Just writing to let anybody who reads this know that, due to our (my) stupidity, the charger for the laptop was left in Sapporo. We got into contact with the hostel, and they are going to send it to Kyoto, but it won't get here 'til Friday. As there is only 10% battery life left at the moment there will probably be no posts until then - by then we will have racked up a backlog of 5 days, so expect an epic one (unless we make one from a net cafe, or find a charger to borrow)
- Dan
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Day Seven: Sapporo (Winter Blunderland, Or: In the Court of the Ramen King)
This is going to be a relatively short post; we didn't really get up to much due to some pretty intense snow. It's ironic that our enjoyment of this wintery city, during a time period known as the "Snow Festival," would be so marred by the very thing we came here to enjoy (that being snow). Maybe it's not irony, actually, but I'm not changing that sentence.
So the snow kept us more or less penned into the hostel for most of the day. We only ventured out to get lunch, and that simply involved us taking the subway to an underground food court and shopping centre. Winter hit us full-on the face though when we headed out to try and find some bookshop that I wanted to visit. It was totally worth it, though, because they had The Economist! In English and everything! (Do not ask me what I paid for it.)
The evening was a bit more eventful. We braved the snow once more to head back to Ramen Alley. The weather was cold, and the reception we got was chilly (see what I did there?). A couple of places refused to seat us, for reasons we weren't entirely sure of. Were they closing? Did they not like Westerners? Did that lady who kept giving us the stink-eye on the train call ahead and tell them to turn us away? If it was the latter, someone didn't get the memo because eventually we found a tiny 8-seat place run by this great old guy who was very friendly. He didn't speak any English, but we managed to chat a bit and ask him for a photo. It was one of a few positive encounters that we had entirely in Japanese without the local having to resort to broken English.
We took photos of the ice sculptures afterwards. Daniel was in full "professional" mode, making Ali hold an umbrella over him to protect his precious camera from the elements. The snow died down then and we headed back to the Odori site for pictures of the snow sculptures at night. Then it started snowing again. We ran back as fast as we could.
One note - I owe an apology to Mr. Donut. I think I mocked him in an earlier post. His donuts are alright.
We're now into our final day in Sapporo - we do the nightmare journey in reverse this time, taking three trains overnight back to Tokyo before heading on to Kyoto. Hopefully it's an easier trip heading back the other way, but I'm not prepared to bet on it.
-Nik
So the snow kept us more or less penned into the hostel for most of the day. We only ventured out to get lunch, and that simply involved us taking the subway to an underground food court and shopping centre. Winter hit us full-on the face though when we headed out to try and find some bookshop that I wanted to visit. It was totally worth it, though, because they had The Economist! In English and everything! (Do not ask me what I paid for it.)
The evening was a bit more eventful. We braved the snow once more to head back to Ramen Alley. The weather was cold, and the reception we got was chilly (see what I did there?). A couple of places refused to seat us, for reasons we weren't entirely sure of. Were they closing? Did they not like Westerners? Did that lady who kept giving us the stink-eye on the train call ahead and tell them to turn us away? If it was the latter, someone didn't get the memo because eventually we found a tiny 8-seat place run by this great old guy who was very friendly. He didn't speak any English, but we managed to chat a bit and ask him for a photo. It was one of a few positive encounters that we had entirely in Japanese without the local having to resort to broken English.
We took photos of the ice sculptures afterwards. Daniel was in full "professional" mode, making Ali hold an umbrella over him to protect his precious camera from the elements. The snow died down then and we headed back to the Odori site for pictures of the snow sculptures at night. Then it started snowing again. We ran back as fast as we could.
One note - I owe an apology to Mr. Donut. I think I mocked him in an earlier post. His donuts are alright.
We're now into our final day in Sapporo - we do the nightmare journey in reverse this time, taking three trains overnight back to Tokyo before heading on to Kyoto. Hopefully it's an easier trip heading back the other way, but I'm not prepared to bet on it.
-Nik
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Day Six: Sapporo (A wild Articuno appears!)
As Daniel alluded to, our arrival in Sapporo was bracing to say the least. It seems odd that a train station which accepted so many overnight passengers was wholly unable to accommodate them in any way. So we sat in that godforsaken unheated terminal until some chain cafe opened at 7am.* We stayed in there for three hours, subsisting on their breakfast menu which seemed to largely consist of ham and cheese sandwiches and hot dogs. Before our eyes, Sapporo transformed from some darkened, snowed-in hellhole into a sleek, modern and quite beautiful city (literally – that cafe had a pretty good view).
Feeling a bit better about the place, we ventured forth to our hostel, which is actually really nice. It’s a lot like the city around it: well-organised, clean and relatively new. Our room is 8 tatami mats big, and we use traditional Japanese bedding and furniture. When we first arrived, it was very nice: serene, quaint and clean. Now it looks like this:
First order of business was obvious. We headed to Odori Park, a series of block-sized green spaces in the centre of the city, to catch a glimpse of the major sculptures of the 60th Annual Sapporo Snow Festival. Some had recently copped a fresh snowfall and were looking a little the worse for wear, but others were just spectacular. Monuments to Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic bid, recreations of castles and temples, a whole heap of Disney characters; there was so much going on that it was just nuts. And we made it through the whole thing without stacking it, so that was a plus.
After regrouping at the hostel, we headed out for dinner. Our goal was to seek out “ramen alley” which is exactly what it sounds like: a tiny laneway packed on either side by small noodle joints. The fact that it was snowing heavily didn’t help matters, which was unfortunate because the area was also exhibiting ice sculptures as part of the festival. Hopefully we’ll get some better pics tomorrow.
We’re in Sapporo for (effectively) two more days before we hop a train to Kyoto via Tokyo. Hopefully the journey is easier to do in reverse. In the meantime, though, this is a nice place to spend some time. The hostel is great, there’s wacky snow sculptures everywhere, fresh snow daily and some excellent food options. All is well.
-Nik
*My dad asked if the cappuccinos were up to scratch. To answer your question, I would not know. Coffee culture in Japan leaves something to be desired. It seems to be left largely in the hands of chains like Starbucks and something called Mr. Donut. I walked past one outlet in Tokyo where a sign proudly announced the arrival of their “new” latte coffee. Since then, I have been too terrified to order anything that resembles an espresso from a menu, especially when I can’t see the relevant machinery anywhere behind the counter.
Feeling a bit better about the place, we ventured forth to our hostel, which is actually really nice. It’s a lot like the city around it: well-organised, clean and relatively new. Our room is 8 tatami mats big, and we use traditional Japanese bedding and furniture. When we first arrived, it was very nice: serene, quaint and clean. Now it looks like this:
First order of business was obvious. We headed to Odori Park, a series of block-sized green spaces in the centre of the city, to catch a glimpse of the major sculptures of the 60th Annual Sapporo Snow Festival. Some had recently copped a fresh snowfall and were looking a little the worse for wear, but others were just spectacular. Monuments to Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic bid, recreations of castles and temples, a whole heap of Disney characters; there was so much going on that it was just nuts. And we made it through the whole thing without stacking it, so that was a plus.
After regrouping at the hostel, we headed out for dinner. Our goal was to seek out “ramen alley” which is exactly what it sounds like: a tiny laneway packed on either side by small noodle joints. The fact that it was snowing heavily didn’t help matters, which was unfortunate because the area was also exhibiting ice sculptures as part of the festival. Hopefully we’ll get some better pics tomorrow.
We’re in Sapporo for (effectively) two more days before we hop a train to Kyoto via Tokyo. Hopefully the journey is easier to do in reverse. In the meantime, though, this is a nice place to spend some time. The hostel is great, there’s wacky snow sculptures everywhere, fresh snow daily and some excellent food options. All is well.
-Nik
*My dad asked if the cappuccinos were up to scratch. To answer your question, I would not know. Coffee culture in Japan leaves something to be desired. It seems to be left largely in the hands of chains like Starbucks and something called Mr. Donut. I walked past one outlet in Tokyo where a sign proudly announced the arrival of their “new” latte coffee. Since then, I have been too terrified to order anything that resembles an espresso from a menu, especially when I can’t see the relevant machinery anywhere behind the counter.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Still Alive
Despite the best efforts of Hokkaido’s bitter winter and the lack of heating in Sapporo station, we managed to survive long enough to take shelter in a cafe. We then proceeded to stay in said cafe for a good 3 hours, occasionally buying stuff from the incredibly friendly staff (who simultaneously said “Arigato Gozaimas!” when anything was purchased). We are now in the lobby of the Youth Hostel, buying strange drinks from the vending machine and uploading photos, whilst Nik meticulously plans our days here in Sapporo.
Just a quick note: the reason why these posts are coming in clumps is because we are writing them as documents and then scavenging for unsecured wireless networks so we may post them.
- Dan
Just a quick note: the reason why these posts are coming in clumps is because we are writing them as documents and then scavenging for unsecured wireless networks so we may post them.
- Dan
Day Four/Five: Tokyo/Transit (Narrow Road to the Deep North)
This post is being written from Car One of a Shinkansen train. Shinkansen is a Japanese word that means “fast and comfortable train”. I have already looked over the followers list and have determined that none of you can prove me wrong quickly, so just take my word for it. Where this will ultimately be published from is another matter altogether. We’re bound for Sapporo, a city on the north island of Hokkaido famous for its snow festival, noodles and beer. It may be famous for other things, but they don’t concern us.
The journey involves taking three trains over a 12-hour period. We’re on the first of these now. We should arrive by 6am, just in time for it to still be incredibly freaking cold. I’m looking forward to it. If you’re reading this on the blog, we made it safe and sound. If you’re reading this from data fragments recovered from a frozen laptop hard drive, something else happened. Here’s hoping its the former.
So as we while away this long night, allow me to share with you some of what we got up to on our last couple of days in Tokyo.
The journey involves taking three trains over a 12-hour period. We’re on the first of these now. We should arrive by 6am, just in time for it to still be incredibly freaking cold. I’m looking forward to it. If you’re reading this on the blog, we made it safe and sound. If you’re reading this from data fragments recovered from a frozen laptop hard drive, something else happened. Here’s hoping its the former.
So as we while away this long night, allow me to share with you some of what we got up to on our last couple of days in Tokyo.
IT WAS LIKE HAVING ZARAH WITH ME, BUT NOT IN A GOOD WAY
On Wednesday we got off to a late start. This was despite the fact that our roommate got off to quite an early one. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice. From there we headed into Shimo-Kitozawa, a weird series of small streets packed with clothes shops and tiny restaurants. It was fun, even if we did visit just about every shoe store with the Nike tick out front (hence the title). But it had a good feel about it, and it was a nice place to hang out for a while. Daniel and Ali bought sushi bento boxes for lunch, and we sat on a small wall near a rail line crossing as they ate them. The sight of the two white guys eating sushi was funny enough for a few of the locals to remark about it; they seemed quite amused. Daniel really got into it, ordering a box meant for two people and wolfing it down, proclaiming vigorously how good it was. He would later complain of nausea.
Next we went to Harajuku. It wasn’t Sunday so the weird parade-thing wasn’t happening, but we found plenty to amuse ourselves with. Steph met us near the station and we headed into the shrine and gardens established in memory of Emperor Meiji, the monarch who oversaw Japan’s industrialisation and integration into the wider world. We walked through the park, visited the shrine itself and made our way to the treasure museum. It was closed, but the view was pretty. The rest of Harajuku was pretty unremarkable; much the same collection of shops and chain restaurants that dotted a lot of other upscale districts we had visited. We did find another awesome toy store though, which was nice.
That night we decided to go western for dinner. We found out that there was a Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi, but we were unenthused at the prospect of a long train ride. Luckily for us, there was another one two stops away! Located inside the train station! Score!
The next day (in story terms) or today (in writing terms) or yesterday (in publishing terms) or the day in question (at the inquiry into the recovery of frozen laptop) was my last in Tokyo (Daniel and Ali head back towards the end of their trip), so we used it to cross a few things off our list. That meant getting up at 5am to make our way to the famous Tsujiki fish markets, a bizarre and chaotic daily grind as people descend on a warehouse to buy fresh seafood of every variety imaginable. Huge tunas, fresh octopus, a wide variety of things I didn’t know you could eat. It’s hard to describe accurately. Pictures don’t catch the mad crush of tiny vehicles moving through the crowded aisles, and I’m not nearly a good enough writer to capture the smells and sounds of the place. I will say, though, that I have respect for these people: they do this every day, and get it done despite the fact that Western tourists seem to make it as difficult as possible for that to happen.
After that, we checked out and looked for a way to wind down the 7 hours between then and our train. To that end, we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. I suggested the Tokyo National Museum, but Daniel assured me that he heard that the Edo-Tokyo Museum was the best in the city. Since we never made it to the Tokyo National, I can claim that he is wrong even though the museum was pretty cool. A series of exhibits chart the course of Tokyo from a fishing village to the seat of feudal military power under the Tokugawa Shogunate to a modern metropolis and capital. Lots of cool stuff. The Edo-Tokyo Museum also housed Tokyo’s largest collection of wind, it seems. It was like standing on the top of a mountain as we waited for the escalator into the building. Yet another strike against Daniel’s judgment. The remainder of the day was spent wandering around a park in Ueno, where we checked out some of the shrines that dot the place and watched some street performers. And that’s it. Now we’re on the train. Soon we will transfer to a one hour train and then again to a seven hour one. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Post-Journey Update: We transferred to two other trains, a Tsugaru and a Hamansu which are apparently Japanese for "slow and not-so-comfortable trains". We made it nonetheless. First thoughts on Sapporo: it's freaking cold.
-Nik
Next we went to Harajuku. It wasn’t Sunday so the weird parade-thing wasn’t happening, but we found plenty to amuse ourselves with. Steph met us near the station and we headed into the shrine and gardens established in memory of Emperor Meiji, the monarch who oversaw Japan’s industrialisation and integration into the wider world. We walked through the park, visited the shrine itself and made our way to the treasure museum. It was closed, but the view was pretty. The rest of Harajuku was pretty unremarkable; much the same collection of shops and chain restaurants that dotted a lot of other upscale districts we had visited. We did find another awesome toy store though, which was nice.
That night we decided to go western for dinner. We found out that there was a Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi, but we were unenthused at the prospect of a long train ride. Luckily for us, there was another one two stops away! Located inside the train station! Score!
THE MUSEUM OF WIND
The next day (in story terms) or today (in writing terms) or yesterday (in publishing terms) or the day in question (at the inquiry into the recovery of frozen laptop) was my last in Tokyo (Daniel and Ali head back towards the end of their trip), so we used it to cross a few things off our list. That meant getting up at 5am to make our way to the famous Tsujiki fish markets, a bizarre and chaotic daily grind as people descend on a warehouse to buy fresh seafood of every variety imaginable. Huge tunas, fresh octopus, a wide variety of things I didn’t know you could eat. It’s hard to describe accurately. Pictures don’t catch the mad crush of tiny vehicles moving through the crowded aisles, and I’m not nearly a good enough writer to capture the smells and sounds of the place. I will say, though, that I have respect for these people: they do this every day, and get it done despite the fact that Western tourists seem to make it as difficult as possible for that to happen.
After that, we checked out and looked for a way to wind down the 7 hours between then and our train. To that end, we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. I suggested the Tokyo National Museum, but Daniel assured me that he heard that the Edo-Tokyo Museum was the best in the city. Since we never made it to the Tokyo National, I can claim that he is wrong even though the museum was pretty cool. A series of exhibits chart the course of Tokyo from a fishing village to the seat of feudal military power under the Tokugawa Shogunate to a modern metropolis and capital. Lots of cool stuff. The Edo-Tokyo Museum also housed Tokyo’s largest collection of wind, it seems. It was like standing on the top of a mountain as we waited for the escalator into the building. Yet another strike against Daniel’s judgment. The remainder of the day was spent wandering around a park in Ueno, where we checked out some of the shrines that dot the place and watched some street performers. And that’s it. Now we’re on the train. Soon we will transfer to a one hour train and then again to a seven hour one. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Post-Journey Update: We transferred to two other trains, a Tsugaru and a Hamansu which are apparently Japanese for "slow and not-so-comfortable trains". We made it nonetheless. First thoughts on Sapporo: it's freaking cold.
-Nik
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Ancient Japanese Art
As I mentioned in the earlier post, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Karaoke in Tokyo was a once in a lifetime experience (especially given the price we paid for it), and featured many a cringe-worthy moment whenever one of us took to the mic.
Ali's "Highlights"
1. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart" Joy Division
2. 'Changes' David Bowie
3. 'Paint It Black' The Rolling Stones
Daniel's "Highlights"
1. 'London Calling' The Clash
2. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" Joy Division
3. 'My Generation' The Who
Nik's Highlights
1. 'I Would Do Anything For Love' Meat Loaf
2. 'Welcome to the Black Parade' My Chemical Romance
3. 'Tonight Tonight' The Smashing Pumpkins
A thoroughly shameful evening, especially given the high standards set by the rest of our group. But our unique mix of classic rock and not much else at all provided plenty of lol-worthy moments. I like to think that my raspy tribute to MCR that rounded out the night (my voice was well and truly gone by that point) was a fitting end to the evening. In the end, it cost us an arm and a leg for the two hours we spent in that 7th storey booth in Shibuya, but it was worth every yen.
-Nik
Ali's "Highlights"
1. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart" Joy Division
2. 'Changes' David Bowie
3. 'Paint It Black' The Rolling Stones
Daniel's "Highlights"
1. 'London Calling' The Clash
2. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" Joy Division
3. 'My Generation' The Who
Nik's Highlights
1. 'I Would Do Anything For Love' Meat Loaf
2. 'Welcome to the Black Parade' My Chemical Romance
3. 'Tonight Tonight' The Smashing Pumpkins
A thoroughly shameful evening, especially given the high standards set by the rest of our group. But our unique mix of classic rock and not much else at all provided plenty of lol-worthy moments. I like to think that my raspy tribute to MCR that rounded out the night (my voice was well and truly gone by that point) was a fitting end to the evening. In the end, it cost us an arm and a leg for the two hours we spent in that 7th storey booth in Shibuya, but it was worth every yen.
-Nik
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Day Two/Three: Tokyo (Or: From Every Kind of Man Obedience I Expect)
Here we continue our semi-regular updates on what we've been up to around Tokyo. It's been an interesting couple of days - we've gotten around, seen the sights, met up with friends, established a nemesis (don't bother asking. All will be revealed in due course) and done a whole bunch of other stuff.
Let's go back to the beginning. Tuesday was a rough start. Our alarm sounded for a solid 10/15 minutes before anyone moved on it, much to the annoyance of our roommate. Ali had a bad night because he barely slept on the plane. Berri had a bad night because I snored or something (I deny it). I actually slept fine, but I did not want to get up. We headed out to our first stop for the day: the Imperial Palace. We made our way through the imposing Kiyo-Mon gate and then walked around the grounds. The tour itself was an up-and-down kind of experience. There were some great sights and moments, like this:
But occasionally we would lose our place in the English-language tour recording we were using, and a lot of the locations described were not included in the tour. We did not even get to see the rice paddy where the Emperor himself plants and harvests his own crop every year. Nonetheless, a pretty good time was had by all.
Next up was Ginza, perhaps the most exclusive high-end shopping district in Tokyo. The main street of the area was lined with top-range department stores and huge shops for pretty much every major fashion brand in existence. But, given the time, before exploring all of this we decided to get lunch. This led us on an epic journey from one end of the area to the other in search of a place that a guidebook assured us was the best noodle place in Tokyo. As self-proclaimed connoisseurs of this kind of thing, we made every effort to seek this place out. Every effort. That is no joke. We were well and truly lost in an area that wasn’t really more than four blocks deep in any direction and bounded on two sides by train lines. Eventually we caved, but it took a long time to reach that point.
Anyway, to the rest: Ginza was shiny and bright and it probably would have bankrupted us to enter any of the freaking stores. But we did visit a huge toy store that was pretty interesting.
We headed back to Shibuya for the evening. Our objective: meet up with Steph and Amanda Wong. That mission was accomplished relatively easily i.e. we left the station and there they were.
From there we went to dinner. After a hostile reception at one restaurant and a lack of consensus about several others, we sat down to what turned out to be an excellent meal. After that we went back into the middle of the district in search of Street Fighter IV once again. We failed, but that led to an interesting development: I ran into Jun Neki, a guy I went to high school with. It is a very, very small world.
After that slightly bewildering encounter, we met up with Lockie, a friend of Steph and Amanda and a semi-native of Tokyo. He would be our guide and mentor for the next phase of our journey through the culture of Japan...karaoke.
Ahh, karaoke... what can I say? There were many high points (Lockie singing Franz Ferdinand), and many more low ones (me singing My Chemical Romance). There was a fair bit in between as well. It was two hours packed with revelations: Ali, despite his strong reluctance to sing, could not help himself after about 3 minutes in the booth. I am actually not as good as Freddy Mercury at singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” and it doesn’t matter how hard I try to prove otherwise. Daniel is a mean duet partner.
By the time we left, our wallets were significantly lighter – something to do with having ventured into a more expensive time period. The night didn’t end there, though. Our love of the empty orchestra (apparently that’s what it means) meant that we missed pretty much all the trains. Getting home was an interesting experience, accomplished via a mix of trains we didn’t want to take and taxis we didn’t want to pay for.
We now skip ahead one day. We got going (relatively) quickly despite the previous night’s shenanigans. That left us free to get on with the day’s main event: the Ghibli Museum, a wondrous tribute to the works of Studio Ghibli, who are responsible for Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and My Neighbour Tortoro amongst other creations. The museum is a weird place – exhibitions about the creative process are crammed into tiny rooms; there are holes in the walls that small children occasionally emerge from, their original locations unknown; there was a room with a giant catbus in it. Plus, there was a robot on the roof. Not being a huge Ghibli fan, I didn’t understand a decent proportion of what I saw but it was cool nonetheless.
It did not disappoint. To get in, we had to go through a rather elaborate procedure involving disinfectant, a long list of instructions and a door system resembling an airlock. But then we were free to experience everything that Neko Ja La La had to offer. There were something like 15 cats in the room, ranging from a tiny Abyssinian to a huge beast of a cat that seemed to rule over the others like a king. I’m not joking. He was huge. He was on par with a decent-sized dog. Daniel said he could have probably ridden the thing and I believe him. The cats didn’t seem to like us too much, save for one who became really attached to the end of my jeans for some reason, but I think we got our money’s worth.
Next up was Shinjuku, the business centre of Tokyo. We met up with Steph and wandered aimlessly for a while before heading to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a massive twin skyscraper that has free viewing platforms on the 45th floor of each tower. The view from the top was pretty spectacular, especially at night. The glass and bright interior lighting didn’t make for good photos, though, which was a bit unfortunate.
After that, we went back to Akihabara for – what else? – Street Fighter IV. It was an embarrassing affair this time. We were playing real people instead of the computer, and we were thrashed pretty comprehensively. And yet, I have no doubt that we will do it all again in short order.
Anyway, that provides some sense of what we’ve been up to. This is our last full day in Tokyo together (caveats are because we’re here Friday until 6pm, and Daniel and Ali will be back towards the end of the month). I’ll post again soon.
-Nik
OVER THERE, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE EMPEROR FARMS AND CATCHES HIS POKEMONS. IN ALL OF JAPAN, ONLY HE HAS CAUGHT THEM ALL
Let's go back to the beginning. Tuesday was a rough start. Our alarm sounded for a solid 10/15 minutes before anyone moved on it, much to the annoyance of our roommate. Ali had a bad night because he barely slept on the plane. Berri had a bad night because I snored or something (I deny it). I actually slept fine, but I did not want to get up. We headed out to our first stop for the day: the Imperial Palace. We made our way through the imposing Kiyo-Mon gate and then walked around the grounds. The tour itself was an up-and-down kind of experience. There were some great sights and moments, like this:
But occasionally we would lose our place in the English-language tour recording we were using, and a lot of the locations described were not included in the tour. We did not even get to see the rice paddy where the Emperor himself plants and harvests his own crop every year. Nonetheless, a pretty good time was had by all.
THERE ARE NO FEWER THAN THREE TIFFANY & CO. STORES ON THIS STREET
Next up was Ginza, perhaps the most exclusive high-end shopping district in Tokyo. The main street of the area was lined with top-range department stores and huge shops for pretty much every major fashion brand in existence. But, given the time, before exploring all of this we decided to get lunch. This led us on an epic journey from one end of the area to the other in search of a place that a guidebook assured us was the best noodle place in Tokyo. As self-proclaimed connoisseurs of this kind of thing, we made every effort to seek this place out. Every effort. That is no joke. We were well and truly lost in an area that wasn’t really more than four blocks deep in any direction and bounded on two sides by train lines. Eventually we caved, but it took a long time to reach that point.
Anyway, to the rest: Ginza was shiny and bright and it probably would have bankrupted us to enter any of the freaking stores. But we did visit a huge toy store that was pretty interesting.
MEET THE WONGS
We headed back to Shibuya for the evening. Our objective: meet up with Steph and Amanda Wong. That mission was accomplished relatively easily i.e. we left the station and there they were.
From there we went to dinner. After a hostile reception at one restaurant and a lack of consensus about several others, we sat down to what turned out to be an excellent meal. After that we went back into the middle of the district in search of Street Fighter IV once again. We failed, but that led to an interesting development: I ran into Jun Neki, a guy I went to high school with. It is a very, very small world.
After that slightly bewildering encounter, we met up with Lockie, a friend of Steph and Amanda and a semi-native of Tokyo. He would be our guide and mentor for the next phase of our journey through the culture of Japan...karaoke.
WHAT KIND OF KARAOKE PLACE DOESN’T HAVE “ROCKET MAN”?
Ahh, karaoke... what can I say? There were many high points (Lockie singing Franz Ferdinand), and many more low ones (me singing My Chemical Romance). There was a fair bit in between as well. It was two hours packed with revelations: Ali, despite his strong reluctance to sing, could not help himself after about 3 minutes in the booth. I am actually not as good as Freddy Mercury at singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” and it doesn’t matter how hard I try to prove otherwise. Daniel is a mean duet partner.
By the time we left, our wallets were significantly lighter – something to do with having ventured into a more expensive time period. The night didn’t end there, though. Our love of the empty orchestra (apparently that’s what it means) meant that we missed pretty much all the trains. Getting home was an interesting experience, accomplished via a mix of trains we didn’t want to take and taxis we didn’t want to pay for.
THIS PLACE RUNS ON MAGIC, I SWEAR
WAITER! THERE'S A CAT IN MY SOUP
Neko Ja La La is a cat cafe. That is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a small one-room drinking establishment where a whole bunch of cats roam freely around, interacting with the guests or just ignoring them and going about their business. Needless to say, we had to go. It did not disappoint. To get in, we had to go through a rather elaborate procedure involving disinfectant, a long list of instructions and a door system resembling an airlock. But then we were free to experience everything that Neko Ja La La had to offer. There were something like 15 cats in the room, ranging from a tiny Abyssinian to a huge beast of a cat that seemed to rule over the others like a king. I’m not joking. He was huge. He was on par with a decent-sized dog. Daniel said he could have probably ridden the thing and I believe him. The cats didn’t seem to like us too much, save for one who became really attached to the end of my jeans for some reason, but I think we got our money’s worth.
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Next up was Shinjuku, the business centre of Tokyo. We met up with Steph and wandered aimlessly for a while before heading to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a massive twin skyscraper that has free viewing platforms on the 45th floor of each tower. The view from the top was pretty spectacular, especially at night. The glass and bright interior lighting didn’t make for good photos, though, which was a bit unfortunate.
After that, we went back to Akihabara for – what else? – Street Fighter IV. It was an embarrassing affair this time. We were playing real people instead of the computer, and we were thrashed pretty comprehensively. And yet, I have no doubt that we will do it all again in short order.
Anyway, that provides some sense of what we’ve been up to. This is our last full day in Tokyo together (caveats are because we’re here Friday until 6pm, and Daniel and Ali will be back towards the end of the month). I’ll post again soon.
-Nik
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