(no subject)
This brings us, finally, to Yesterday. Morning started with Sumo. Apparently its popularity has been waivering in Japan, so the school had a mess of tickets for us. I started with a very long and confusing trek across town to the arena. I walked in just as a match began, and took some pictures from low level before taking my seat in the nosebleeds. Honestly its pretty sweet. Its boring the way baseball is boring. Its about 5 minutes of neat traditional ceremony then about 15 seconds of electrically exciting fighting. Its really odd - they are reverant enough that there is nary an ad in the entire arena. Although not so reverant that there are no ads. Men walk around in traditional garb with traditional banners for ads between matches. Its nice that the advertisers make that effort - but its a little lost when the guy comes around with the Hello Kitty banner (no joke).
Forgive the lacking pictures - I took about two dozen - not many came out well.
We then had a gourment light vegetarian diner at this place Best of Tokyo mentioned. Same motivations - some Vegans amoung us. Basil wholewheat pasta with seaweed and eggplant - actually really good.
Then the question was raised - "so what do you guys want to do tonight".
So off to Roppongi we went......yet again.
Due to the convenience of the people living there, and the tastes of my peers in nightlife, they keep insisting on going there. This is the seediest (and only potentially dangerous) place I've been in Tokyo. The question "what do you want to do tonight" everyone keeps answering with Roppongi. Its fun, fine, but its all tourists. Its not exactly the immersion some of us are looking for. One other note - walk down the wrong street in this town and you get bombarded with offers for massages. Of course when you say no, they up what they are offering....... substantially. Again, not the happy ending I’m looking for. Luckily a growing faction of my peers feels the same way.
Side note - we passed a bar called "You Will Have A Hangover." We managed to wedge away a group that either wasn't in to the club scene, or who were but found themselves broke and exhausted after Friday night. First we hit one little hole in the wall laid back cocktail bar. Not cheap, but very cool. It was small and we pretty much had our run of the place. I couldn't figure out whether the bartender was happy with a large group of spending clients, or angry that the big group of gaijin was scaring his usual customers away. This was still on the outskirts of Roppongi, far from any street a tourist would frequent. But it was a cool view, we played some darts (which magically I was good at for some reason) and had a grand old time.
Then those of us from the past night suggested we jumped back to the same bar from Friday. There Ryo welcomed us, and we played a few more games of 3 on 3 darts that wouldn't embarrass the UN. (In citizenship terms) It was America, Poland, and Russia VS Mexico, Tawian, and America (me). We went 2 and 1.
2 am hit - and a second cab home for me.
Hence today I write this working down a good healthy hangover.
Forgive the lacking pictures - I took about two dozen - not many came out well.
We then had a gourment light vegetarian diner at this place Best of Tokyo mentioned. Same motivations - some Vegans amoung us. Basil wholewheat pasta with seaweed and eggplant - actually really good.
Then the question was raised - "so what do you guys want to do tonight".
So off to Roppongi we went......yet again.
Due to the convenience of the people living there, and the tastes of my peers in nightlife, they keep insisting on going there. This is the seediest (and only potentially dangerous) place I've been in Tokyo. The question "what do you want to do tonight" everyone keeps answering with Roppongi. Its fun, fine, but its all tourists. Its not exactly the immersion some of us are looking for. One other note - walk down the wrong street in this town and you get bombarded with offers for massages. Of course when you say no, they up what they are offering....... substantially. Again, not the happy ending I’m looking for. Luckily a growing faction of my peers feels the same way.
Side note - we passed a bar called "You Will Have A Hangover." We managed to wedge away a group that either wasn't in to the club scene, or who were but found themselves broke and exhausted after Friday night. First we hit one little hole in the wall laid back cocktail bar. Not cheap, but very cool. It was small and we pretty much had our run of the place. I couldn't figure out whether the bartender was happy with a large group of spending clients, or angry that the big group of gaijin was scaring his usual customers away. This was still on the outskirts of Roppongi, far from any street a tourist would frequent. But it was a cool view, we played some darts (which magically I was good at for some reason) and had a grand old time.
Then those of us from the past night suggested we jumped back to the same bar from Friday. There Ryo welcomed us, and we played a few more games of 3 on 3 darts that wouldn't embarrass the UN. (In citizenship terms) It was America, Poland, and Russia VS Mexico, Tawian, and America (me). We went 2 and 1.
2 am hit - and a second cab home for me.
Hence today I write this working down a good healthy hangover.