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Throwing Ian Wright into the heart of the world's most
extraordinary capital is bound to be interesting. In
Tokyo, Ian crosses between the spiritual
aspects of the peace-loving Buddhist  Senso-Ji
temple and the Bushido philosophy of the Samurai
warriors - through which he learns to wield a lethally
sharp sword. He explores the hi-tech of Odaiba's
technology centres and the weird and wonderful aspects
of the Tokyo fashion scene.
Outside the city, Ian joins in with two of the great
harvest festivals in Aomori's Nebuta Festival
and the Akita Kanto Festival, where
he tries the traditional trick of balancing a thirty
foot bamboo pole and twenty giant paper lanterns on
various parts of his body.
A crowded climb up the 11,000 foot Mount Fuji
leads to Ian exploring Tokyo's fragile volcanic
environment - including the Earthquake training centre
and the joys of an onsen, or volcanic  hot spa.
A sushi breakfast in the Tsukiji Fish Market,
noodles in one of the ubiquitous ramen shops, chicken
yakitori barbecue under the rail tracks of Shinjuku
and squid balls and beer at the baseball ensures Ian
stays well fed and bizarre cocktails in the Alcatraz
ER nightclub keep him fuelled throughout the trip to
one of the greatest cities on earth. |
