Today's officially 'Japan Day Eight' in the scrappy notes I have been scribbling to myself ever since the night we fled Taipei and arrived here.

Eight days and yet I've told you basically nothing: my bad.

The reason (in addition to entirely too much coffee at the Japanese Mister Donut every day - it makes me crazy and speedy and writing is not facilitated) is that Japan has been flinging itself at me at such breakneck speed there's barely been time to note things down, let alone shape them into anything readable and coherent.

Someone - Mister Donut's bottomless coffee now makes me forget whom - described Japan as a living, breathing museum piece. A place that wows and confounds you at every turn.

It's all true.

When I realised on our first evening that I could spend half an hour just gazing in rapt amazement at the variety of useless doo-dads and dongles and potions and softrdrinks and noodles and sake and shrimp-flavoured peanuts that took up one aisle of the convenience store I was in, I knew this blog was in trouble. When the hell would I find the time or the mindspace to talk about this stuff?

So forgive the tardiness, please!

I AM on the case, trying to distill some coherent thoughts and observations about each day in this madhouse of a country.

However, as we can't afford real internet access, I'll be hanging out in Mister Donut for the forseeable future, using their wireless access, drinking their bottomless "American-u Kor-hi", and making myself more than a little crazy.

To start you off, here are the Eight Addictions Garnered in Eight Days:

1. Cheapskate shopping addiction: 100 Yen Shops

Oh my Lord! The fabulousness of these places knows no bounds! 100 yen is LESS THAN 1 US dollar, and these shops are insane emporiums of trash, treasure and everything in between. As the name suggests, EVERYTHING in them costs 100 yen ... and the contents of every store will be different from the last. They are wonderful, addictive, alluring places if you have even so much as a hint of the bargain-seeker about you.

2. Bizarre souvenir addiction: Japanese tissues

These little gems are everywhere. Yes, they're 'just' tissues - little sample-sized packs - that are handed out by marketeers on street corners. But they're FREE. Oh, did I mention that? They come covered in bright advertising for loan sharks and phone sex lines and internet cafes and god knows what else, and I am OBSSESSED with collecting them. We may never have to buy tissues again!

3. Strange lolly addiction: Pocky

We have Pocky in Australia - perhaps they're sold where you live, too? Pocky are long, thin, pretzel-type wheaten sticks where one end has been dipped in hard chocolate- or strawberry-flavoured icing. At least, they're the ones that get sold at home.

Here, in Japan, Pocky comes in choco-banana, and cheesecake flavours. It also comes in a sophisticated, gold-lettered pack called 'Pocky Mousse'. There's Pocky Men's and Pocky Sports. Pocky has a glam older sister called 'Fran', and Fran does double-dipped green-tea and chocolate, or white-choc-blueberry varieties.

4. Insane tea addiction: Twinings Earl Grey Tea [sweetened, white, and sold in a soft-drink can - chilled]

It came out of a vending machine. I ordered it to be silly. Now I LOVE it. I have hunted all over Kyoto and I can't find another vending machine or convenience store that sells it. Them's the painful facts.

5. Intense washing addiction: Japanese baths

They're super-hot, your skin turns beet-red, they're communal, and they have a very specific set of rules about the order in which you must wash yourself - NEVER enter the actual bath without first having thoroughly cleansed yourself at the bank of showers nearby.

Strangely addictive, and very relaxing.

6. Most-beloved hamburger addiction: Mosburger

This place - a Japanese fast-food restaurant - rocks. If it was exported to Australia, I would be one happy camper. The staff wear little navy blue Mosburger-themed rubber deck shoes, white knee-high socks, shorts and stripey T-shirts. The burgers are crazy-delicious, and come served with oodles of Kewpie-doll mayo and dark barbeque sauce.

7. Inappropriate adoption of cultural tics addiction: Bowing

Yes, that's right. I bow now. In fact, we both do. All. The. Time.

What can I say? It's catching - the Japanese do it to you, and then before you know it, you're doing it back. It's nice, verrry nice, but it's hard to know when to stop. Every interaction becomes a little bowing contest.

8. I-never-thought-I'd-care-but-strangely-I-do addiction: Plastic food

Once you start noticing it, it's everywhere. Plastic prawns, plastic sundaes, plastic sushi, plastic octopus balls, plastic pizza.

Looking for new and ever-more obscene varities can become an obsesssion.

Sometimes you have to temper yourself ... and sometimes you just have to give in. Like today, for instance, when we daytripped to Osaka simply because we'd heard they had a GREAT plastic food district with wholesale prices.

It was so totally worth the journey.