to chocolates and a banana . just looked around the shops .

Lunch at a Japanese resto . Back to room 2868 and left when cleaning lady came . Went to Shinjuko Station so Baby could buy shoes on the way to the Station . Back to room now .

At Shinjuko Foodcourt , met a Pinay salesgirl who helped us . Watched a tea ceremony in lobby at 3pm .

Went 7pm for free tea at top floor 34 . Great night view . Snitched free chocolate bars as freebees a french brand called Valrhona ( noir guanaja ).

Must take some back to Sydney with us . We skipped supper this way . Planning for our trip tomorrow .

Got up early at 5:30am . For big brekkie and 8:00 departure .

And so it all went . •