As I said, I love Tokyo. I love the energy that the place has. I feel there's a district for all tastes and everyone could find their place there. It's nice since I've felt I haven't belonged anywhere in years.
It's a huge metropolis but you don't feel overwhelmed since you take one district at a time. Occasionally the crowds can be tough to manouver through but you get accustomed to it. Strange; I thought I would feel uncomfortable or lost there. There was a bit of a kerfuffle when I first arrived since some phone numbers were'nt working for me but it worked out. A long story so I won't describe it here.
I spent a good amount of time drunk at night and wandering during the days. I especially loved Akihabara and Nakano though they are dangerous. They are Otaku (geek) heaven with electronics, manga, anime and merchandise. Oh, I spend some dough there. Harajuku is equally dangerous for clothing. I got to see some Lolita stores! Frilly doll clothes but for big peoples! Some stuff was really cheap too.
Another place any anime fan must visit is the Ghibli museum. It's built like an old European house with stucco, wood elements and stained glass. There's no specific route to follow, you just explore and get lost. I did for 3 hours! Very worthwhile!
The arcades are ridiculous. So many lights and prizes. I played pachinko but I had no idea what was happening and I lost all my monies... I don't much like pachinko. It's about as pointless and boring as slot machines. I love the claw grabber games and dropped a small fortune on them. The best was in Odaiba: life sized cars that you sit in to play a racing game. They move around as you control the game. Same with some skateboards on half-pipes and a sort of rocket race that you actually go upside-down in. Al and I nearly got first place in that one. There was another great game like the shooters on rails you often see at arcades. Instead of guns, however, you are armed with a keyboard and have to type the random words that show up below enemies. Wild!
Oh, Golden Gai! We need this in Canada. It's a small set of backstreets with tiny bars all along at street level and second floors. They're all about the size of a closet with space for maybe 5-6 people. Each is run by one owner and is decorated according to their personal tastes. Makes for the coolest bar hopping I've ever experienced; and no cover charges. From a sports bar to a jazz "lounge" to a he-she diva's pad. Sweet stuff. I'm pretty sure she was a dude in a past life.
Neko cafe: you have full access to drinks machines while sitting on the ground trying to entertain kitties. They're so uninterested it was painful. I guess so many people show up in a day that the sticks with bits of fluff on the end no longer interest them. Yeah, I could have put that 800 yen to better use. I did like the maid cafes though, although I felt like a bit of a perv being served by cute young girls in maid outfits. But I had to do it!
I could go on and on but I really don't feel like it. Unfortunately I also sent most of my photos back to Canada already so no updates on the blog. If you haven't seen the newest on Facebook, let me know and I can send a link. It's easier to update on Facebook. Sorry.
Well, I'll leave off on that. Tomorrow I'll start exploring South Korea. Maybe I'll update this bugger!
