A short trip to Tokyo

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Joanne and her parents went to Tokyo last week, and today she is talking to her friend Janet all about it.

John Millen |
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Janet: I've been itching to hear about Tokyo all day. Did you have a great trip? Come on, tell me everything. Right from the moment you landed. I want to know all the details.

Joanne: I thought you might. Ha ha! I thought you were going to interrupt Dr Au Yeung in chemistry to ask me!

Janet: You know I'm trying to persuade my parents to take me to Tokyo for my birthday. Tonight when I get home, I know my mum will ask me how your trip went. If it all went well and you enjoyed it, there is a good chance my mum and dad will take me. They're not too keen at the moment. Neither of them wants a trip to another big city. They prefer to go somewhere more relaxing. I'm going to have to pull out all the stops to get them to change their minds.

Joanne: Well, first of all tell your dad that Mum and I didn't spend all our time shopping! I bet he thinks that's why we went. Just to shop!

Janet: Right!

Joanne: Mum and I did spend one morning shopping. There was a massive department store near our hotel. And I mean massive! Dad went for a walk in a park that morning and we met up for lunch. I bought a couple of T-shirts and mum bought some Japanese towels for the bathroom at home.

Janet: What was the food like?

Joanne: We didn't spend much money on food. Tell your mum and dad that. We bought bento boxes at a convenience store for lunch. In the evening we went into a local noodle shop. All three of us love ramen, so food wasn't a problem.

Janet: Last year, one of Dad's friends went to Tokyo with a budget airline, and the flight was delayed both going and coming back. And the seats were so close together and he’s tall. That's another thing that has put Dad off going.

Joanne: Really? Our flights were great! And getting from the airport into Tokyo was so comfortable and easy. We caught the limousine airport bus. It took just over an hour to get into the city. We also bought a tourist pass for the metro at the airport.

Janet: Is the metro like the MTR?

Joanne: Oh, a hundred times more complicated! When Dad first saw the metro map, he almost flipped! But if you study it, and work out your journey before you go, there's no problem. The lines are named and each station has a number. That's really helpful. We didn't get lost or get the wrong train once.

Janet: Was your hotel near a metro station? Sorry to be asking you all these obvious questions, but I want to give my parents a full report!

Joanne: No problem! There was a metro station just along the road from our hotel. But I must warn you. Hotel rooms in Tokyo are quite small. I had a single room and there wasn't room to swing a cat. But all you need for a long weekend is a comfortable bed and a clean bathroom.

Janet: Did you eat breakfast in the hotel?

Joanne: We could have had breakfast in the hotel, but we went to a nearby coffee shop. It was better value and quieter. We wanted to get as much into our day as possible.

Janet: Everything about your trip sounds great. Now, the nitty-gritty. What did you see and do each day? Was Tokyo as interesting and exciting as I imagine it to be? Did you love it?

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