well, we're back in tokyo again. third time for me. second for laurel. there is something infectious about this city that just sucks me right in. laurel would probably disagree. i don't think i could live here, but i definitely love being here. what can i say about tokyo? there are cities within this immense city. a sprawling metropolis that has everything and then more. stations and streets filled. wall to wall. day until late night. with people going about their business. socializing. working. hanging out. words or pictures cannot possibly describe this immense, vibrant, overwhelming, yet mostly peaceful city. so i will stop at that. there is still so much for us to explore in tokyo, but this time, our time here will be to relax, reflect on the incredible past 6 weeks spent in japan, get ready for maschinenfest in germany, and get together with some old and new friends.
i was fortunate enough to connect with the taiko group 'amanojaku' based in tokyo and was able to participate in one of their classes. this is a performing group, so i wasn't sure what to expect. we worked on an original performance song that the group all knew already. i of course did not. trying to learn a new song along with their unique and original style of playing taiko (including bachi twirls and chanting), i'm sure at times i looked like a flailing armed idiot trying to keep up, but i kept playing even when completely lost. eventually i was able to somewhat retain most of what i was learning. much sweat, blisters, maybe a fews tears and 3.5 hours later, the class taught by sensei watanabe had come to an end. for me, an incredible, exhausting, somewhat intimidating and humbling session, but nonetheless an enjoyable one because i was able to drum and drum with such talented people. thanks isaku for inviting me!
we are finally able to meet up (after the third visit to tokyo) with our old friend brandon from the good old spiky haired teenage days in nepean. a short meeting, but it was nice to see him again and meet his lovely wife megumi. we also meet up with takashi (ordinateur) and yugo (dj statik) our music friends in tokyo. we were lucky enough to hang out with them twice, the second being at 'midnight mess' in shinjuku. a monthly event which yugo dj's at. an all night music event starting at midnight and ending sometime around 5:30am. (side note: the clubs in tokyo are expensive to book and work on 2 time slots, the first being sometime from 7pm to 11:30pm and the second being midnight to 5am-ish. the early time slot is most expensive to book, so most underground events take place during the later time slot.) thanks mistress maya for saving us the $30 entrance fees. see, it does pay to be a musician! the night. a mix of noise, dark electronic, electro and old school goth industrial dj music. a very loud japanese industrial, metal, rap fusion band accompanied by an s&m fetish performance. the lead singer of covenant performed with a couple of notable japanese musicians. an emotional solo theatrical opera performance to open the night. many of the attendees done up in true harajuku style. stayed all night and crowded the dance floors any chance they got. the event was followed by a large after party gathering at a nearby izakaya for breakfast and $15 all you can drink bar. so what was i suppose to do? continue drinking beer until 10am of course!! yes, they keep bringing pitchers to your table until you leave! luckily laurel decided to forgo the breakfast and subsequent debauchery and head back to the ryokan when it opened again at 7am. i managed to find my way back sometime before 11am and was extremely happy to lie down and finally go to sleep. thanks yugo and takeshi for the fun times!
we met asaku at the hostel in nagaski. she was on her way back home to tokyo after her travels in europe. we hooked up again in tokyo and spent a nice afternoon walking through yoyogi park and shibuya, had some good laughs at the expense of the 'really slow service' cafe which didn't have anything we wanted and had some nice conversation at a 'real' cafe. hope to see you again asuka! somewhere far away we hope.
other notable events of our time in tokyo. laurel's second of three trips to see a doctor (see 'attack of the killer bee' and 'krefeld, germany' posts). hanging out and sharing taiko stories at a tequila shooter bar in rappongi with isaku and chris of amanojaku. our first visit to 'akihabara' (electric town). return visits to the now famous brown rice vegetarian cafe. maneuvering through the massive crowds at hachiko square crossing and ikebukuro station yet again. a quick ikebana lesson at the kimi ryokan.
so much for our time to relax in tokyo! we ended up doing more than we had hoped, but it was all about spending time together with friends, which is always worth it. we didn't shoot too many photos in tokyo this time, as we've been to most of the same areas already. you can check out our galleries from previous trips if you want to see more of tokyo through our eyes!
we are sad to be leaving japan. 7 weeks here. we could stay much longer. we love it here. the culture. the people. our friends. the hospitality. the scenery. the paths you forge along the way. we will be back again soon enough. mata ne!
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