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Once teams land in Tokyo, they will make their way to the Tokyo Imperial Palace in central Tokyo. This serene structure and its surrounding gardens were completed in 1968 in their present incarnation, after Allied bombing destroyed the 1888 structure. At the peak of the Japanese economic bubble, the land the palace sat on was said to be more costly than the entire state of California. The palace itself is not open to public except on select occasions, but the grounds are free to roam for all, and it is here that teams will find their next clue.


Teams may choose from the following transport available to travel to the Tokyo Imperial Palace:

- Narita Express to Tokyo Imperial Palace (2800 JPY, +55 minutes)
- Keisei Skyliner to Tokyo Imperial Palace (1900 JPY, +80 minutes)
- Taxi to Tokyo Imperial Palace (25000 JPY, +100 minutes)
- Bus to Tokyo Imperial Palace (1850 JPY, +120 minutes)

Task duration: 1 minute + 4 minutes per submission interval

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This is the 3rd of 6 Fast Forwards on the entire race. Each team may only win 1 Fast Forward on the entire race, and only 1 Fast Forward may be won on each leg it is available. To win this Fast Forward, teams must travel on foot to the Lawson convenience store in the vicinity of Tokyo Station. The store originated from the state of Ohio, but ironically is now a Japanese company, and is now one of the many proliferent kombini chains that cater to Japanese workers on their way to and from work. They will then help to stack the shelves in the store before receiving their next clue.

NOTE: Even if you choose to go for the Fast Forward, you must still complete all other tasks in this update. This is in the event that you fail to obtain the Fast Forward.

For teams who choose to go for the Fast Forward, they will have to include the following in their PMs:
1) a list of 3 items that can be found in a kombini chain in Japan. For each item they must include the following.
- name (or just a brief description) of the item
- price of the item
- URL link as proof that the item is indeed sold in a kombini chain

The 1st team to submit the above correctly wins the Fast Forward.

Task duration: 10 minutes

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A Detour is a choice of 2 tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will choose between 2 tasks related to modern Japanese culture and technology: Bullet Train or Sushi Train.

Task duration: 25 minutes + 8 minutes per submission interval


In Bullet Train, teams will travel on foot to Tokyo Station, the busiest in Japan in terms of number of trains passing through daily (over 3000) and the hub for all intercity routes in Tokyo. They will help one of the marked passengers to plan their journey using the Japan Railways system before they will receive their next clue.

To complete this task:
1) Choose 1 of the following Japanese cities.
Fukuoka
Hakodate
Hiroshima
Kagoshima
Kobe
Nagano
Nagoya
Niigata
Osaka
You may not pick cities that have already been chosen by other teams, unless they switch for another choice.

2) In this thread, post an itinerary that a traveller could use to travel to your chosen. Note the following:
- Your itinerary should include total travel time, total cost and number (and names) of any transfer stations.
- All journeys are to be conducted by rail only.
- All journeys must begin from Tokyo Station.

3) Note that the following website, specifically one of the tools on it, could greatly help your planning. However, I will not provide a direct link to the specific tool, only the main website:
http://www.japanrail.com/


In Sushi Train, teams will travel on foot to one of the many kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi, outlets in the vicinity of Tokyo Station, catering to the tastes of Japanese commuters in a hurry. They will then grab a variety of items from the conveyor belt, based on a list written in Japanese, before they will receive their next clue.

To complete this task:
1) In this thread, research and choose 10 types of sushi.
You may not pick sushi that have already been chosen by other teams, unless they switch for another choice.

2) In this thread, post pictures of these sushi.

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What you must do:
1) Convert all your money to Japanese yen (JPY). Make sure to round up to the nearest whole number.
2) PM your choice of transport to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, making the appropriate monetary deductions to prove that you have enough cash for your option (e.g. if you have 20 USD, and a taxi ride costs 10 USD, you would now have 20 - 10 = 10 USD remaining). (You must do this before starting your Detour.)
3) Follow the relevant instructions for your Detour.
4) If you are going for the Fast Forward, please specify this in your PM and fulfill the necessary requirements for the FF.

You have 24 hours.