Pictures: Trendy pups, sunsets, and picnics in Yoyogi park
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"Fake it until you make it"
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This is exactly what ran through my head (literally) after I got my new rock star haircut. With Becca back home on strict bed rest due to her battle with an unknown parasite living in her stomach and kept company by a very good book and Japanese cartoons on repeat, it was my duty to go explore the wilder side of Tokyo for the both of us.
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The party started last Friday with a trip to a Pachinko parlor in Shinjuku with my friend Lynn. How to describe Pachinko? First, think of a large complex lined by Japanese slot machines that emit continuous, loud, and obnoxious noises. Second, imagine that complex filled with the stench of cigarette smoke. Third, picture people sitting immediately in front of these machines, staring into them. Lasty, imagine these people operating a mechanical hand wheel that steers tiny, silver, metal balls through a maze like structure filled with obstacles, trying to somehow get these balls to land in specific zones to win them prizes. Now, who wants to play?! I did, so in went an 100 yen coin (yes, I am not a big spender) and out pops 50 shiny balls. After 5 minutes of gazing into the machine and still having no idea what to do with each ball, I begin to turn this magical handle and surprise surprise, the balls begin to shoot down the obstacle course missing every winning zone possible. 50 balls in about 50 seconds, I had lost, and all I could show for my 100 yen effort was pure confusion, a dangerously high heart rate, and clothes that stank of old chimneys....but....the delight and laughter that erupted from my teammates at the thought of my dumbfounded attempts at finding lady luck.....priceless!
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On to Saturday. After a long practice in the morning I headed to Yoyogi Park to meet up with some friends to have a picnic. Yoyogi park is now my favorite place in Tokyo. I would compare it to Venice Beach in Los Angeles. People of all races, ages, ethnicity's, sexes, religions, and interests seamlessly coming together in one location. You have punk rockers, skate boarders, musicians, sports aficionados, jugglers, performers, loungers, dog walkers, Frisbee throwers, runners, walkers, actors, people watchers......endless hours of free entertainment within gorgeous lawns of green grass, rose gardens, spouting fountains, and lakes. My picnic alone was evidence of the eclectiveness of the Yoyogi Park population. We had friends of all backgrounds: Japanese, Swiss, Swedish, British, French, American, Brazilian, and German speaking various languages and eating foods from all over the world. The weather was spectacular and the company even more incredible.
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After about 2 hours in the park, I thought it best to travel home to rest up for my long awaited Saturday night. Ever since I have gotten to Tokyo, I have made a list of things that I must do. Going to Japans largest club (and rumored to be the largest club in Asia) was on that list....fake it until you make it.....I was on schedule to be a rock star for the night. The destination, Ageha, a dance club in the Eastern part of Tokyo. The performer, Paul Van Dyk, one of the world's top house DJ's. The time frame, 9:30pm until at least 5:30am when the trains start running again.
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9:30pm, my friends and I meet in Shibuya, best known for being the social scene for foreigners that take residence in Japan. With a group of about 7 of us we toured around Shibuya bumping into new friends, visiting the nightlife hot spots, and taking in the energy of a city that had come alive. Although I often feel unique as a foreigner playing for a Japanese soccer team, in Shibuya, I felt anything but. You couldn't turn your head without spotting someone of a foreign background and you couldn't escape the sound of the English language being spoken all around you. A difference from my daily routine that truly made me realize Tokyo's international appeal.
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We boarded a bus around 12:30am that would take us directly to the club. Sitting next to my friend Lee (originally from Taiwan but now lives in Japan) and our new friend Andy (from England) we watched on screen, video clips from previous parties at Ageha. As we sat discussing the fun that lay ahead, we drove over the Rainbow Bridge and past Odaiba Beach and its massive mall complete with simulated sunsets and ferris wheels.
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We arrived at the club around 1am. The club was, to say the least, large. There was one main dance floor below the DJ stage. Two large video screens, lasers, fog machines, and hundreds of people dancing. Outside, there were two other dance floors, one located next to a pool and the other next to a garden. Inside, it was dark, with the only light projecting over the dance floor hailing from video screens, lasers, and glow sticks. Paul Van Dyk came on at 3am. Inside and outside, everyone danced....until the wee hours of the morning to the heart thumping songs that only a world class DJ could mix. Russians, Brazilians, Americans, Japanese, Canadians, people from any and every nation all under one roof.
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I felt like a rock star, and at 6:30am after dancing poolside as the sun rose over Tokyo, I decided my legs had had enough. Tired, exhilarated, and extremely content, I said goodbye to my friends and boarded the train home to get some much needed rest.
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On to Sunday. Becca had won the parasite war and was feeling better than she had in days. We had to celebrate. We thought of no better way than to spend the next 2 days relaxing in various parks (Toyosu and Yoyogi), attending our friends rock concert in Shibuya, and learning many new things about Tokyo that we would like to share with you......
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1. Japan is so trendy that even the dogs here dress better than we do. For example, dogs don scarfs, skirts, t-shirts, and best of all....side ponytails! (see picture)
2. Space is of a premium in Tokyo (large dogs just don't fit in) and so the American norm of men walking rottweilers and pit bulls just does not exist here. With that being said, it is not uncommon to see men walking high priced toy poodles in trendy clothes.
3. The sun rises very early in Japan. Around 5:15am.
4. The sun sets very early in Japan. Around 5:15pm.
5. Watching the sunrise and set in the same day makes you feel incredibly alive.
6. There is no daylight savings time.
7. Baskin Robbins has only 16 flavors of ice cream.
8. Streching on the train using the handrails can look really funny (see picture on next blog)
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