Shibuya, I thought we knew ya.
Waking up in Japan.
Asakusa, more accurately.
Maybe it's something to do with the two hour time lapse, but I've felt stoned for the last few mornings, for at least half an hour before I get into the day.
We landed at Narita airport on thursday morning. After we made it, hassle free through customs, and purchased our JR ticket, I walked out side to smoke my celebratory first cigarette in Japan. I was greeted by and ice-cold day, that was crisp and fresh, something like the Richmond air in the early morning.
We then Made the 45 min journey into Shinjuku by Japan rail to find a place we'd stumbled onto online that promised cheap accomodation. The first 20 mins of the trip were pleasant, and the windows boasted beautiful scenery and Japanese country side. From there on in the trains got more and more crowded, but eerily quiet, as no-one really spekas on the trains, and most everyone is fixated on their moblie phones. We were dreading having to push through all these people to alight at our stop, but once we arrived, we made it through hassle-free. Surprisingly, we navigated the streets quite well, and after a couple of hand signal conversations (it's amazing how much can be accomplished by make-shift sign language) we were where we thought we needed to be. sadly, the joint we'd found didn't take care of the minor accomodation requirements of those such as us any longer, so in our first true example of Japanese politeness and hospitality, one of the ladies who greeted us, walked us three blocks down to someone who might fufill our needs. We were greeted with 'hellos' and cups of green tea, and a gentleman named 'Onda' (Onda-san) made us an offer of an apartment, and drove us to it.
The place was in Shinjuku, about five minutes from Shibuya, but much to our dismay, was way out of our price range. Onda-san accepted this with no sign of dissapointment, and after the viewing, led us to a coffee shop across the road to drink, smoke and give us some tips. After some quick lessons in modest, basic communication, he dropped us literally in the middle of Shibuya square and waved goodbye.
We found a ledge to park our asses, and began plotting our destination, surrounded by s sea of people breezing past and a gaggle of foreign language. Amazing. A couple of phonecalls were made, no responses were given, so we decided to just head to Jimbocho via the Metro subway and try our luck at the Sakura Hotel. Luckily they had a twin share room available for the evening, so we booked it, shaved, showered and ventured out to eat. Yoshinoya restaurants are all over the place here, and I guess the menu is reliable and cheap, so we went with that. We noticed while walking, all around the alleyways and corners were bookstores, built like bookshelves into the walls, and some were manned, others appeared to work on a donation box. I wish I could read Japanese. Back to the room, stomach full, head exploding and bound for a 16 hour sleep.
Friday morning meant get up and get out. We were awake by about 7am, downstairs drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and looking for new premises and on our way to them by 9am.
We found two places, about two blocks shy of one another, and run by the same people in a place called Asakusa. Walking up the stairway from the underground Metro subway, we had no idea wht to expect, and more importantly weren't expecting anything. I think as I came above gound and took in the sky line, the grey air pierced by the sun, and buildings (one with an amazingly huge sculpture set upon it's roof, that could be best described as a giant chilli) is when it it me. Japan. We're in Japan. Undescribale unless you've felt something similar in a foriegn land, and I don't mean Penrith if you're from Hornsby. Khaosan Tokyo Smile was the name of the first joint we booked into, which could only offer us two nights accomodation, but their sister lodge, Khaosan Tokyo Annex had us covered for the rest of the week. We had sone time to kill before we could get into our storage cupboard of a room, so we walked across the Komagatabashi Bridge to the Kaminarimon Gate, which is the 'main' entry to the markets (Nakamise dori) which domiante the area in the middle of Asakusa leading up to the Demboin Temple. The toys, food and atnosphere were all unique to this country, and more specifically this city. Amazing, it was hard to not walk around a little wide-eyed. We managed to hold off spending, re-assuring ourselves we'll come back before we leave, and made the walk back to our rooms.
We decided to head into Tokyo on friday night. Unless there are some spots we didn't stumble on, we found it to be pretty much a business city, with not alot going on besides eating and expensive suit wearing. This was my deduction at but a glance, and I'm sure ther was more to it, but we didn't have the time to really explore as the train lines shut early, and from what we could see, the city didn't have much to offer us. As we were walking back to our hotel, Talia said 'Tokyo is balls', and I thought that was the coolest shit I'd heard. 'Tokyo is balls'. We are in Japan, and we just went to Tokyo and formed an first hand opinion of it. 'Tokyo is balls'. Yes.
Saturday was a good day. I hadn't purchased a camera for my trip, and I'd intentionally held it off until we were able to go to 'Electric City', a place called Akihabara.
With every day this country gets better. The Metro subway is super effecient, and makes getting around easy and comfortable, so getting to Akihabara was no sweat. Upon arrival, we walked backwards around the block and stumbled into some 8 level super electronic building and our heads exploded. People EVERYWHERE, floors and floors of every kind of electronic device one could barely imagine, and all for what seemed like ridiculously low prices, until we discovered they were mostly Japanese only makes. We left the buzzing tower of electrical goods (after continually grinning and shaking our heads in disbelief at the range and sophistication of what was on offer), and trekked through a walk-way to the real-deal Electric City. We snaked through and out of a white noise wind tunnel and out into an open mall enclosed by looming 20-something-and-then-some story buildings draped with neon lights, people buzzing to and fro, spruikers, mostly women in rubber dresses outside of huge electronic retailers (the dresses generally matched the colour scheme of the stores) handing out flyers printed on tissue packets, and my favourite: fetish-style japanese girls dressed as nuns and maids handing out flyers for massage parlours. It was a future human zoo.
We price compared for a few hours, going back and forth, getting quotes on the Sony Cyber-shots we so desired (one black, one white, hot shit). On one cigarette break, we sat outside the back door of a restaurant, and watched a small crew of street cats (soo many in japan, and they all seem to have lost most of their tails! Poor kitties), be the cutest they could be and work a little for the food that the chef was lovingly giving them in small doses. We also broached the subject of universal cat tongue. Do they speak the same language world-wide?
Anyway, there was some white guy who happened to be at most of the places we were at the same time, apparently looking for the same gear, and when we had sat down for a coffee break to decide if we were to go with the best offer we'd been given (which didn't include a white camera in the deal) we spotted him walking past our window clutching an AKKY Duty Free bag. I ran outside to ask him how he'd scored and he gave me the prices he'd bargained, but had trouble remembering where.
I didn't blame him.
Talias keen eyes had read the bag he was holding, and we were off on the search for low-low prices. Again, Eagle-eyes-Emsalem spotted the store and five minutes later we had walked out with what we wanted and a little more. Being the old folk we are, we decided such an adventurous day required some nap time, so we went back to 'Smile' to change rooms (the room we'd had the night prior was already pre-booked) and slept for a few hours. We were given a dorm room that sleeps four, but we only had to share it with some Brazillian guy who informed me that he likes girls who aren't 'sick' because he likes to make the sex without 'preservatives'. Dirty bird.
That evening (still saturday) we decided to just get to the Metro and pick soemwher to go. Ueno won. But it sorely lost upon arrival. It was our first glimpse of the ' seedy', dirty side of Japan. Up until now, everything had been super clean, excessively polite, and non-threatening. This place seemed to be a haven for drunks, homeless people and 'slot' players. Rows and rows of clubs filled with these spaced out slot-stylle machines, and folk hunched over them. i heard soemwhere that there was no money to be won off them, but it still appeared to be an addiction. I think people just like chance games, no matter where or what. After seeing all we felt we needed to, Talia made the call to go to Shibuya. I was a little reluctant as it was late, and I didn't like our chances of crossing town, checking out some night crimes in Shibuya and making back before the trains stopped. We went ahead with it anyhow.
Shibuya was wild, and for the night, so far it's my fave. Not a whole bunch of tourists (like ourselves), busy as all hell, and a little dirty, so you know there are some surprises if you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to find them. The whole place was lit up in neon, huge TV screens all over and people, masses of people. Young guys trying to get fresh, crews just hanging out, it was great. We'd been trying to find some live music. Hip-Hop, Punk-rock, whatever, but everyone we questioned (generally folks who looked like stoners, fresh kids or just those who knew what was 'up') had no idea where to send us.
Apparently house and break-beat is the deal here.
No sweat though, we got some directions to a sound system and headed there, but on the way got side-tracked by an inviting mega store, the name of it escapes me but this place was again like nothing else I'd ever seen. A maze of clothing, of all kinds, puffy jackets, adidas tracksuits, underwear, and 500 -100-plus dollar suits, alongside beer and groceries, drugs and two floors of everything else you might need for your home, car, or mountain escape. Really, everything you might need, was in there.
We constantly in awe of some of the advertisements, products and such that lose, or more likely gain a little something in the adaption for Japan. Like washing powder called 'Downy' with a picture of a questionable kid on the package. Cruel but funny none the less. Underwear brand 'Black Man' wins though. I bought a 12 dollar hoodie and some dark chocolate. Great.
We went next door, ate some Freshness Burger (which was actually no so fresh) but I could drink beer and smoke a cigarette in there (like most eateries in Japan, amazing) waited a little for digestion, and missed our train. It was funny to see so many people running and laughing, trying to make the last train. Like ants running into their holes before the rain wipes them out. I threw a hissy fit and made mad-faces at Talia until we were in a cab, (an expensive cab) and heading back to Asakusa. On the walk back from the main street to the hostel, we saw an ambulance loading a body in a sheet into the back. There are so many bike riders here, and one of them didn't see the night out. We crossed the back of the ambulance, and blood was still freshly trailing down the gutter from the huge puddle in the middle of the crossing, i guess where he/she's head hit the floor. Blood looks strange in large pools when it's drying after it's contact with the night air.
Night over.
So today is sunday. Four days in, and never let down. We changed hostels from 'Smile' to 'Annex', and again had to wait a few hours until we could check in, so we figured today was a good a day as any to head to Harajuku, and see where Gwen Stefani steals her ideas (and crew) from.
I've already written a novel, so I'll get back to today at the end of tomorrow... or something.
It's time for dinner and scrabble.
Here are some pics:
*Notice the Kittie is crying.
*Kaminarimon Gate, which I by all the strength of Valhalla am supporting.
*Talias hair is also strong, and shoots rays of light that support the giant lamp. Beware her hair.
*Actual Musashi.
*Lessons for the young. These should be compulsory school uniforms.
*Actual tourist.