When Cindy together with I parted ways inwards Edinburgh, she was headed for a brusk trip to
St Andrews. I, on the other hand, had a vi lx minutes develop ride to London followed yesteryear a 12 lx minutes flying to Tokyo to hold back frontward to. My blood brother Matt has been residing inwards Tokyo for only over a twelvemonth now, together with I decided it was in conclusion fourth dimension to visit. Unfortunately I got inwards in the middle of a operate day, together with so I dragged my jetlagged torso around on my ain (and camera-less) for the showtime afternoon. Matt had provided me amongst a arrive at of options, together with I settled for a stroll through
Ueno Park.
The relative spaciousness of the common was a gentle introduction to the crowded bustle of Tokyo-proper, together with I happily wandered around the ponds together with through the gardens earlier deciding I was awake plenty to accept on a museum. Feeling culturally adventurous, I skipped the
Museum of Western Art together with opted for
The Tokyo National Museum - a dauntingly large complex, amongst at to the lowest degree 5 dissimilar buildings to explore. I settled on the Japanese Gallery inwards the Honkan edifice to get off with, together with was suitably impressed yesteryear the tour through Japan's fine art history, from 10000 BC upward until the terminate of the Edo menstruum inwards the mid-1900s. It's pretty remarkable stuff.
By the fourth dimension I'd made my means through the wonderful
special exhibition on the representation of Buddha, I was buggered. I'd barely slept the nighttime earlier the flight, worrying that I'd oversleep together with missy my develop from Edinburgh. Even that lack of slumber didn't larn far easier for me to slumber on the flight, together with so yesteryear the fourth dimension 5pm rolled around, I'd had nigh iii hours slumber inwards what felt similar a week. I yet had an lx minutes or together with so until coming together upward amongst Matt, together with so I sat yesteryear the pond for a spell together with sentinel the birds (including a genuinely beautiful Egret that was happily line-fishing a couplet of metres away from me). Of degree afterward nigh 5 minutes of sitting, I was out similar a light. Not a skilful look. Luckily I roused myself inwards fourth dimension to larn dorsum to Ueno Station to run across Matt.
It wasn't fourth dimension to slumber yet - it was fourth dimension to rock. Matt had bought us tickets to regard
Shonen Knife inwards Shinjuku somewhere, together with so it was immediately out on the town It turns out that gigs inwards Nippon are designed for tired onetime people similar me - they get nigh vii together with are finished yesteryear 10:30 - together with so despite a few long blinks I was able to hang inwards in that location until the terminate of the 2nd encore.
Our quick stroll through Shinjuku dorsum to the develop station gave me my showtime existent gustation of the brilliant lights of Tokyo.
A skilful night's slumber left me cook to confront a solo twenty-four lx minutes menstruum of Tokyo exploration (Matt was stuck working again). Again I'd been well-hosted - Matt had pre-purchased me a ticket to the
Ghibli Museum. I've only seen a couplet of Miyazaki's films, together with so some of the exhibitions lacked a chip of context (not helped yesteryear the strictly Japanese signage). Still, I was suitably wowed yesteryear the zoetrope (I've tried to honor a youtube video that won't give y'all a headache, but you'll only get got to imagine it - if anyone saw the Pixar version at ACMI, you'll get got the basic gist) together with enjoyed the exclusive brusk cinema (it had no dialogue at all, together with so my linguistic communication lameness was no problem). The life-size Catbus was pretty rad equally good (helped yesteryear the fact that Japanese kids are all insanely cute). I recall if I hadn't been to the fantabulous Pixar exhibition, this would get got amazed me a chip to a greater extent than - it's yet worth the trip though.
It helps that it's situated correct inwards the middle of a genuinely relaxed common - lots of trees, paths together with a couplet of large lakes. Highlights: a tiny temple, lots of spot-billed ducks, little-grebes together with some split upward of night-heron. And turtles!
Matt had given me directions to a mount walk only exterior Tokyo, but the estrus had taken its terms on me together with I had plans dorsum inwards the city: 1) view a vego eating house from my guidebook together with 2) produce some gift shopping for Cindy. The vego eating house was a chip of a letdown - it was genuinely an organic eating house that carefully marked the diverse ingredients inwards the buffet. There were a couplet of options, but most materials was stuffed amongst fish. This was to survive a mutual subject of the trip, together with in that location were a couplet of meals where I ended upward only picking bits of meat out. This, along amongst my lameness, explains the full general lack of nutrient photos. The shopping was to a greater extent than successful - plenty of trinkets for Cindy (only the food-themed treates are photo-worthy apparently)! And some eye-popping moments only wandering around Shibuya.
I was utterly pooped again, but Matt had to a greater extent than late-night plans for me. We met upward exterior Ikebukuro station for a soubetsukai (leaving party) for i of his workmates. The venue for the eve was
The Lock-Up (I'm pretty certain that website wouldn't brand whatsoever to a greater extent than feel inwards English) - a horror/prison-themed bar that was nigh 5 times funnier than it was scary. The creepy death-metal versions of Abba songs were the freakiest moments. The nutrient was fine (again I struggled to honor purely vego options) - the highlight: this eyeball that came amongst someone's creepy drink. Delicious.
Another slow nighttime meant that Sabbatum started a chip late. Matt's fine planning operate continued, amongst a jaunt to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography for the
2008 World Press Photo Exhibition. I'd been to the 2006 version of this inwards Amsterdam together with been knocked out, together with it was wonderful again. Not solely upbeat, but very, real impressive. The other bonus was the indoor, air-conditioned nature of the exhibition - Tokyo had turned on mid-30s, high-humidity weather, making outdoor activities variety of painful. Nevertheless, nosotros headed off to explore Shibuya, stumbling across this terrifying horde of Macca's promoters.
Matt's primary goal was to larn us to the
A to Z cafe - habitation to a mock-up of
Yoshitomo Nara's workspace, filled amongst loads of his artwork, trendy slice of furniture together with a pretty veg-friendly menu. I left on a high, having been complimented on my chopstick skills yesteryear i of the staff. Go me!
We swung yesteryear a couplet of shops inwards the neighbourhood - I was tempted yesteryear some hip outfits, but decided I lacked the appropriate muscle-tone.
Next halt was the
Tokyo Design Festa Gallery, an insanely decorated gallery that basically lets out piddling rooms to all kinds of local artists. It's all real cosy, amongst the artists oft hanging out inwards their rooms chatting to the people strolling through. The overall vibe was real much the cute cartoony fine art that seems together with so pop inwards Japan.
One of Matt's hipster friends had suggested that nosotros view Nagi Shokudo, a tiny vegan cafe tucked away close
Shibuya station. It's loaded upward amongst trendy cds together with books together with is decorated amongst to a greater extent than cute piddling animals. The staff were super-friendly together with knew plenty English linguistic communication for us to larn our orders inwards - simulated meats for me together with tofu for Matt, amongst diverse side dishes (shamefully I forgot to larn nutrient photos!). It was all pretty good, together with the welcoming atmosphere had me content to sit down around all night. We also discovered the
vegan eating house bag guide. It looked an invaluable resources for vegos trying to honor their means through Japan's seafood-heavy cuisine.
But in that location was no fourth dimension for that. It was off to the pic theater to depository fiscal establishment check out a documentary nigh the crazy Boredoms drumming show,
77 Boadrum. Some of the droney bits combined amongst my ongoing tiredness to get got me drifting off, but it was pretty neat inwards patches.
Lord's Day was some other stinking hot day, together with Matt together with I started off within at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The observatories on the summit flooring of each 250m tall tower are opened upward to Earth together with are completely free. Unfortunately it was a chip of a hazy day, together with so nosotros couldn't regard anywhere close all the means to Mt Fuji.
The residue of the morning time was basically spent wandering the streets together with admiring the architecture together with world art.
The estrus was also much for this guy.
We stumbled dorsum into the constantly crowded Shinjuku, enjoying some of the peculiarly Japanese imagery.
More heat, to a greater extent than crowds together with to a greater extent than lights.
My Tokyo sojourn ended amongst a trip to a multi-level amusement complex - chock total of cutting border video games. Strangely, multiplayer horse-racing games seem to survive the electrical flow trend. For all the complexity together with action, the none of the people playing the games seemed peculiarly enthused.
We couldn't leave of absence earlier I'd had a nostalgic trip downward Streetfigher lane. I was having a neat onetime fourth dimension fighting the computer, but i of the locals spotted me together with joined the battle - hilariously trouncing me inwards nigh 12 seconds. I've never seen together with so many flame torso parts.
That spanking seemed similar an appropriate adieu from Tokyo - it was similar I was existence brutally thrown out of the country. Besides, I was hot together with exhausted together with operate was calling. An lx minutes long develop ride through the never ending density of Tokyo got me out to Narita together with I dragged my sweaty, tired carcass onto the eight lx minutes trip home. Good times. Tokyo was a consummate alter of footstep from the United Kingdom of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland places we'd visited - less ancient buildings together with to a greater extent than neon. The crowds would eventually article of apparel me downward - nosotros didn't select handgrip of a unmarried develop that wasn't crowded to bursting point, but the whole identify is pretty exhilarating. I'm hoping Matt hangs around for some other twelvemonth or to a greater extent than together with so I tin give the axe caput dorsum in that location (although peradventure non inwards mid-summer) - non only does he render a identify to sleep, he's a superb host, chock total of ideas, maps together with planning.
A generous serve of fried rice, filled amongst crispy fresh vegies in addition to accompanied yesteryear a bowl of biting chilli-soy sauce. The combo of slightly vinegary flavours, soy in addition to heaps of fresh chilli actually went downward good amongst me. I was especially pleased to honor out that Middle Fish don't charge things upwards amongst saccharide or skimp equally good much on the oestrus - the bottle of H2O on the tabular array sure came inwards handy.
