i'm quitting my job and moving to tokyo.

oh Tokyo…i’ve used the words ‘big city envy’ before…this time i really mean it! six of us stepped off the bus at 4:30 am in ikebukoro, one of the many neighborhoods that comprise Tokyo. we wandered through a concrete park and plopped down to watch some of the night denizens; a huge group dancing, what we could only assume were prostitutes, some homeless people, a few couples, lots of drunks. we made our way on foot to Shinjuku as we watched the sun rise. then to tsukiji fish market, the most famous in japan. due to the public holiday it wasn’t bustling but there were a few stalls open and a few sidewalk sushi vendors selling nigiri and sashimi on the spot.



we visited the imperial palace and lounged in the park for a bit.


we hit the famous shopping district, ginza, which is way too ritzy for my taste.


then to shibuya, famous for nightlife and trendy shops.
checked in the hotel about 5 pm and showered and rallied for odaiba, a entertainment complex on the waterfront. we were thrilled to stumble upon the cantina restaurant where we gorged ourselves on pitchers of margaritas [wonderfully strong] and plate after plate of nachos. i also ordered soft beef tacos and shrimp tacos that were out of this world. very tex mex, with sour cream and all. i did have to order extra cheese twice though…no point in skimping when we finally find somewhere that serves real cheeje.
friday morning we made our way to Tokyo Disneyland.


if you ever thought Disney at home was packed and frantic i would tell you to consider this place. at times, you couldn’t see a spot of sidewalk. and the Japanese love to line up, they’ll wait for anything in a queue. after an hour and a half wait to buy tickets, we bolted straight for space mountain. only about a 45 minute line. they also have what’s called a fast pass, you take a number and come back at the specific time when you can jump to the front of the line. thanks to these beauties we didn’t go absolutely mad. we hit the classics, splash mountain, it’s a small world [in which America was not represented by the way] and pirates of the Caribbean. and, in case you were wondering, snow white and Cinderella were both Japanese. by the time we made it home, cleaned up and headed to dinner it was midnight. we chowed at a cheap, rowdy bar near the hotel where we met some guys who invited to sing karaoke. me and a couple girls went and sang the night away, literally.
saturday, on about 3 hours of sleep, we headed for asakusa which i’d heard was a huge famous temple. turns out it was also an incredible market with tons of food stalls and an amusement park; a place that married the ancient and contemporary in a wonderfully tacky way.
this guys making fresh rice crackers.




here people bathe themselves in smoke for protection and blessings.


i could’ve spent the whole day browsing around there but we wanted to hit up the seedy parts of kabukicho before it got late and dangerous. this is the red light district made notorious by the yakuza, Japanese mafia. it was adequately sleazy and interesting…sex shop after hostess bar after peep show.


we met up with a friend of a friend and a few other alts who were also in town for dinner at a bangin’ izakaya. all food and drinks were 300 yen each. the 10 of us put a hurting on that place. i learned the word ‘iki’ which means ‘chug’ in Japanese. later we played darts and billiards before heading to club asia, one of the most famous in Tokyo. it was two like two clubs in one spread over three crowded stories throbbing with hip hop and dance sounds. dance groups kept taking the stage, then rappers. for a 30 dollar cover charge the place shoulda been happening though. the trains don’t run between 1 am and 5 am so we had to outlast the hiatus…no problem. at 7 am the walk and ride back to the hotel was definitely interesting. people pouring out of clubs and bars, eating and dancing in the streets everywhere.
we hopped the bus sunday at 1:50, arriving back home about 7 pm. i was so exhausted i slept the entire way. what an unbelievable place. just the sheer population density means every nook of the town is alive. with the energy of over 12 million people in the air, how can the place not be exciting?