My goal was to get from Aoyama-dori to Roppongi-dori. They formed a triangle that took them further apart as one went East, but did not look very distant overall. But there was a distinct lack of landmarks between them, and only the main streets in Japan have any names. Between these two streets I probably looked at my map about 10 times, and none of those times was I able to exactly determine my current location. I had to question nearly all of my assumptions about where I was. I walked through a cemetery and later wondered which of two cemeteries it had been, before later realizing I had probably walked through it in the opposite direction from what I had thought. The neighborhoods of Aoyama and Akasaka that I could not seem to get out of, were like Greenwhich Village with huge blocks, so that after deciding what direction I should head in and then running into a dead end, I would often have to go a quarter of a mile or so before being able to go in some direction resembling the one I had intended to go in. This is all among residential areas with no street signs whatsoever. Having to do this several times has a way of causing one to lose one's sense of direction very quickly. Several times I cursed myself for not bringing a compass, which I had thought of doing but dismissed as too much effort for being in a big city.

During this period I also became increasingly frustrated with the Tokyo map that I had with me. Tensions came to a head when I passed the Cambodian embassy and, remembering that the map had diplomatic landmarks, tried to look it up and for once find out exactly where I was. Sure enough, there was Cambodia in the index, apparently in C5. But on the map...where was it? It had to be there...but it wasn't. Once again I only know my approximate location.

After 1.5 to 2 hours of wandering, I came to a street that looked like it had to be some change of neighborhood. But it wasn't Roppongi-dori, it was the street that formed the other side of the triangle between that and Aoyama-dori. Aside from probably getting completely turned around 5 other times, I had ended up turned around 90 degrees. Well, at least I could follow this one to Roppongi-dori, it would be difficult to screw that up.

When I got to Roppongi, of course, it turned out to be totally crappy, thus invalidating all my wandering. I could see that there were a few bars and clubs, with too-drunk people sitting on their steps, what fun. But at least I had gotten there.

It was now about 12am, and there were two goals: to get some rest, and to get to Tsukiji between 3 and 4am. I had been told by a girl named Yuki that I could sleep on the Yamanote line that runs in a loop around the city. I figured the way to do this was to buy a ticket for the station I wanted eventually to get off at, then ride around however many times I want and finally get off there. In my case, this was Ebisu, a few stops away, where I could transfer to the Hibiya line that stopped near Tsukiji. Consulting my map, I realized the rather humiliating fact that the closest subway station was still Shibuya, and that Roppongi-dori ran right into it. I could easily have gotten here if I had kept things simpler and not gone over to Aoyama-dori. But that didn't matter now.

My plan seemed to be going smoothly, and there were other passengers who seemed to be doing the same. Then at Shinagawa, about 5 or 6 stops after Shibuya, they said it was the last stop for that train. That was okay, Yuki had said that would happen sometimes. Just have to wait for the next one. A train came going the other way, so I thought why not, and hopped on. It went back one stop, to Otsuki, before also stopping. Now this was getting annoying. Signs on both sides of the platform were now saying "Out of Service." Why? Because of the crucial last piece of information that Yuki had given me, and I had forgotten: the last train is at 1am. I was now stuck in Otsuki, considerably farther from anywhere I wanted to be, and I realized that if the Yamanote line was not running, the Hibiya line was not either. So a taxi was the only way, other than on foot, that I was going to get to Tsukiji on time. But after walking this much, a taxi would certainly be admitting defeat.

So I planned to walk in the general direction of Tsukiji, and rest for a while if I found a suitable place along the way. Being in an even more remote and residential area now, there was no way I could trust my map, so I followed the train tracks along which I had just ridden. But even that has its troubles. At one point, predictably, a big building rose up against the tracks that I would have to go around. So I did, and returned to the tracks as soon as I could. I saw a footbridge and decided to cross it, thinking there might be fewer obstructions on the other side. But as I walked up to the crossing point, something was very wrong. There were no tracks down there, there was water. I don't have to tell you what kind of thoughts passed through my mind at this point. But I regained my composure and searched for the tracks, finding them after not too long. I found a point where I could cross the real tracks by walking right across them; I crouched on the tracks and took a picture with a nice long exposure, trying to hold the camera as steadily as I could with my muscles beginning to give out.

Walking through the streets looking for a place to sleep, I began to appreciate how well a city is designed to deprive people of just that. Everywhere there was a ledge, it would be entirely covered with plants. Everything is either too public or not public enough. When might the people who live or work here return and find me?

Finally, around an office building complex, I found a place that seemed reasonable. Along a brick walkway above the street there was a ledge perhaps 10 inches wide, with a hedge adjacent but not overhanging. Semicircular turrets that house more plants would provide back support and some cover. I had already made it past two or three train stops and felt more confident about making it to Tsukiji on my own. At about 1:30am I settled down to rest.