30 March 08

The day got off to a bad start as Emily had half an hour of chest-wracking crying that had my blood pressure soaring, and Nick had to come to the rescue. Though the weather was cooler and the sky grey, we went out as planned to Hamarikyu Garden, on the edge of Tokyo Bay, for a bit of much-needed relaxation.

This lovely green oasis among the new skyscrapers of Shiodome was formerly a shogun's hunting ground. It has a nice variety of trees, including the obligatory cherries and carefully-pruned pines. Near the entrance is a huge, attractive 300-year old pine

and past that a small field of yellow rape. It was a bit odd to see something grown as a crop back home being treated as a visitor attraction, but it seemed very popular and certainly smelled fragrant.

On our way from Hamarikyu to Yurakucho, we came across a steam train outside Shimbashi station and thought of Graham. Further on we happened upon a nationalist rally; the sinister participants would make the BNP back home look like pussycats.