Emmas Blog 4
Tokyo,
Staying in Asakusa rather than Akasaka – so whats the difference between 3 Stars and 5 Star hotels? Not much – the 5 Star experience aimed at making you, the traveling salesman/lawyer/banker feel that you are someone discerning and special, the 3 star more like what your mom knows you are. So the thread count is lower, the room is a bit smaller, there is no room service, cable,,,? OK so I was trying to make a point.
We loved it, I learned more about Tokyo in one week of using the metro, visiting museums, the Shibuya crossing, yakitori bars, temples and shrines than in the last 30 years of staying in the Okura and never leaving the Marunouchi.


Hong Kong
The first time I came years ago it was after a long trip through Tokyo and Taipei, so I was knocked out by the gleam in HK, in some ways living up to its self titled Asia’s World City. This time it felt more like an overblown mall. True we did some sightseeing, but the little piece of the governor’s mansion, old churches and colonial history we saw is almost obscured by the incessant focus on pitching branded goods to the masses. Exclusivity for all.