Lea's special request, due to it being completely different from anywhere else in the world. OK, Tokyo is another big city, but Japan is unique.

Booking accomodation here was far from easy. Hotel prices are astronomical (£150 for twin is cheap). So we booked a Ryokan - like our B+Bs. Still £80 a night for the four of us, squeezed into one small room and sleeping on the floor !

Excellent. We're staying in the North eastern district of Yanaka, which escaped the 1923 earthquake and the bombing in 1945, so there are some original houses here. Having said that, most things are new and all electric cables are up high on poles rather than in the ground - an earthquake precaution I think !

Everything here is spotless. We are told it is one of the friendliest cities in the world too. The streets and houses are clean, the shops + restaurants. And every single car is spotless - even the taxis ! And it's not like it doesn't rain here - it was heaving down when we touched down.

The picture you see is our Ryokan. These are traditional Japanese Inns, a bit like our B+Bs. Most are for Japanese people only, due to the traditional nature of them. But this one is very tourist-friendly. You have to wear gowns and slippers and there is an electronic toilet which washes your bum for you !

They have thought of everything here. Take a look at their website at www.sawanoya.com, but to be honest, that doesn't do the place justice. Hmmmm, maybe I can offer my services as a website designer ! Bathing is a ritual here. You shower and wash youself before you get in a deep tub. The bath itself is only for soaking - no soap must get in it. We have a private one, but it is not uncommon for people to use communal ones. No thanks.

Had a wander to the National Science Museum, which was unexpectedly good value at a fiver for the 4 of us - at least I think that's what 1000 Yen is ! There are lots of sights in Tokyo that are free - plenty to do if you're only in town a few days. One is the Asakura Kannon Temple (Sensoji). It's a big place with a market in the alley leading to it. Incense wafts out of a burner at the entrance and you wave it over yourself for good karma !

The Ueno Park area just Northeast of the main centre is where we're staying and is very pleasant and relaxed. Our walk back from the Transport Museum took us through a long street full of electronics retailers - this is how I imagined Tokyo ! Trouble is, I can't get excited about the stuff because everything's in Japanese and I can't afford anything anyway. Maybe in Hong Kong....

Ginza is the main shopping area, but we found mainly clothes shopping there and nothing much of interest, except the Sony Centre near the subway station. The kids played on PS2s for an hour and Lea and I went to look at the latest viedo cameras and stuff. Couldn't see much of the Imperial Palace, but it was only rebuilt in '68 anyway, so not exactly old !

8:15 August 6th 1945. The city and military port of Hiroshima was erased from the map, and its name etched in Human history for ever. Apart from its military content, the other reason it was chosen as a target was that it hadn't been bombed before - so the effects of the A-bomb could be assessed. On the day, military-educated teenagers were helping in a program of demolition of the wooden buildings in Hiroshima, designed to reduce the spread of fire in the event of a bombing raid. Little did they know.

The Peace Museum is excellent, very well thought out. We spent 5 hours here, understanding the events and aftermath. The Japanese admit they committed atrocities before and during WWII and that the A-bomb was another atrocity. Their govenrment now has a constituional obligation to promote peace.

There is a building still standing near what was the centre of the blast. It serves as a ghostly reminder of that day. The worst thing about such weapons is not the immediate destruction - those victims are the lucky ones. More than half of Hiroshima's victims were killed days,weeks, months even years later. By the end of 1945, 140,000 were dead.

I cannot convey the feelings you get in this place, but if you ever visit Japan, you must take the trouble to come here.

I can recommend our Ryokan and the Ueno Park area, but wherever you end up, get orientated as soon as possible and get a subway map. The underground is efficent and not expensive, but there is little English on display, so having an idea of what direction you are headed will help. If you can't work out what price ticket to buy from one of the machines, you can buy the lowest priced and then make up the difference at your destination at another machine !

Tokyo is a vending machine culture. There are drinks machines everywhere. Have plenty of change with you and 1000 Yen notes. The drinks are reasonably priced, so don't be afraid to use them. You will always use up your change in a subway ticket machine !

Taxis are good and the drivers extremely polite etc, but only use them for short distances, as the price goes up fast. Bear in mind that the drivers will NOT speak any English, so have your destination written down in Japanese before you get in.

There are plenty of bicycles around, but unlike in some European countries, there are no cycle paths, so you have to mix it with them on the pavements which can be irritating. Still, I'm being picky I guess !