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Published: January 17th 2008
Well I thought it was about time I told you about some of the weird, wonderful and just downright disturbing stuff I’ve seen in Tokyo! But 1st a quick new years update!
New Years Eve - Deciding what to do on New Year’s Eve was a tricky one!
Option 1 - a traditional Japanese new years visiting a shrine,
option 2 - a traditional English new years visiting the pub.
In the end I opted for option 2 followed by option 1! I’ve made a little film of the night (approx 6 mins) which u can view by copying and pasting this link into your browser.
Please no emails about how much of a gonk I am!
Work - Well work was becoming a serious bore, December was awful. I found myself frustrated with nothing to do. I wasn’t a happy chappy. Some of it came down to cultural differences but mostly it was because I’m working for an odd company! There is no other way to describe it. Even Wu-tang (Japanese intern in my team) says the company is not normal! Luckily things are on the up now. I’ve started speaking to UK based
companies about the products and possible partnerships. And I’ve had some interest! From Yo! Sushi no less! Last Thursday was a very exciting day, I sent my first box of samples to London! So If all goes well u may well find yourself sat in Yo! Sushi munching your way through some tasty crab that I put on the menu!
Home - Im moving house on Saturday! Dans moving to Tokyo and we're moving into a swish studio flat! No more stinky bathroom with wee all over the floor! woo hooo!
So back to weird and wonderful Tokyo!
Akihabara Akihabara is well known for it electronics shops. If u want a new plasma TV, digital camera, the latest lap top etc this is the place to come. It’s also the place to come if you want to check out some downright weird people! Walking along the main street on a Sunday afternoon I witnessed a man in a maids outfit spinning around jumping up and down to techno music, a guy in denim hot pants and a white vest with fetish (in Japanese) written on jumping up and down on the spot and a young girl in
a pink outfit crouching on the floor with her finger in her mouth! Needless to say she got the biggest crowd! I’m really not sure what these people were doing, it certainly wasn’t street performance, they were not collecting money, and they didn’t seem to be trying to meet people. I can only assume it was self indulgent attention seeking.
In the kids toy shops in Akihabara you can find dolls in kinky outfits and bondage gear! Even more shocking are the pedophilic DVDs featuring children as young as 8 and 9 'modeling' swim suits and bikinis. The 'modeling' poses the children are using are frankly disgusting. I cannot believe that this kind of thing is legal in Japan! And this isn’t the only thing I’ve come across that should never be allowed. I have also heard that you can buy computer games in which u play a character going around rapping people, and animation films depicting rape and other sexually violent acts. Vending machines even sell used knickers of school girls! When it comes to things like this I think Japan is a sick sick country. And god only knows why the government lets it all slip under
the radar.
On a lighter note Akihabara is also home to the maid cafés! These are just like regular cafés except when you arrive you are greeted by a waitress in maid uniform who says “welcome home master”! The maids will then sit and play card games with you (for a charge), ask you about your day at work, even draw hearts with ketchup on your food!
Akihabara is also great for a free massage! The giant electronic super stores sell massage chairs! Well, I went last month and saw that a few people were having a go on them! So I thought I’d have a go as well! I picked out the most expensive one and got myself ready. I noted that u had to take your shoes off, and that u could only have 15mins, so I check my watch. The chair had a large laminated plastic rectangular information sheet on it. It was attached to a hanging rail that was itself attached to the ceiling. Well it’s a seat protector isn’t it! To stop the chair getting dirty! So I climb on and push the start button. The chair starts reclining….. “crraccckkkkkk” hummm whats that
noise I think. Shiiittttttt my seat protector is getting ripped off the rail! “craaccccckkkkkkk” and I can’t stop the chair going backwards! Its like the toilet incident all over again! I’m pushing all the buttons but I can’t stop it! “crrraackkkkk”. Now everyone’s looking at me and shop assistants are running over! I am SO embarrassed! When the assistant stops the chair, puts it back upright and I get off he points to a box in the top left corner of the 'chair protector' that says in ENGLISH please ask for assistance. He takes down the half broken sign (it’s a SIGN Laura a SIGN not a seat protector!) and tells me to get back on. Well I just couldn’t relax after that! But I’ve been back since for another go!
Odaiba Odaiba, a collection of man made islands in the Bay of Tokyo, originally constructed to protect the city, is now a futuristic business, shopping and entertainment district! The Fuji TV building is like nothing ive ever seen before! Designed to resemble the inside of a TV set it is one crazy piece of architecture!
Palette town houses one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels, a warehouse FULL
of games, and the Toyota mega web show room! This is where you can check out the very latest in automotive engineering. The i-unit is apparently going to free us from traffic congestion and accidents! And the i-foot is designed to carry people up stairs and over bumpy ground! Not sure it would fit in my house though!
Shinjuku Shinjuku was known as Tokyo's anus in the late 1800s due to the fact it was swimming in human waste and prostitutes. The human waste problem has thankfully been solved but the prostitution remains. But don’t be thinking of Shinjuku as a rough down and out area. It’s also home to soaring sky scrapers, shop till u drop department stores and the best hotels (including the Hyatt where Lost in Translation staring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson was filmed - if u haven’t seen it, do!). Kabukicho, the red light district, is a fascinating place. The streets are lined with 'information centre’s'. These are basically places that you can go for information on places to go with girls that you can hire for company! For about 20 pounds per 40mins you can hire someone to eat dinner with you or
sing karaoke with you! For 30 pounds you can also touch them! Of course this is all a front for prostitution but everyone will swear blind that the girls are only available to hire for talking to!
My favorite place in Shinjuku though has to be the Golden Gai. Imagine if you would a cross between Diagon alley from Harry Potter and a shanty town! 3 small alleyways crammed with 200 hundred bars the size of broom cupboards, all of which look like they are about to fall down! Back in December me and Dan did a bar hop of the ones we could a) get into (some only allow Japanese regulars) and b) weren’t going to rip us off (some will fleece u unless u speak fluent Japanese). It was great fun! The bars can only fit about 8 people in at the most so u get to know everyone drinking there pretty fast! Whenever someone is leaving or arriving the whole bar is cheering and hi fiving! My favorite bar in the Golden Gai is owned by a guy called Deshiko, an artist, (of the musical variety). Check out this video clip of the bar with us
all singing Queen! Pay special attention to the guy in the corner!
Well that just about brings me to the end of this weeks blog , tune in for the next exciting installment where I’ll be telling you all about the fish market!
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DantheMan
Dan
Great pic
There's something about that first photo, "crouching girl...". It's fantastic.