Seeing as how we were no longer afraid of eating at Denny's,
it was routine for us to eat there for breakfast. We were actually starting to get pretty good
at pointing out the items on the menu that we like, and the wait staff were
generally pretty awesome as they helped us out.
It may have also been a novelty thing, as we were the only non-Japanese
people for miles and we were in there every day! Either way, we got fed, even if it was
spaghetti and meatballs and mystery salads at 9am!
Warning: Slightly Off
Topic Observations....
·
Just about
every restaurant in Japan has plasticized versions of their food in the front
window. I'm not sure if this is supposed
to lure people in, but they generally all look disgusting to me.
·
Everyone, everywhere
is wearing surgical masks! I mean, the
mask sale business in Japan alone must literally be worth billions of
dollars. If you walk into any store, it
seems as if one of the first items you will see for sale is a mask, often times
with some ridiculous "fashion" design on it (cats, anyone?). The best part about Japan's germ phobia was
the fact that the whole time we were there Colleen was really sick and coughing
like mad. It came in really handy when
we wanted to clear out some space on the subway.
·
The chicks
love to dress like hookers! Now guys,
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just making an observation (hopefully
Colleen skips over reading this blog).
My personal favorite is the chicks who dress super skanky and are
wearing a surgical mask to go with it.
I'm sure an entire niche market exists for
"Asian-Surgical-Mask-Porn". Note to self: Delete internet history.
After getting our fill at Denny's, Kiel and Peter were on
their way, as they wanted some freedom to get away from Colleen, my Mom,
and I and were thus checking in to a hostel closer to the heart of the
city. Once they got sorted, we met them
back at the Visitor's Center, as the center was hosting a traditional Japanese
tea ceremony. It was quite the
ridiculous experience, as a bunch of goofy looking tourists (see: us) gathered
around while being served tea and some mystery food by a Japanese tea
master. Peter was really into the whole
thing, while all I could think about was how the tea tasted like seaweed or at
least what I imagine seaweed to taste like.
Just chalk it up as a cultural experience.
 |
| Just enjoying a tea party. Trying not to barf! |
With our stomachs full of not-so-delicious tea, we headed
back out into the miserable Tokyo winter weather and proceeded to head over to
the Imperial Gardens. As luck would have
it again, they were inaccessible once more, as the Emperor and his family were
making their annual post-New Year's appearance.
This was apparently quite the occasion, as there were hundreds of tour
buses that had apparently brought people from all over the country to get a
glimpse of their beloved royalty. I
figured it must've been Burt Reynolds or something.
Since the chances of us getting anywhere near the Imperial
Gardens and/or Emperor were non-existent, we got back on our horses and headed
over to window shop in Ginza aka Tokyo' super expensive, yet insanely busy,
shopping district. January 2, is their
equivalent of Boxing Day in Canada, so the shops were all insanely busy. We stumbled into the Apple store, and I
literally felt like I was 16 again and in a mosh pit at a Creed concert (Yes,
that sadly happened).
 |
| Looks like we know who Kiel's taking home tonight... |
Since too much shopping was not going to be happening, we
next plundered on to the Akihabara district of Tokyo, although it is more
commonly known as "Electric City".
As soon as we emerged from the subway station, it was just a complete
sensory overload. This is what people picture when you say the word Tokyo to them! There were flashing lights everywhere and
enough neon bulbs to put even the finest strip club to shame. We wandered around for a bit and checked out
a few different stores and arcades. We
discovered the Japanese peoples' love for some game called "Pachinko"
which was some kind of gambling, but not real gambling. I really have no fucking clue to be honest,
although Kiel made an attempt to experience the Japanese arcade culture. Sadly, the robot store we wanted to go to was
closed, although we did find this awesome store that was completely dedicated
to all things Nintendo. It was literally
floor to ceiling, multiple floors of everything you could possibly imagine for
all the various Nintendo systems since the beginning of time. I don't get too excited about video games
these days, but damn, this place was faaaaaaaaannnnntastic!
 |
| Nintendo store in Akihabara = greatest find of life! |
Back at the hotel, we were down to only three of us that
night, as Kiel and Peter had fled the nest.
It was also my Mom's last night in Japan as she was flying home the next
day. For a truly Asian experience we
decided to watch "Hall Pass" and drink shitty wine from 7/11. Sounds like a fine night to me!
 |
| Akihabara light up at night. Completely shames Las Vegas. |
~Brentski~
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