It is easy to spot Jack Ito and his wife Toshie. They're walking hand in hand around the lobby of the Prince Hotel in Shinagawa, looking as much culture-shocked as in love.
The Itos have traveled from Asahi, a small town near Choshi in Chiba Prefecture by bus, a journey of two hours. But since neither are strangers to rising early, there's no problem, they say. They come to Tokyo so rarely, it's all quite an adventure and Toshie can't wait to hit the shops.
Jack Ito — who took his wife's family name because she is an only child ("and anyway I like it better than my own, Martin") — has been in Japan since January. Now he lives with Toshie, her two teenage boys from a former marriage and her parents. "The house is not so big so she converted the garage for us before I arrived."