Night 6.5 Japan Nights on a Friday in Shinjuku and Shibuya: Dark seedy and dangerous.

Japan has a very vibrant night life. We often see it going on during the week as we head back home through Shinjuku. There are always people milling around the streets at 9pm but by then we were exhausted from the days activities that all we wanted to do was sleep. Today we slept during the day to be ready for the night.

Heading out at around 9 we went to an Okonomiyaki shop to try our hands at a what we refer to as Japanese pizza but it's far from pizza as it can more accurately be compared to a pan cake.



Okonomiyaki is a dish that is cooked on a hotplate consisting of a pancake like mixtures mixed in with cabbage and a variety of meats. This is then poured on the hot plate and cooked right in front of you tepanyaki style. I've had this dish a few times in the US and even made it myself a number of times. It's not very difficult as it can be anything you want. It was delicious and great to have it in a very old establishment with an aged ambience. The restaurant wreaked of a bad american greasy diner but in a good way and it wasn't dirty like one. Because food has been cooked on the skillet here for over 60 years, it has taken on a lot of flavor of its food.



The cooking process was simple and it only took 10 minutes before it was done and ready to eat. If you want to try your hand at an authentic dish that many westerners don't know about, go to a small mom and pop japanese restaurant and ask if they can prepare Okonomiyaki for you. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Stuffed and ready to check out the night scene we decided the walk around Shinjuku's happening areas.



The place was buzzing with activity as many Japanese head here for some night time activities after a long week of work. Shinjuku is known for their cheap eats, cheap drinks and cheap women or as many call it, the red light district. Compared to other parts of Tokyo, it has a very different look and feel, darker, seedier. The streets are populated with pretty boys dressed in suits with earpieces monitoring the streets. In the past (and possibly today) this place was heavily run by Yakuza but recent police action has put them underground but their presence can still be sensed.

Among the throngs of people are groups Africans (mostly Nigerians) roaming the streets, typically here illegally. They look for people out of place and start to talk toy you in english. The Japanese here despise them but tolerate their presence and this is not saying all africans are despised as many live here but the ones that work the streets are aggressive, rude and imposing. Having been thoroughly briefed on these people, you just walk on and ignore them as they are peddling their wares of drugs and women. Many walk on as they spout out English words like "how are you today" and "What are you doing here" among other things, it's like a game they play.

One in particular approached us tonight wearing a yellow shirt. He said something to us and we ignored him but being an old crotchety local, Michi's father told him to go away in English. This triggered a response from him as he followed him asking for money. We just walked on but things got escalated when he touched her father on his shoulder which is a big no no. Being thoroughly pissed off, he takes out his iPhone and mimics taking his picture. You see, taking pictures of one of these people is not taken lightly here since it is a major threat akin to pointing a gun in someones face. They are deathly afraid of having their pictures taken since it can be identified and used to deport them from the country.




This picture was taken without his notice as I am deft with my photography skills (he did notice the camera but I had to put away by the time he asked me about it and I always leave my camera in no flash stealth mode). The mere act can illicit response which in this case brought in the area chief. He then proceeded to walk with us down the alley talking to people along the way.

He and three others followed us down the way to the main road still taking to Michi's father as he kept telling him to go away and not to walk with us. He just responds with "I'm walking down the way, no problems." Things came to a head as they demanded him to delete the photos off his phone and they blocked our path. Mind you, we were on the main street in Shinjuku with hundreds of people walking by during this altercation so it wasn't like we were in a deserted dark alley (which would have been far worse). The other thing was that they didn't understand our relation to him and considered us as by standards. We called the police and they stood by arguing with him. We went into a raimen shop and had the shopkeeper call the police. We waited inside as they left and then outside for the police for a good half our, or what felt like half an hour. They came back bringing their head boss. A well dressed African with a tie who proceeded to diffuse the situation and told the area boss and instigator to leave. The police finally came and took his report. We left Shinjuku for Shibuya to see what that area has to offer.

Hitting the train station, we took it two stops to Shibuya.



It was midnight then and the streets were buzzing but not very busy. It was late and many by now are starting to head back. Shibuya was very clean without the nefarious elements roaming the streets. Having been rattled by the Shinjuku experience we weren't really in the mood for a club and went to Don Xioty (a Japanese version of Walmart) or as I affectionately call penguin land given their mascot is a blue penguin. Michi shopped for a Yukata and I looked around in the store for half an hour.



Looking at the populated Karaoke shops, we walked around seeing Japanese enjoying their night.

We left and walked to Shibuya station where I took some nice night time pictures.






















After we were done we didn't realize the time, 1:15, the trains have stopped running! we were only four miles from Shinjuku so our options were to take a $20 taxi or walk. We decided to enjoy the night and walk the 4 miles. It was dead at that hour with only a few drunk patrons roaming the streets trying to get back home. It was a good long one hour walk and we were glad to be home at 2:30.

Having drank a traditional Japanese energy drink I wasn't actually tired so we stayed up and talked till 5 am while I worked since it was 10-12 in Phoenix and I was able to get some critical work done this Friday. Going finally to sleep at 5 am, I reflect on the long day and look forward to a good weekend with some shopping, festivals and Ropingi for a night life experience.


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Location:２丁目,Shinjuku Ward,Japan

Day 6, Friday - Fat Japanese: land of rice, fish and fast food.

Today's blog will be broken into two parts because of the distinctive differences in what we will be doing today. The day we take it easy because tonight we will be hitting the night life of Tokyo.

So for the day time part, the cultural commentary will be on the growing obesity rate in Japan. Yes, it's such a touchy subject but one that is growing in concern throughout Japan like the war on drugs is to America. Recent reports that Mississippi has a 30% obesity rate has brought the issue to the spotlight. Traditionally when we think of a large Japanese we think Sumo Wrestlers, the pride and joy of Japan, but that is a very special subset like professional football players in America.



The Japanese pride themselves on being small, thin and fit and many go to great lengths to look the part far worse than in America (except California). Parents are strict, blunt and often degrading to their slightly overweight daughters but despite that and the cultural forces dissuading such, they are getting fat. Although not nearly as bad as the problems in America, the concern is growing.

The cause much like in America is fast food.



Japan has always had fast food being a culture constantly on the go.



Sushi, ramen, and curry shops adorn the city as common as the corner McDonalds or Taco Bell but Japanese fast food is not the problem.



American fast food has slowly crept into their daily diets tempting them with quick, easy and delicious foods to go.



American fast food offers what most Japanese quick eateries don't, eating on the go. It's difficult to eat a bowl of ramen while walking to your train station (even thought it only takes 10 minutes order and finish your meal) so many turn to burgers, fries and fried chicken. McDonalds adorn the streets along with BK, KFC and Krispy Creme but it's not just American companies which are part of the problem. Japanese owned fast food joints such as Mos Burger and Mr. Donut add fuel to the fire. All these establishments are busy as we walk by them, populated by young and old alike.

These places aren't cheap either. You can often get away from a curry or ramen shop for under $4 but go to McDonalds and get a meal you can easily spend $10 for a burger, fries and drink. Donut shops aren't cheap either, sometimes coming as high as $2 a donut or $20 for a dozen. As we ate at McDonalds, Mos Burger, Krispy Creme and Mr. Donut we can understand why they are lured in to such quick fixes. Greasy, fast and delicious is the American way and many Japanese want to be like America. I guess they can be fat like America too.

End commentary.

The day started like any other day, waking up at 7 and working for a few hours. We wanted to take it easy and experience Japan's night life instead of the day time attractions we've been doing for the past week. We had a nice seaweed soup for breakfast and headed out to exchange more money and Mos Burger for lunch. The exchange rate has taken an upswing today so it's a good opportunity to get some more yen before the American Dollar falls again. We wanted to try Mos Burger not because we missed American fast food. No, on the contrary, I could eat traditional food every day and be very happy. We tried it because I wanted to get a good idea on how their diets and tastes are changing.



We wanted to try Mos Burger because it's one of the most popular growing fast food joints in Japan selling American style hamburgers but with a Japanese twist. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted with an English menu just for us. We selected three items, a regular cheeseburger ($350), A cheeseburger with pork topping ($390), a shaved beef burger on rice bun ($350) and a large fry ($270). The burgers came in an open sleeve (and for good reason) while the rice burger came in a insulated foam sleeve. $13.60 for the both of us. Overall impression, a definite improvement over American fast food burger (but not as good as a double double from In-and-Out).
Mos Burger Menu

Mos Burger Images



First the cheese burger. The patty was a decent size, 1/3 pound border lining half. It was very saucy but in large part due to the cheese they use. It's a slice of something that has a low melting point so the cheese turns into a cheese sauce when placed on the burger. I love the extra large ripe tomato they place on the burgers. Next the cheeseburger with pork topping. Again, very delicious and saucy. The pork topping with onions was a good addition while the rest of the burger remained the same. Lastly the most unusual, the shaved beef burger on rice cake. This was served in a foam sleeve for a very good reason, the burger is freaking HOT! Take it out and it nearly burns you, even after spending the time eating the first two burgers. The rice cake serving as buns was really nice to eat, albeit falling apart by the time we got to it. The beef was sauced with a teriyaki type glaze and like most fast food joints, put way more than necessary. It was a good burger and I would like to try the other rice cake burgers again. The fries were good being traditional half inch cut fries, deep fried and unsalted. Their ketchup was the best part of that tasting of natural tomatoes unlike what we are use to with Heintz. Oh, BTW, their large fry is the equivalent to our Small or Regular (depending on where you go) with no option to super size me. Fortunately for Japan, they aren't obsessed with drinks so their average drink size is 16 oz, sometimes even small as 8 oz and that's all they need. In the end, they improved on the American burger and it's not a good thing.



After sufficiently stuffing ourselves with burgers we went back to the room, did some more work and prepared for tonight. I took a short nap because in my old age, I wouldn't last past 12, especially going to a night club.

Location:２丁目,Shinjuku Ward,Japan

Day 5, Thursday Japan Tour - Ueno walkabout: Rain Rain go away

Forecast... Afternoon rains in Tokyo, sometimes heavy.


With that we decided to take it easy and head to only one destination Ueno. Reflecting on the past four days, it's really nice to be on a trip with no itinerary, to pressing need to get to xyz and a way to immerse yourself in the culture in the heart of Tokyo away from the shelter of tourist friendly areas. We are fortunately to be able to have Michi's dad here telling all the ins and outs of Tokyo during our stay, leading us to the best places to see, culture to experience and places to eat. Without that in, we would be normal asian tourists saying sumimasen, americaa jin desu (giggle giggle giggle) and bow respectfully as you stumble through the day. We are very fortunate and we can take breaks from the rush.

Even tough we are gaijin, Michi is half Japanese and I'm Chinese so many assume we speak Japanese so I have to clearly say in english "do you speak english?" to set up the fact I can't speak fluent Japanese. They are always polite and very helpful.

The morning started with my usual regimen of responding to work emails, writing and other work related stuff. We ate a couple eggs for breakfast. After realizing the forecast we decided to work into the afternoon before we headed out on our own without our trusty guide. The destination is Ueno, an area known for street vendors and a park with museums and a large pond/lake. By now we were starving and looking for a place to eat. We were looking for a popular chain called Mos Burger but failed to find it on our walk to the station so we proceeded to head to Ueno, the furthest distance from Shinjuku on the Yamamote circular line. This trip only took half an hour so we were famished when we got there at 3.



Walking the streets of Ueno, we saw street vendors selling goods from clothing, shoes, electronics to fruit, fish and meat.



Vendors sold nearly everything in this huge open air market lining the streets. It started to rain heavily while we walked so umbrellas were in order. Fortunately the rain only lasted half an hour but there were very few places for reprieve unless you went into one of the huge department store towers. We stayed outside soaking in the sites and showers.



During our walk I noticed a hole in the wall shop selling gyozas. Having a love for gyozas I deciede to give it a try. It was one of the best and the largest gyozas I've every had and only costing 450. I would highly recommend any traveler to Ueno to visit this hole in the wall shop for some very unique gyozas.



They do have other dishes too like ramen and vegetables but unfortunately we couldn't read they menu since the establishment was geared toward Japanese only since it was a local hangout.





Having finally satiated our hunger at 430 we headed to the state park to see shrines, temples and museums. The weather was actually nice and cool since the rains came in and it was a good walk through the park taking many pictures. Unfortunately due to the lateness of our departure all the places we wanted to see was closed. :( :( :( This park is also known for the cherry blossom walk during the cherry blossom festival in February called Hanami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami). Unfortunate we were a little late for that.















We did see one amazing site at the park which was the lotus flower forest! This area, which looks like a gain pond most of the year is host to a forest of lilipads called lotus flowers. They only bloom at a very specific time during the year and they were in bloom when we arrived. Quite an impressive site to see the sea of pads across the pond.



After the walking tour of Uneno we decided to call it a night and head back to Shinjuku to grab a late dinner. This time it consisted of a nice bowl of Soba or Buckwheat noodles. It was a delicious dish that satisfied our exhaustion.



This day was less eventful compared to the previous day but a good one since we needed a chance to recharge. Tomorrow should prove to be another slow morning as we plan on going to see the night life of Tokyo instead of the daytime activities we've been experiencing for the past week.

I hope you've been enjoying my travel blog of Japan. Please write a comment or click on one of the three feedback options so I know that someone other than me is reading this! Second, this entire blog was written on my iPad and published with picture from it. Errors may occur. THX.

- new blog Posted from my iPad

Location:６丁目,Shinjuku Ward,Japan

Japan travel fun day 4 - hot, sunny train day: Tokyo tower of un-fun.

The rely bird gets the worm. I wonder what the expression like that is here in japan. We got up early to get a good start. Today its sunny and hot so we wanted to take advantage of the break from the clouds and go up tokyo tower to see Mt. Fuji. Its forecasted to rain tonight so our time is limited for this weather window.

First stop, get more money. Many establishments don't take credit and especially not American Express so I had to change out some more cash since I didn't get much when I was at the airport. If I had done it at the airport, I wouldn't have lost 2.5% on the transaction. It would have been 4.5% loss but having travelers checks helped offset some of the exchange losses. With a bit more yen in my pockets we head over next door for a korean buffet and ate an ample amount of watermelon.

We take for granted that fruit is so readily accessible back in the states at when



it is a rare treat, you learn to appreciate it more. Fruit here is so rare and expensive, its like how we treat the most expensive truffle or lobster. They reverently package fruit in impact safe containers, peaches in decorative boxes for gifts to the gods, and watermelon that costs more than caviar. Fruit is a rare and special treat and they treat it so and I miss fruit because I never at it at home and took it for granted.



Next stop was shinjuku station shopping mall to cool off. This is a high end 14 story department store that sells everything you would find in a typical mall and makes an excellent place to escape from the oppressive heat and humidity. We took some pictures in front of the Cocoon building where if you notice, it has a round opening to allow for helicopters to fly in. It opens up and closes like a giant moth beast!



While traversing the 14 department levels we spotted a very unique invention that I haven't seen in the us yet. They had a pen displayed at the stationary department but it was no ordinary pen. Like any normal pen it can be used to write but that similarity stops there. What happens if you were to make a mistake? You curse yourself for not using a word processor, get out the liquid paper and fix your mistake.



Or you can get the new marvelous frixion pen, THE PEN THAT CAN BE ERASED!!!! No, it's not like the erasable pens we are use to that has to be erased wi th a rubber eraser but it erases with a special plastic that doesn't rub off and makes the ink disappear!

Yes, Michi and I were wowed by a simple pen and bought one. It's not like we pay attention to pen technology every day and it's only been out for just two years.

After being wowed by the simplest of things (shinny things come to mind) we rode our bikes to Shinjuku Station and headed to Hamamatsucho to Tokyo Tower, but first a stop at the Zojoji Temple.

The tower was built in 1959 and used as a radio transmission tower.



Now it's a major tourist attraction because you can get a birds eye view of Tokyo and all for $8.50 but that's not the best view. For an additional $4 you can head to the top of the tower 250 meters in the sky (100 higher than 150) and see a much better view.



It was a Wednesday afternoon and the tower was crowded with Japanese and foreign alike. The line was long but swift as they cram 20-30 into a small elevator up. From there the view was impressive but lackluster as it wasn't very high and didn't do very much compared to the free view from the capital building. To get higher, we had to buy a separate ticket but they only allow a so many people up there and it was a projected 60 minute wait before your group can be allowed up. Not wanting to wait and spend the extra money, we took our pictures and left the tower.



The only good thing was the closer view of the ocean. In summary, Tokyo Tower = tourist trap, Tokyo Capital Building = free with awesome audio tour and taller view.

After being thoroughly disappointed in Tokyo Tower we headed up the train to Akihabara to find a battery charger for my camera.



There we got a chance to spend a few hours looking in the massive orgy of electronics. Anything and everything can be found here. It's like a Fry's electronics on crack but different because each shop specializes in something and isn't one large store.

However all the shops are owned by one company in a grouping. There were stores with nothing but capacitors, old fashioned picture tubes, cables, etc. If you need it to repair something electronic it can be found here. Besides parts they had their typical electronic stores with laptops, iphones, etc.



We looked in shops and found quite a few interesting tidbits, one of which was a new camera stand that folds up to a half an inch and remains attached to the camera.



Besides electronics this area is an anime mecca. DVD's, Manga, figurines, anything an Otaku can dream about can be bought here. We didn't stop in any of those shops but from this outside seeing all the japanese men going in, it's a super nerds wet dream.



Being an old skool arcade gamer I was curious to see what arcades are like nowadays since the advent of home gaming consoles. What can arcades offer that a PS3 or PC can't. The answer is that the arcade industry has evolved to involve more group dynamic games. The Sega Center and Taito arcade had three levels devoted to arcade games, the first two to UFO catchers.



There were some very impressive games.



A lot of group team on team mech games but one in particular looked very interesting.



You sat in a pod and went against 7 other in a near 180 degree view of the battle field.



Another game of note is how they adapted card trading games to the arcade.


Players would take their cards and put it on the field and it would affect the game based on what you placed and where you placed it.


One in particular was a game where you commanded an army in the Edo period. Placing the cards made the army move, commanders do special powers as your army battled. I tried my hand at an elevator shooting game in which the gimmick was a prop where physical elevator doors would close as you move up and down the building.


Some cases you have to close the doors yourself to keep bosses from getting you. It was very boring.

After being electronically exhausted out we headed back home at 9 pm and made a curry dinner and off to bed.

Location:２丁目,Shinjuku Ward,Japan