Tokyo

First of all I'm surprised you guys still keep checking the blog after the long silence. Thank you! The visit to the embassy went well. This was the real heat experience. We had to wait outside before going through security checks. It was only 8:15 but steaming hot. My pants were sticking to my legs and the sweat was running down my back and chest like a waterfall. Otherwise I spend my days with walking around in the city, alternating between historical sights and crazy neighborhoods. I completely agree with Dania. Shibuya by night is quite the experience! Also an experience was diner last night in a small restaurant where no one spoke english. I ordered beer and made them understand that they should just bring some things. It was a sort of snack bar. Yakitori for the ones who have been in Japan. Was all excellent just the texture of the chicken ribs (the actual ribs or something like that) was a little unusual. You know how it feels when you eat chicken cartilage? And raw pork (or whatever it was) on the salad is unusual but actually really good. Today I went shopping. Tried 20 headphones out of maybe 100... Enjoyed the view from the 53rd floor in Shinjuku (the elevator takes you there in less than 40 seconds) and ate sushi from the conveyor belt. I will move on to Nara tomorrow for the first conference on B cells. I'm looking forward to the train ride on the bullet train (Shinkansen)!
And yes JP, it is a little strange to be here. Mainly because I realize that I'm Swiss and feel Swiss but when I'm asked where I'm from I realize that I feel very connected to California by now too and Japan feels very familiar too. So my answer is usually I'm Swiss, half Swiss-half Japanese but I live in San Diego. Could be worse!