So I am headed to Tokyo in a few weeks. I know many of you have been there. Any advice on must-see spots? Particularly knowing that we are electronics and video game nerds?
Akihabara, of course. Geek city. Well worth the train ride, and always an interesting experience. Lots of electronics shops and such. Good sushi, if you're willing to look in some unusual places. And, if you're stuck with nerds, there are the maid cafes where the waitresses dress up like anime characters-- a bit creepy for my tastes, but my friends have convinced me to eat there more than once...
Also: there's a guy right outside the Akihabara train station who sells puzzles-- little metal jangly thingies, not jigsaw. He's been there for years. I have a ritual of buying one of his puzzles every time I go to Aki. I suggest you develop the same ritual-- the puzzles are fun, and the dude has serious carny-style sales skills. The conversation alone is worth the money. He's awesome.
And-- congratulations! You're headed to Japan during peak "climbing Mt. Fuji" season! A bit later in the year, it would be too cold. A bit earlier in the year, it would be too cold. But you, intrepid Lieutenant, have the opportunity to earn your Fuji Stick!
CLIMB the beautiful mountain that figures in so much literature and artwork that you'll feel cultured for scrambling over its very rocks!
PAY the 200-300 yen or so at each station to get your stick branded with the station you've surpassed!
TRY not to get hypoxic!
BUY a travel-sized bottle of Suntory whiskey to enjoy at the top! (Remember, you don't want to over-do it-- especially at altitude-- but a little celebration is fun.)
REMEMBER the old military superstition: those who refuse to climb Mt. Fuji are destined to come back to Japan until they do so. Those who *do* climb Mt. Fuji, however, are unlikely to ever see its majesty again.
Also: there's a guy right outside the Akihabara train station who sells puzzles-- little metal jangly thingies, not jigsaw. He's been there for years. I have a ritual of buying one of his puzzles every time I go to Aki. I suggest you develop the same ritual-- the puzzles are fun, and the dude has serious carny-style sales skills. The conversation alone is worth the money. He's awesome.
And-- congratulations! You're headed to Japan during peak "climbing Mt. Fuji" season! A bit later in the year, it would be too cold. A bit earlier in the year, it would be too cold. But you, intrepid Lieutenant, have the opportunity to earn your Fuji Stick!
CLIMB the beautiful mountain that figures in so much literature and artwork that you'll feel cultured for scrambling over its very rocks!
PAY the 200-300 yen or so at each station to get your stick branded with the station you've surpassed!
TRY not to get hypoxic!
BUY a travel-sized bottle of Suntory whiskey to enjoy at the top! (Remember, you don't want to over-do it-- especially at altitude-- but a little celebration is fun.)
REMEMBER the old military superstition: those who refuse to climb Mt. Fuji are destined to come back to Japan until they do so. Those who *do* climb Mt. Fuji, however, are unlikely to ever see its majesty again.
Choose wisely, Lieutenant!
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