Japan!

This July 4-14 I was lucky to return to Japan after 4 years, this time doing something slightly more interesting than playing hang-man with the youth of Japan: attending the G8. It was an experience I'll never forget and it felt great to be back in the land of the rising sun, creaking along with my dormant language skills. After the Summit I stayed in Tokyo for a few. Above is the madness of the Shibuya 'scramble' (the world's largest crosswalk).


Ah...sweet Japanese toilet delights. Those bidets are pretty powerful- I thought I'd try one out before a press conference and got completely drenched.


Are you kidding me?! These Japanese Airlines headphones are fantastic. Proof again of Japan's advanced technology.


Plastic food- very helpful.


These drinks machines dot the island nation and are very convenient. But apparently the bane of environmental campaigners lives here for the amount of energy they use.


Here's the G8 media centre. It was supposedly sustainably built and the air conditioning mysteriously powered by snow. I love this place! This trip was ideal: it was long enough to enjoy again the buzz of this country I adore, but also remember why I'm no longer living there. What other country has security guards on segues and dancing robots?!