HackerHaus

Sorry for the lack of bloggage last night. I just wasn’t feeling it. Here are some of my thoughts from yesterday:

• Akihabara is still the coolest place for electronic gizmos
• Akihabara hokosha tengoku (pedestrian’s paradise) kinda sucks since Sawamoto Asuka was arrested
• If you dress up like a maid and hand out stuff on the street, do you really expect people not to take photos of you?
• Old (weird) Japanese guys still like to walk behind beautiful women, pretending to smack them on the ass with every step.
• Why didn’t I spend more time in Ueno when I lived here
• Asakusa during Sanja Matsuri is nuts. If you go there with anyone you don’t wish to get separated from, bring a rope.
• If you want to see the famous 100 kilogram lantern that hangs from Kaminarimon, don’t go during Sanja Matsuri… the ubiquitous “they” pull it up to make room for the mikoshi (floats carried by throngs of crazy Japanese people in happi and tightie-whities).
• There is a such thing as just too damn much walking.

And now, I pose a question to my 3 readers: Have you ever lived in Tokyo by yourself for an extended period of time? Do your experiences echo mine, or are they completely different?

Tokyo can be, in my experience, a truly lonely city. The problem is… I don’t think it *has* to be. It’s been socially and culturally *programmed* to be so. People still communicate within their chosen groups, but otherwise bounce off each other like bubbles in the wind. They may notice me… some may even want to say “hello”… but none would dare do so. None over the age of 5, anyway. At that point, they have yet to be ruined by society.

At this point, I find myself asking… if it’s so lonely here, why do I love this city so much? Living here and coming as a visitor are really not all that different. Even when I lived here, it seems I was just visiting.

Off to shower, shave, don my suit, and head off to an early-morning meeting at Sony HQ. I probably won’t take many pictures today. In the meantime, enjoy my photos from yesterday.

So… what have I accomplished today?

For starters, the meeting was Sony wasn’t today… it’s tomorrow. So I got to spend all day in my monkey suit for no reason. No biggie. At least I got to meet the folks from the office and have a fantastic lunch.

At the office, the new guy (even newer than I) befriended me by giving me a nice gift: a folding Japanese fan (called 扇子 - sensu). I look forward to getting to know him better.

After work, I split off on my own and went back to Shinjuku. Since I’m leaving soon, I knew this might be my last chance to accomplish just two more things:

• Buy more books at Kinokuniya
• Find my old favorite ramen shop
• Rekindle the spark

Was I successful in my endeavor? Yes, yes, and yes.

The ramen shop has since changed ownership and the innards look very different, but very nice. The lady there was very nice and knew about the old place from 10 years ago. We talked a bit about the history of the area and how much it has changed since then. I mentioned that I might be able to come back for business in September, and she and the guy behind the counter both seemed to look forward to seeing me again. I loved their ramen so much, I’m going to share their address with you, my 3 readers. If you ever happen to find yourself in Shinjuku, do yourself a favor and try it. You can’t miss the place… it’s across the street from a Wendy’s and just to the right of a McDonald’s.

The place is called 札幌らーめん　北の大地, which basically means “Sapporo Ramen, the Northern Land” or something along those lines, which makes sense, as Sapporo is in Hokkaido, which is way up north. The 醤油ラーメン (shoyu ramen, or soy-based soup and noodles) was fantastic. Easily the best I’ve had since I got here. The lady recommended next time I try their 豚骨味噌ラーメン (tonkotsu miso ramen, or miso soup and noodles topped with friend pork cutlet). I think I’ll take her up on it next time. Their address is Shinjuku-ku Shinjuku 3-chome 28-2 or 新宿区新宿三丁目28-2 for those conversant in the local lingo. Their phone number is (03) 3357-0056.

On my way home in the light Tokyo rain, I came to a realization… I had just made a couple of friends today. My love for T

Not much to say this morning. Had a bit of a rough time sleeping.

Up next: Shower, food, Akihabara, Sensoji. If I can get myself back to Shibuya and Shinjuku, I still have more shopping to accomplish. My travelmates’ feet are gonna hate me.

Here’s my Flickr photoset of the previous day’s frivolity. Enjoy. (And please try not to break anything, OK?)

The day has absolutely wiped me out, both physically and emotionally. I’m completely drained, yet mentally wired. My body seems to have automatically kicked into Tokyo mode, resulting in me spending the last 12 hours, with very few breaks, wandering the streets of Tokyo. Once again, I find myself both excited by and driven to study the Japanese language more earnestly.

Despite what I’ve done, I still have much to accomplish.

I met friends in Shimokitazawa for a nice shabu-shabu dinner tonight and ate entirely too much food. This also happened to be the closest I’ve been to Setagaya-ku, a place that still causes me a twinge of pain, in 15 years. All around me, I keep imagining seeing ghosts from my past… despite not knowing if they’re even still alive. This is something I did not expect, nor do I know how to handle it.

On my way home, I watched a presumptive couple on the train, faces buried in their charm-strapped cellphones. The man stopped only to lovingly study his new purchase - the worst pair of green and white striped socks I’d ever seen. Yet he seemed positively enthralled by them. That incident reminded me that I still don’t quite “get” the Japanese in so many ways. I’m sure I still look pretty odd to them, too.

General observations so far:

• The Japanese, as much as I seem to understand them, are still largely incomprehensible to me.
• What passes for “trendy” keeps getting stranger.
• I still know my way around the city pretty damn well… even to the point of remembering where things were and what used to be where new things are. (e.g. “There used to be a Tower Records up that flight of stairs… 20 years ago.”)
• The things that have changed are largely subtle.
• The use of credit cards and the ubiquity of cell phones is conspicuous to me.
• The JR Yamanote line never used to announce stops in English. I rather dislike it.
• Japanese commercials are nowhere near as amusing these days.
• There are many things that I love and have missed dearly about Tokyo.
• Tokyo is still the loneliest city in the world.

I still feel calm and quiet at Meiji Jingu. I still get excited by Tower Records in Shibuya and Kinokuniya in Shinjuku. The crepes on Takeshita Doori in Harajuku are still wonderful. I still like to walk far longer than my legs are willing. I still hate how easy it is to feel completely alone, even while swimming in a sea of humanity. I still hate how, no matter how good I get at this language, Tokyo can still make me feel like a rank beginner.

The plan for tomorrow is Akihabara and Sensoji. Time allowing, I’d like to hit Tokyo Hands and Loft in Shibuya, and possibly even make another trip to Kinokuniya in Shinjuku, but that may require leaving my traveling companions in the dust.

I’m coming for you next, Kaminarimon.

Good morning, Tokyo! This is the view from my hotel window. The fog looks inviting… it’s calling me… “Come… I have lots of ramen for you to eat.”

On the plan for today are Shinjuku, Harajuku (with a stop at the Meiji Jingu), and Shibuya.

I’ll see if I can get my picture taken with Hachiko!