hairfish

From 11pm to 5am, I karaoked with a group of friends in Shibuya. I highly, highly recommend trying this if you ever come to Japan. It’s a really fun experience. I usually karaoke for about two hours but it’s a nice challenge to try and do it for six whole hours. I took the challenge — and I conquered it!

Step 1: Hydrate yourself! Nomihodai karaoke, or all you can drink, during the weeknight cost us 980 yen. That's about ten dollars for six hours of karaoke plus all the Melon soda you can handle. For alcohol nomihodi, it's 1980 yen, or twenty bucks per person. -- this however is only offered during the weekend at the particular karaoke place we went to

Step 2: Everyone should participate in someway, preferably by joining in with the tambourine and sporadic yelling of song lyrics, as seen here.

Step 3: Cameras must be ready at all times to capture and record mayhem with in the karaoke room. (hide doll optional.)

Step 4: Lubricate those vocal chords!

Step 5: Sing your HEART out!

Like this.

Perhaps a more mellow approach...

Duets are always fun and encouraged

Solo air guitar to unleash the rocker within

Please feel free to bust a move

And finally, group participation is the key to a successful night of karaoke

I finally visited Shinjuku although it may not be the Shinjuku you have in mind. I, myself, was completely suprised at the solitude and quietness of the Shinjuku go-chome area. It's primarily a business area. In fact, the Metropolitian government buildings are within walking distance of the area. The JR Yamanote line, which drops you off right in the heart of Shinjuku, is a good twenty minute long walk away so the area is seriously removed from the flashing lights, huge department stores, and constant flow of tourists. It was beautiful!

Serene.

Saxophonist in the park. He sounded really good!

Skater boys, busy being too cool for school

Fall leaves in Shinjuku Niagara Falls

More on these hooligans, later...

Neko-chan with statues. Cats aren't really kept as pets in Japan, but they're all over the place, just wandering about.

So those hooligans I mentioned before were models being photographed in the park. I've come to realize, photography is synonomous with older men in Japan. I have yet to see a woman with a camera who isn't part of my study abroad program.

A work of art made from umbrellas and garbage? I think...

Unlike in Chicago, it's very rare to see homeless wandering around the city here. They aren't even in the Subways either. Instead, they seem to be located in "camps" such as this one.

Shinjuku Niagara Falls -- No kidding, this is what it's called!

Another view of Shinjuku Niagara Falls

I love how hidden that couple was up there.

Finches! I love these little guys

Shinjuku traffic through the trees

On the way to Tokyo Tower

Paper lanterns at a Temple near the Tower

TOKYO TOWER

Blurry view of Tokyo from the Tower

I know I’ve been more than a little silent here lately. I’m finding my second month here, (six weeks into the trip to be exact) is hectic. I’ve had midterms over the past three weeks, I’ve managed to drop my keitai in the toliet twice thus rendering it non existant and I’ve had to deal with the inconvience of that (ie. waking up twenty minutes late, not being able to do anything but go to class and come back home, etc). I was supposed to video chat with the Japanese III class from my home school (Hey guys!) but due to my alarm playing tricks on me, I woke up too late to do it plus my connection was giving me ~issues~.

And if homesickness wasn’t enough, I encountered something truly horrific on Monday: a train “accident”. As the entire incident is still very fresh in my mind, I won’t be discussing it at the present moment, but if you’ve never been in Japan, and you don’t know much about what train “accidents” actually are in Japan-speak, do some research and you’ll understand why I’m just a bit hesitant to talk about it. Needless to say, it’s been a bit rough around these parts lately but I’m getting back on my feet, and looking forward to better things, for instance, that Justin Nozuka concert next Monday night.

Until then, get out and VOTE!

The bridge to Meiji-jingu. The walk is pretty long but so peaceful.

The beautiful wood Tori (gate) leading to Meiji-jingu

Large sign near the shrine entrance

I got lucky as a wedding ceremony was happening right in the shrine!

Another shot of the wedding

Salaryman watching the wedding procession

After all that wedding business, I wrote down a prayer and put it in the prayer box. Someone is busy doing the same thing

Another succesful shrine visit!

For more information on Meiji-jingu, check the wiki entry!

JR Harajuku Station and Tokyo Metro Meji-jingumae Station. The adventure begins...

Ayu is EVERWHERE.

Which leads to the infamous Takeshita Dori, the reason most people go to Harajuku

Walking towards Harajuku St./Takeshita Dori

Crowds on Takeshita Dori

Another view of the crowds in Harajuku. It happened to be a holiday on Monday so everyone was out and about!

If you go to Harajuku, you MUST have crepes. They are absolutely decadent and cheap, and there are crepe stands EVERYWHERE!

Becky and Hayleigh eating teh crepes.

I had the banana chocolate mille fieulle crepe. Did I mention the Japanese are crazy about the french language and french pastries? (And rightfully so:)

From the balcony of a small punk shop, the crowds below.

Harajuku is internationally known for its outrageous fashions as shown here. Most people, dress up on the weekend specifically for the purpose of showing off their style and being photographed. From what I'm told, this is more of a weekend thing than an everyday thing but for some, it's a way of life.

Harajuku's Sex Pot Revenge, a store catering to punk fashion.

Fashionable Harajuku girls. Did you know our beloved Seven-Eleven is actually a Japanese company?

Too cool for school. Harajuku is a major hang out and fashion spot for teens in Japan.

Harajuku is internationally known because of it’s fashion and it is as advertised: a bit garshish, overwhelming, but extremely fun! There are bargans to be had in Harajuku beginning from the four-story Daiso 100 Yen Store to the small, indie shops selling new and used clothing from less than 600 YEN! Harajuku is also great if you’re looking for designer fashions engrained in certain subcultures such as Vivenne Westwood’s punk style or Baby, the Stars Shine Bright’s lolita stylings. I also saw a mild hip hop/”urban” presence as well as some surfer/SoCal fashions.

Some of the sales people can be pushy but if you just pretend like you have no idea what they are saying, they’ll lay off. If they don’t, just leave. One of the stores we went to tried to push a friend of mine into buying a thirty dollar shirt. Granted it was cute, but the sales tactics were hilarious. The sales girl spoke to her about how alike they were and how they had the same budget, how cute she would look if only she’d buy the shirt. In the end, she narrowly escaped, but she did and we laugh it off only to continue our search for cheap, cute clothes. Trust me, it didn’t take very long to find a myraid of shops that fit that category.

Harajuku’s crowd also has to be the most gorgeous crowd of people I’ve seen since being in Tokyo. If you focus your attention away from the gyaru and the lolis and whoever else is out playing dress up, the crowd is suprisingly well dressed (and I don’t mean they’re wearing the latest trends for the heck of following a trend) and tame for such a busy, notoriously outrageous place. Then again, Harajuku is just a smaller district of the Shibuya-ward.

I found myself much more in awe of the culture fostered in Harajuku but not surprised by the subculture and subsequent interesting fashions, however, a lot of the kids weren’t out because it was Monday and I wasn’t really going to Harajuku for the purpose of staring at high schoolers playing dress up. There is so much more to Harajuku than the infamy and I’m glad I got to see both faces of the district. I also visited Meiji-jingu on my way out of Harajuku which I recommend as it is a great way to get back to a more level state of mind after the mayhem that is Harajuku. I was lucky enough to be there while a wedding ceremony was being conducted, but more on that later.

The JR Yamanote Line takes you to all the major 'hot spots' in Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing, steps away from Shibuya Station - Tokyo's busiest train station

The Shibuya 109, a popular department store for Women. Shibuya is a fashion hub for young people in Japan.

HMV from Shibuya Crossing. HMV = music, music, music!

Hot pants are all the rage this summer

Store selling 'hip hop' and 'urban' ware in Shibuya

Shibuya as the sun sets

Busy street in Shibuya; the Center Gai, I believe.

Purikura, or interactive photobooths, which are popular among high school girls

Purikura with Me, Hayleigh, and Ryuji (l to r)

Hachiko Statue, the popular meeting place in Shibuya. Hachiko's story is really cute so look it up on wikipedia!

Inside Hub the English Pub, where all the cool Japanese kids hang out.

Book store selling the newest manga for NANA, my FAVORITE manga. A lot of the story is set in Shibuya.

Heels with socks. Another new trend this season.

FREE HUGS! I haven't had a really nice hug since coming to Japan, and since they were giving them away for free, I hugged them all. They gave really good hugs! It was the perfect ending to a perfect night

Everyone goes nuts over Roppongi, and I admit, its interesting but Shibuya is where it’s at, mainly because it’s where the locals hang out. It’s far more affordable to spend a night in Shibuya and even go to a pub or a club without spending over 5,000 YEN (that’s about 50 USD). For my train fare, food, and karaoke, I only spent 2,000 YEN. There is so much to see and do. Shibuya really is something to see at night. There are arcades everywhere, purikura, places to go shopping, great clubs to dance in or even hang out at, pubs and bars to have a drink and mingle with the locals. Plus, Shibuya is a stop away from Harajuku, two stops away from Shinjuku and you can walk to Yogogi Park as well.

Next weekend, I’ll be back in Shibuya, but this weekend, I’ll be heading out to Harajuku and Meiji-jinga for some more exploring. Until then, I have homework to do…

I’ve mentioned Don Quixote a few times here, as well as Roppongi, but here’s a little bit of background information: Roppongi, besides having a reputation as the Devil’s Playground (I don’t think it’s that bad but it is pretty weird, especially for Japan) literally translates as ’six trees’; 六本木, or six (roku) book (hon) tree (ki) , if you know your literal translation of kanji.

Roppongi is a known for Roppongi Hills, it’s active/vibrant night life and the huge presence of Western tutorists and expats. However, a majority of the people who live in Roppongi are Japanese but if you talk to people here, you’d never know that. Like Chicago, Tokyo is a city of neighborhoods and Roppongi is probably one of the better known neighborhoods in Tokyo.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Roppongi because it’s so accessible to me and because I really miss McDonalds and things that remind me of home, such as Don Quixote. One of my favorite blogs, demonbaby, has some great articles on ‘weird’ Japan — that’s pretty self explanatory. There are lots of things here in Japan, material and otherwise, that are very unusual to Westerners, and so far, I’ve found some…interesting things at Don Quixote. Actually, interesting may be putting it lightly but I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

One of the Roppongi Hills Towers

Roppongi Dori. The sign aboves says 'High Touch Town', which was Roppongi's title. It's currently being changed.

Roppongi at night reminds of Times Square

Japan's advertisements are sort of problematic for me. Westerners are always part of ads here; it's very rare I see Japanese people in advertisements. But I love Salma Hayek so it's all good.

Ne-Yo, who apparently spends a lot of time here, advertising his new album "Year of the Gentleman" via a bus blasting his single "Closer"

Buildings and street in Roppongi. The incline here is ridic!

Wires

Don Quixote is a six floor shopping complex of mayhem and madness located in Roppongi. The first floor sells women’s clothing, very trendy women’s clothing, the third floor is all electronics (where I got my keitai), the fifth floor is like toys and cute souvenirs, then the last floor is all used goods but super expensive used goods like Marc Jacobs clutches and Omega wrist watches and what not. Every so often though, you’ll run into something hentai, (lit trans. perverted) like boobie candy or, well, you’ll see…

Because sometimes certain parts need to breathe...

On the market level, boobie candy.

Women's goods at Donkey Hotei, as it is known in Japanese

Japanese women ADORE heels. They wear them with everything, everywhere. I think its because of the generally low crime rates. Don't really have to run unless you're catching a train.

TV's!

Engrish, of course

Yours truly

Before you enter DonQui, there is a huge fish tank. This woman spent over forty minutes with her face pressed up against the class, talking to the fish

Hayleigh in the toy isle.

Check my flickr for more of the adventure and other views of Tokyo!

My lovely room in the glorious morning sunshine

I’m so tired I can barely see straight. You’ll be hearing a lot about my tiredness in the coming days, so you’ve been warned. Yesterday was a good day as I got home for the first time by myself without help and didn’t get lost. Well, to be fair, I walked about a block and a half away from my house but once I realized what I had done, I found my way back, so I got a little lost but not really. My walk home is about fifteen minutes (or less) from the bus stop, and within the span of fifteen minutes, all the mostquitos in Koshigaya had their way with my legs.

My legs are covered in huge, bright vermillion welts. They look like really nasty hickeys. This will make for very interesting lunch room talk, for example: ‘What happened to you?’ Answer: “I was molested by mostquitos.” As you all know or may not know, classes have started on this side of the world and I must admit, I’m sort of underwhelmed. However, I can assure you it’s just shock and the anxiety of feeling like a freshman even though I’m not. I forgot what it feels like to be the new kid in school and I was quickly reminded Monday morning. I hide out in the library, catching up on emails and being generally shy and mousy.

I only have one class on Monday (and Wednesday and Friday), thank Goodness since I have three Tuesday and Thursday, and it was history and I was reminded of high school. I don’t like to be reminded of high school, at all. The professor has written two books on Japanese history and is a very knowledgable, insightful person so that makes the class much more palatable for me. It’s dealing specifically with Japanese history after World War II to present day, and that is just my cup of tea. Prior to school, I had a run in with an ATM that was completely in Japanese. I couldn’t understand why it refused to give me my money until my host mother explained I was trying to take out 80,000 Yen (that’s a little less than 800 USD) and you can only take out 10,000 Yen. As if I needed 80,000 Yen…

Got my alien registration card so I don’t get scruffled up by the police and whatnot, but mainly so I could aquire the new love of my life, my softbank prepaid keitai (cell phone)

Cutest little phone ever. I still need to decorate it though!

Lucky me, one of Hayleigh’s friends who is a native of Tokyo took us to Roppongi to get our keitais. This is when I learned how evil Roppongi is. Think of New York’s Time Square with a dash of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile thrown in the middle of Tokyo. That is Roppongi. There is a reason it is called the gaijin ghetto…because it is. Every comfort from home (ie the States) you are missing, is right in Ropponigi. It’s overwhelming and loud in a way that other parts of the city aren’t. Especially living in a small suburb in Saitama, I’m just not used to that madness. Neither are my pockets. Anyways, SoftBank somehow had puureepaido’s out of stock so we were directed to the wonderous store that is Donkey Hotei Don Quixote.

If you are familar with Brandsmart USA, that is exactly what Donkey Hotei Don Quixote is, but thoroughly Japanese. We had to wait about an hour, but we left with our phones. All in all, it cost me about 76 USD for a 3G phone and 30,000 YEN worth of talk time (which I’ve since discovered is about 30 minutes of talk time. Oy). Oh, I also get free calls and messaging to other SoftBank users and unlimited mail to everyone else for 300 YEN a month. Japan is FULL of win.

Today, however, was frustrating. Someone got hit by the train on the Chiyoda line which is the line I take to get home. I left school at 3:30, got to the metro at 3:45 and got home to Koshigaya, around ten minutes to seven. I also got lost once, had to pay for another ticket after my first ticket was voided from the train accident. And I really do hope that person is okay. I tried checking the news but I couldn’t find very much on what exactly happened. My frustration didn’t stem from the accident but I was more upset about getting lost than anything. I hate getting lost. When I get lost, I feel as though I’m not grasping life here well enough and it makes just want to pack my things and go home.

But then my host mom and sisters show up and we go to a tutoring session together and I meet the funniest Japanese man ever, who cracks some jokes with me and makes me feel welcomed even though I stumble and fumble over my Japanese. And we have conveyor belt sushi and I eat until I burst and the girls beg to go to the conbini for some aisu, which I decline as usual, but opt for some chocolate and marvel at how expensive it is here. I walk in my room and my laundry is washed and folded to perfection as if my clothing were origami. I toss my futon out and read over my first few assignments with heavy eyelids.

And in the midst of my fustrations, I remember everyday I am here is an adventure, a challenge I’m trying to take on fearlessly, and I am comforted by the fact that even when I feel like I didn’t pass a test or if I’m being to hard on myself, I have a home to come to and people who are happy to see me and they’ve only known me for less than a week. That’s what makes this worth it.

Oh, Tokyo!