We woke up this morning in Ben's apartment, a little worse for the wear after the night before. Soon Pete had to leave to get Alex from Narita airport outside of Tokyo. Ben was in charge of me for a few hours so he took me to an area of Tokyo called electric town. Despite repeated attempts by Pete and I to dissuade him, Ben insisted upon wearing a shirt so pink that for the rest of the day I was convinced people thought we were a couple. Electric town is just a few stops down from Ben's apartment. It is a highly commercial area replete with every type of electronics and gadget. Japan is arguably the most commercial country in the world and like any true consumers, the Japanese appreciate the latest and greatest technology. They seem to be about a year ahead of the United States in most technology, the exceptions being desktop computers, networking equipment and PDAs. Their televisions, monitors, MP3 players, MiniDisc players, video games and especially cell phones are all more advanced than anything that is presently available in the United States.
Cell phones are a true phenomenon here. Everyone here carries a phone that has a battery that can last for days, delivers crystal clear audio and weighs a third of the smallest ones in the United States. The latest phones even offer rudimentary internet access. Voice mail, e-mail, messaging, caller ID and picture sending are all standard features.
Flat, wall-mountable TV's are everywhere. They are thousands of Dollars but who can top a two inch thick TV.
