Tokyo

Tokyo is great, but expensive. My budget plans have taken a battering in recent weeks and Japan has really been the final nail in the coffin. The weak pound has also done for me - not that long ago you would get 250 yen to the pound, now it's down to 144.
I'm spending six days in Asakusa - Tokyo is hugely spread out and appears to be broken down into little communities. Asakusa is quite a family-orientated place, with lots of great temples (after three months in Asia I know a good temple when I see it) and less of the business and shopping craziness of areas like Shibuya. I then plan to take a bus to Kyoto, before going to Osaka, Kobe and maybe Hiroshima, then back up here.
I really like Tokyo and would definitely consider living here but it is pretty clear you need money to do so. I went to see a friend from university last night, he is teaching English to university students. His area of the city is also great and lively, but his entire flat would fit in my livingroom in Edinburgh with space to spare, and yet his rent is the same as my mortgage. But still, it's something to think about (and he gets six months off a year!) I've actually no idea what I'll do when I finish travelling, almost every place I visit I wonder whether I would like to live there, but I'm no closer to an answer.
The hostel is cool, but I'm having to change to another nearby tomorrow as they're booked up. It goes to show how many backpackers there are about, but Tokyo doesn't feel like a backpacker haunt, even less so than Beijing.
I'm sorry about the lack of pictures of late, they're on my camera but I've not been able to download them onto a computer, which may mean my disc has problems. Hopefully I'll be able to sort it soon.