Once the conference finished and we were proposed a tea ceremony in a Tea House across the road we decided to have lunch at the Manhattan Hotel with one of our Japanese colleagues. It turned out to be a good Western-like meal followed by a wide variety of desserts.
I wasn't prepared for such a unique event as the tea ceremony when it comes to elaboration and refinement, because for all I had often heard of it, I had never really experienced it in a Tea house. We had the privilege of being "guided" throughout the whole ritual by a Japanese lady who spoke very good English and thus explained the theme and the symbolism behind some of the expected movements.
When we walked out I didn't exactly know what to think of it all, given the unexpectedness, but it was without a doubt an unparalleled moment, which would most certainly linger in one's memory, once we were not allowed to register it using either cameras or mobile phones.
Having the afternoon free Carlos and I got on a train to the city centre, to be more precise the Shibuya area, where he wanted to show me something special, according to him. I was surprised by the available space on the trains, which contradicted my daughter's opinion on them. The reality was that she had only been travelling during peak hours, either very early in the morning or fairly late in the afternoon, so her perception had to be different. I had a "touch" of that feeling as I tried to go across the Shibuya crossroads and almost got "lost" in that wave of very modern and traditional looking people.
Shibuya was a mixture of arquitecture modernity, a series of fashion shops and large department stores and an almost out of the blue area of alleyways lined with tiny restaurants. I was in an attentive-type of mood most of the time because I didn't exactly know where to look. There was an explosition of colour, light, noise, movement and a distinctive type of atmosphere with huge numbers of men assembling in street corners smoking, people permanently rushing by, window shops pertaining to restaurants depicting some "price tagged" plates, as guiding information as to the expected prices and quantities inside.
After walking up and down one of the lit up narrow alleys, we ended up selecting one of the food stalls where we had some meticulously sliced grilled squid, peppers, onions and grean beans for starters. The overall ambiance reminded me of the Macanese market stalls after market day, which every Westerner always fell in love with.
By the time we got to the hotel Manhattan the side door I was used to whenever I headed towards the "garden for smoking purposes"was closed so we had to go around, which allowed me the possibility to see one of the noblest sides of he hotel - the one assigned for wedding ceremonies.
It had been a long day which I shared with Mia once I made it to the room. The following day would be our last and we were really looking forward to the guided tour we had paid for and that would give us the privilege of being guided by one of the many senior guides in Tokyo.
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