Tokyo!

Back on Saturday; I took off for Tokyo! (Technically I was in Tokyo when I went to Asakusa; but I'm not going to count that). I had done some preliminary research, noted some districts that I wanted to visit; but it was more or less unplanned (at least as "unplanned" as I go...)

I didn't get out till the afternoon - so I headed right for Harajuku. Harajuku is a younger/fashion district, that attracts all sorts of wild dress, including cosplayers - but I had heard that it was pretty quiet at night, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything there. When I got off the train, it wasn't apparent which way to go - so I just followed the largest crowd of the most interesting people... and found Takeshite Street (above)! It was crowded, and full of crazy little shops.

 (I was able to snap one shot of this store, before I was waved off)

I eventually emerged from the river of people to a main road... where I saw a fragmented portal into another dimension. The other dimension turned out very mall like; but that made the entrance no less awesome. It was all high fashion inside, with a Starbucks at the highest level. There are many, many Starbucks.

 But, since this is Japan - I also had the option of crossing the street, and disappearing into a thick, beautiful, serene forest. Meiji Shrine stood behind an impressive Torii; and I could not resist.

 (Outdoor museum / history exhibit)

At the shrine; there was a wedding. At the other shrine I visited Saturday... there was a wedding. I'm noticing a trend here. So far it hasn't stopped me from getting inside any shines (I usually get there in advance of the wedding party), which is good.

After Harajuku, I made a quick stop in Shinjuku - the "downtown" area. It had less to do (at least, that I was able to ascertain with a shallow investigation - so I snapped a picture, and moved on).

 Finally, I arrived at Akihabara - the "electric town" district, full of arcades, manga shops, internet cafes, maid cafes, electronics shops, and sex toy shops (which I had to investigate for "professional" reasons, *ahem*).

I almost didn't leave (actually... I sort of didn't; but wait for those details). The arcades were smoky, but full of lights and sounds that made them appeal to me. It was like a Las Vegas that was full of people like me (sorta), playing games that are anything but mindless lever pulling... it was amazing. The sex toy shop was seven stories tall, and... exhaustive in its selection.

I floated around until I ran into a girl from Ohio, who looked a little out of place (to be honest; all non-Japanese people seem out of place, but this girl had a certain "I'm looking for something" stare going on). Turns out the object of the search was reasonably priced food - so I took her to a sushi-go-round I had spotted earlier, and we ate and chatted.

Now; somethings to know before I continue...

• Trains are effectively the only way in and out of Tokyo; cars are prohibitively expensive to get in (via tolls), and park. 
• Tons of people work in Tokyo, and commute in - many from two to three hours away.
• Japanese "salarymen" love to cut loose after work at bars, arcades, doing karoke, ect.
• All the trains in Japan stop running at midnight.

These factors have lead to some unique business types in Tokyo, that cater to people who miss their last train home (which, as you could have figured out, could involve leaving as early as 9pm) - or are too drunk to attempt the journey. Capsule hotels are one option - they are (approximately) 3'x3'x8' tubes with beds in them, stacked several high, where you can sleep the night relatively cheep. The other option, is to find a 24x7 internet cafe (which generally have private booths/rooms), and check in till the trains start up in the morning (or you have to return to work). Both of these types of establishments have even evolved to provide the option for showers, breakfasts, and even fresh shirts and ties out of vending machines.

I knew I wanted to have this experience at some point this trip.

By the time my Ohio friend and I finished sushi, sake, playing dance-dance-revolution in the arcade, and briefly flirting with the idea of going into a karaoke bar... it was well past when I would have had to start the transit back to the hotel. She was able to make the subway back to the hostel she was staying at (it was nearby) - and I found this...

Since I was getting in later the peak, the private rooms were taken - but this reclining seat, with computer, was relatively secluded at the end of the row.

I spent some time online (using my masterful Windows XP knowledge to navigate an Operating System that was in Japanese), but wanted to attempt some shut eye before I roused myself for a 5:00am train, there were snores coming up from a number of adjacent cubes, and I could not figure out how to type an apostrophe. With my hat over my eyes, and the provided headphones blasting white noise into my ears, I was able to doze off.