I know its been a while since my last proper update – evilmattikinz was visiting so there was some hardcore geeking to be done between showing him the sights of Tokyo.
We started out with an introduction to the sleazy underbelly of Tokyo society on Monday night, with a wander around Kabukicho, visiting a Buddah themed restaurant, avoiding the ladybois in the square, and finally, soaking up the atmosphere down in Goldengai, where we stumbled upon a bunch of Traceys friends.
Tuesday, after lunch, we tried to get Matti some directions for the Meguro parasite museum from the Nokia receptionist, which turned into rather more of an exercise than it really should have been. But she was very helpful and very cute about it so we weren’t complaining. Apparently she thought it was a common destination for dates, I guess this is where European and Japanese cultures differ.
In the evening was my leaving celebration from Nokia – we booked a table (or three) at the Nepalese restaurant. Where we were joined by a number of my colleagues allow with Michael, jamese and Zara. Another week to go, but it seemed like a good time for a celebration.
The next night headed to Ginza where Tracey’s friend, Kevin, was giving a presentation about video editing on Mac….the first time I’ve been to the Apple shop there, a strange place, with very Apple lifts, they had no buttons, you just get in and they stop at all the floors, and clear perspex walls with illuminated Apple logos behind them.
Saturday we headed over to Akihabara, for a final tour, Matti was pursuaded to get the next version of camera-watch from mine, his has a colour photo sensor I think, while I got, for a bargain 500Yen (=2.50 pound) a talking watch that tells the time in Japanese…somehow I find it worrying that the packaging was better made and more durable than the watch itself, but what can you expect for 500Yen?
Then back to Azabu-Juban for to meet Nobue-chan and Tamaru-chan for the street festival there. This was a slightly different festival to the previous ones I’ve been to, since it seemed to be more commercial and less related to a temple or shrine. And it was busy….er, no, that doesn’t do it justice…it was *BUSY*!
We escaped from there to head up to Roppongi Hills for tonkatsu. And iced mocha-mint-achinos, or something. Sometimes you seen things which are so plainly wrong that you need to try them. Chocolate cheese falls into this category, too, which, incidentally, has the texture of cheese with the flavour of chocolate. I think it would be more worrying if it were the other way around.[0]
Sunday morning arrived too early and we missed it, as did the Marshmallow Spike gig in Shinjuku, so we took a look at the freaks in Harajuku instead and met with Tracey and MJ after the show. We found the fried-things-on-sticks shop again, before heading back.
Matti left for Oz on Monday, vowing to return.
[0] dug myself into something of a grammar hole there, didn’t I?
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