| Sunday, August 20, 2006 |
| Tokyo Story |
As it turns out, Kamogawa doesn't have much of a nightlife. The thrill of Osaka not yet faded, I spent a quiet weekend in town before leaving for Tokyo. As it turns out, Tokyo does have a nightlife, as well as a daylife and morninglife and afternoonlife and everything in between. It was the new JET orientation in Tokyo, which means several hundred confused foreigners walk off the plane and into a fancy hotel for a few days of mediocre seminars and a few nights in the big, big, big, big city. I met Lauren, another Go Mad gal, and spent a busy afternoon recruiting for Go MAD, and I met some PEPY people as well. Four hours of "recruiting" (code word for "standing at a table and talking to confused baby JETs") for 3 days of "business trip leave" seemed a pretty sweet deal to me, and I spent the next two days shopping, riding the subway, and lounging at the Keio Plaza. Jarek organized a great prefectural night out, to a restaurant and then wandering to bars, so we all were able to meet and greet and marvel at the tall buildings together. The second night was a strange one out in Roppongi, which is seedy and gaijin-infested but good fun.
 Almost full moon is when the crazies come out. While wandering in an Okayama herd, we didn't find any crazies, but did meet some drunk locals playing beach volleyball in a homeless-person courtyard by the train station, so we joined in. Some much much drunker Wakayamans tried to play but they had no skills other than yelling for Toby to join them. (Toooooooobbbyyyyyyy!!!)
 This is like... 2 pints. Maybe. Tara, be sure to order the syringe drink at the Gorilla Bar back in Okayama! Who ever said chemistry lab equipment couldn't be fun, anyway? Beer in graduated cylinders is also slightly more legal fun than than Professor Leroy G. Skip Wade's recommendations on "How To Make Your Meth" from back in the Orgo days. (Helpful Hint: Most meth labs are only discovered because they explode, so use electric hotplates.)
 British boys in the British chain pub-- Rich on the left, and... I think one is Stu and the other John. But maybe not in that order. And maybe not those names at all.
 Amidst typhoon rumours, I made it out of Tokyo, and headed for the welcoming arms of Kansai airport. My week of sleeping on other people's floors culminated in a night at Rani's in Osaka. Her shirt reads, "When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults." Strange, but not Engrish-- more like cynical poetry.
This was my 5th visit to Tokyo, and I still have yet to visit the palace or fish market or Ueno park or any of the touristy sites, but I'm checking off more of the shopping and partying districts as I go. Mochidanielle had the idea to go nerd-watching in Akihabara (the electronics and technology district), so maybe that will be for next time. Listen up, Lonely Planet writers: Dorkotourism is the wave of the future! |
posted by Raychaa @ 3:02 PM  |
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| 1 comments: |
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besides the other missed attractions, you MUST head to Tokyo Disney (or is it Disney Tokyo??). the quietest happiest place on earth, almost a little creepy...
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Name: Raychaa
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About Me: “No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this - 'devoted and obedient'. This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.” (Florence Nightingale)
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besides the other missed attractions, you MUST head to Tokyo Disney (or is it Disney Tokyo??). the quietest happiest place on earth, almost a little creepy...