Fast & Furious: Tokyo Tour

This may, in fact, be the longest post I'll ever write. It was such an amazing, random, weird day that despite writing pages and pages I may still be leaving all kinds of crazy things out. But, before I already lose your attention with my run-on sentences...I'll try and get to the good parts.

I started the day off with some breakfast at an amazing French patisserie in the train station connected to my hotel. I had slept pretty well but some strong coffee was definitely in order. I was now 6 hours ahead of Bangkok time and my body was feeling the pain of two weeks of travel. I met up with Chris around 10am and we set out for a walk to Harajuku. I was hoping to see a bit of old (traditional Japan) and some new (architecture, fashion) on this trip, but the fashionable district of Harajuku was one must-see on my list.

We started the day off with a pit stop for some Japanese fast-food – yummy burgers, one was even served on a bun made of rice. We then hit the Harajuku flea-market that sits just on the edge of Yoyogi park. Hipsters of all sorts were selling their clothing cast-offs, no doubt just to make room in their closets for more. There was vintage everything – records, bags, shoes, jackets, stuffed animals – laid out on blankets and tables. We moved along through the beautiful Yoyogi park on our way to visit the Meiji Shinto Shrine. As it was mid November, the trees were full of colour and people were enjoying a leisurely, warm Saturday along the shores of the small lake, playing with their children or having a quiet moment under the shade of a tree. And there was some unusual sights to be seen, this is Japan after all. For one, we came across a “School Girl” photo-shoot. Right next to that, there was some sort of “fifteen-legged-race” going on with some students. We saw a strange looking man playing a ball game with his amazing little dog…and another two little dogs dressed in clothes (one wearing jeans!?) getting their photo taken by a professional photographer. We also saw lots of little girls dressed in traditional Japanese garb. As it turns out, there was a special celebration at the Shrine celebrating girls aged 3, 5 and 7. We came across this one little cutie who flashed us a big grin for the camera…then promptly resumed frowning as soon as the shutter clicked. I don’t think she was enjoying walking in her awkward shoes, but she looked so cute.

The Shrine was really beautiful. Chris showed me around and schooled me in some of the customs involved with a visit. Then - the most amazingly cool thing happened! Not one, but two weddings were happening at the Shrine and we got to witness one of the wedding processions. So spectacular to see and I am so happy with the beautiful photos I was able to capture. 

After the Shrine, Chris and I wandered over to another area of the park and snuck into a traditional Archery competition. Very Kill Bill-esque. So cool!

We then headed over to Harajuku for a trip down the famous Takeshita Dori. It was jammed with young kids buying clothes, strutting their stuff and hanging out. The fashions were pretty wild (and kawaii!) and I loved it. We wandered our way back to the metro after stopping to look at vintage kimono (I was too picky to find one I loved) and headed towards the neighborhood of Asakusa.  Our first stop in Asakusa was the Sensoji Temple - a beautiful ancient Bhuddist temple where we read our fortunes (all good!). We also walked around the neighborhood and saw lots of food stalls, souvenirs, Pachinko Halls and more vintage kimono (still no luck).

After grabbing a quick snack of pork and pizza "buns"at Family Mart (a Japanese convenience chain), we made our way by subway to Akihabara, also known as Electric Town...or, as I like to call it, Nerd Heaven. This is the area known for computers, electronics and anime...and French maid cafes (more to follow on  that one). We met up Chris' very pregnant wife Kaz outside a local department store and decided to sample some of the top quality cuisine from some of the vendors inside - pork sandwiches, traditional Japanese curry and pork cutlets - which we ate outside on the street while people-watching.  Afterwards we toured around to continue our people watching. We visited lots of touristy shops - including an Adult store that was seven floors of some of the weirdest, naughtiest  things I will likely ever see (ie a vending machine full of used School Girl panties. Nasty!) Lots of people dressed as their favourite anime characters and lots of white nerdy guys with Japanese girlfriends who are ten-times-hotter than them. Good for you fellas!  After being approached several times on the street, we decided to venture into one of the French Maid Cafes. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, basically it is a cafe (mostly) for men who want to have a drink and be doted on by a cute girl in a french maid costume. It may sound sexual...but it actually very tame. The girls will serve your drink, sit down, talk and flirt with you...maybe even play darts or boardgames with you (which costs extra). Chris and I went in for a chu-hi and played 3 games of darts (I beat Chris all three times!). It was really fun but, unfortunately...no cameras allowed. Sorry. Afterwards, we took another stroll and came across a girls pop group performing on a street corner. Very kawaii! Again, we were walking around, just waiting for the next weird thing to happen when we were handed a flyer for a "Cat Cafe". Hmmm. This was just too weird to pass up - 1 hour of unlimited cat petting and a free drink. Done. The cats were all very clean and beautiful but, surprisingly, unfriendly. One was a dwarf cat with short little legs. The clientele was all Japanese and they were very into the cats - except for one girl who was just sitting around reading. After that we hit an outdoor batting cage. I sucked, but Chris was pretty good. Then it was back to the subway to head over to our last stop on the tour - the neighborhood of Shinjuku.

Shinjuku was a bit of a shadier place but definitely alive with lots of bars and nightlife. Chris really wanted to show me a cool place called Golden Gai - a neighborhood of teeny tiny bars - but for the life of us we could not locate it. Thankfully his Japanese was good enough for us to get directions to this amazing little spot! Hundreds of little bars that would never hold more than a dozen people could be found down a series of narrow alleyways. We visited Bar Albatross - a beautiful little place with dark red velvet banquettes and chandeliers. The four or five seats were full at the bar so we moved upstairs to sit in the loft and enjoy a...you guessed it...chu-hi. :) But it was getting late and we had to get moving or else Chris would miss his train home. We bid each-other a quick farewell on the subway - and I made my way back to my hotel a little sad that I wouldn't see Chris again for a long time. He's a terrific friend with an amazing sense of humour and a great attitude towards life and I am so grateful that he spent so much time showing me his new city. Now I'll just have to plot to find a way to visit again soon...