Sydney is a very walkable city, much more so than Tokyo. That is partially because it houses half the people. Also, though, it is younger, and so isn't as sprawling. Most of the famous sights are concentrated in a small area. Sydney also has excellent busses and trains and a monorail, but in Sydney itself you can pretty much walk everywhere. Tokyo also has a good train system, which is vital to see anything in that city. I was lucky to have a native of Japan as my tour guide (Konichiwa Mihoko!) because the trains are very confusing. There are about 50 lines and a million stations. Each line is owned by a department store, so all trains of that line go to that department store, not necessarily to an attraction or across the city or anything. There is a circular line around the city core, which connects lots of department store lines. This system, though, means there will be lots of transfers to get where you are going. Helpful to have someone to navigate for you.

One thing about Japan though that is different from Sydney is the noise. Partially it may be that I stayed in a residential area in Japan, and here I am on what they call the city fringe. So the ambient city noise would be different. The noises each country chooses for alert or danger or information sounds, though, are very different.

Tokyo noises are much quieter and sweeter, compared to Sydney noises. When the crosswalk sign man turns green in Sydney, meaning you can cross, the regular beep of waiting turn to a rapid machine gun fire noise that propels you across the street. Abulence sirens are more piercing and irksome here too. Things like that.

In contrast, even the bad sounds in Tokyo were so lovely I didn't recognize them. Case in point: I accidentally cheated the train people out of some money. I had used 2 cards to get into the system, because one didn't have enough money on it for the journey and you can't refill them. So I put two into the machine and I thought it had taken the initial fee off the lower one (it appeared to be stamped "empty" when I got it back) and recorded my entry point on both. So I just put the higher one into the machine to get out and walked through. As I crossed to the other side and took my ticket I vaguely heard a quiet and pleasant "ding, dong" type sound. I thought it meant "Thanks for traveling with us!" and kept walking. Only later did I notice that my card hadn't been stamped, and Mihoko explained that I was supposed to put the empty one in as well. She also said that the gate probably closed to stop me from exiting the system, but I walk so fast I was already gone by then. Ooops! I didn't use up my entire card before I left the country, though, so in the end it all worked out. There were several times in Japan where a pleasant noise was used to convey a negative message. Or an urgent one, like the food timer. In America it is usually a shrill continuous beeping noise, but in Japan it is a gentle tune not unlike a cute innocuous mobile phone ringer. Not one of the annoying ones, a nice one. Very interesting.

The one exception was the alert that the doors were about to close that sounded on some of the trains in Tokyo. That was an insistant ringing, like that of a non-digital phone in the US. I did notice that one, and recognized it as meaning something dangerous.

I talked to Mihoko about it and she said that the noises I felt were pleasant she would term unpleasant. She associated that "ding, dong" with a problem, and so felt it was harsh. I guess it is all cultural, though it could partially be genetic. I mean, why would the culture choose that sort of noise in the first place if not for some inate reason? Something to think about.

Cooler, rainy and cloudy in Sydney today. Didn't go to Bondi because of the weather, but will go tomorrow rain or shine so I don't miss it. That is the last main thing I want to see here.

Sydney is expensive! I suppose it is actually cheaper than some other cities I have been to, because the dollar is stonger here than elsewhere, but the prices or more. It seems like most places I have been the numbers of the prices have been the same, just the symbol in front of them has changed. Like a big bottle of water has generally been 150 units. So 1.5 euros, 1.5 pounds, and 150 yen. Of course, the cost to me of each is vastly different due to exchange rates. Here, though, that bottle of water might be 300 units. 3 Australian dollars! Granted, that is closer to 2 dollars converted, versus 3 dollars for the Scotland water converted, but it is still puzzling. One person who had been to other Australian cities said Sydney was one of the most expensive she had been to, and major cities with lots of tourists are often more expensive. London was more expensive than Paisley. Still, though, Tokyo was in line with the rule. Why is Sydney so different?

Well, better head off to the grocery store. Called Woolworth's here. Not sure if it is related to the old Woolworth's in the US. That's my travel tip for the day - always buy your food at the grocery store with the locals and eat in your room if you are on a budget. So much cheaper than restaurants, fresher fruit and you can get hot food at the deli if you get there early enough. What's not to like?

Less than a month left in this trip! Going well!