Onsen

(Note this actually took place the weekend of the 14th. I'm lazy and didn't write about it until now, however I'm going to avoid retroactive posts since they probably go unnoticed)

By now I'm sure you're all wondering the same thing: How can you spend this long in Japan without taking a public bath with a bunch of Japanese men? Well, you can put your worries aside and I can check off another cultural experience.

I went to Odaiba, the man-made island in the Tokyo bay, this weekend and checked out an onsen there.

This is the view of Tokyo from Odaiba. They have a statue of liberty. I don't know why. What I do know is that the Oedo-Onsen Monogatari has an attached dog resort. You know, b/c dogs need to go to spas too.

Anyway, the sign says they prohibit heavily intoxicated people, people with tattoos and yakuza members. The drunks I can understand, but is there some threat that tattoos pose that I'm unaware of? Should I not swim around tattooed people or just not bathe with them? I also wonder how they know who yakuza members are. My understanding was that the yakuza were similar to the mob. I wouldn't have guessed they make their allegiances known. Apparently I am wrong.

Anyway, I go into the onsen, leave my shoes in a locker and get in the entry line. When you get to the front, you pay the entry fee and are given a key on a bracelet with a corresponding bar code. Any additional expenses you rack up in the onsen are just added via the barcode and you pay upon exiting.

Next stop is getting a yukata. This allows you to blend in seamlessly with all the other onsen attendees. They totally can't tell if your from Japan or not. For bonus points you can wrap it with the right side coming over the left and feel even more like an idiot in your Japanese bathrobe when you notice your the only one wearing it that way.

Anyway, once you put on the yukata in changing room number 1, you enter the onsen proper. This, as it turns out, is a giant room which feels vaguely reminiscent of a children's carnival at a church or elementary school. There are little games such darts and 'pick a floating thing out of the kiddie pool' complete with requisite crappy prizes. There are souvenir shops and food stands and a Dip 'n Dots vendor. Performers dressed in exaggerated costumes from the Edo period juggle and sing and crap. There's a guy with a beer trolley which explains how anyone could handle spending more than 5 minutes in the main onsen area.

I hadn't eaten when I came, so I ordered some udon w/ tempura. I also have some hirezake. I did not take this picture (didn't have my camera on me at the time), but this is pretty much what hirezake looks like:

It's sake with pufferfish fins floating in it. Oh, and it's served hot. Somehow the vapors coming off it seem are far worse than the drink itself and kinda burn your whole throat. Also you eat the fins. I had to see this done before I would try it. Nothing about this experience was particularly pleasant.

Fortunately, the rest of the onsen is much more pleasant than the main hall. There's an outdoor footbath area where both men and women can go. There's a winding path of ~6inches hot spring fed water with little rocks attached to the bottom. The little rocks hurt at first, but you kind of get used to it.

The footbath is free, but there are also additional amenities that you can pay for. I decided to try a sand bath. You go into a smallish builing and lay down on a blanket in some sand. You are then basically mummified and buried up to your neck with hot sand. You lay there and sweat for about 15 minutes. It's okay, I guess. Much better, however, are the Dr. Fish:

It's a small pool filled with small fish. You sit on the edge and stick your feet in the water. This will prompt the fish to swarm around your feet and eat the dead skin off of them. It tickles a lot and is kind of creepy to watch, but my feet were very smooth feeling afterward. So, if you care about things like that, or just like the idea of paying to have animals eat part of your skin, then I highly recommend the Dr. Fish.

Aside from the coed footbath area, there are seperate bath areas for men and women. You go through locker room 2, leave your yukata and enter a large room with various hot-spring filled pools. There's also an attached outdoor area with a couple more pools and a sauna. In the locker room they also provide you with razors, toothbrushes and asorted hair products. The main bath area also has small stalls with shampoo and soap where you sit on a stool and shower by pouring buckets of water on yourself. The weirdest thing is that it doesn't seem that weird when you there.

Bar My Place

So, at one point I thought I would make daily entries and use this to chronicle my entire time in Japan. I see now that this was an unrealistic expectation. I am clearly too lazy to write daily. And besides, you can only be amused by the random crap you see walking to work before it just becomes part of your routine.

Fortunately, tonight I was lucky enough to be reminded once again that Tokyo is a very strange place.

The area I'm staying and working, Bunkyo-ku, is a pretty dull place. It's apparently a very nice residential area with the some of the highest land prices in all of Japan. As I've chronicles previously, nightlife in Tokyo seems to be a strange beast. In Bunkyo for example, it seems to be non-existent.

Well, tonight as I was walking home, I hear a lot of noise coming from what appears to be another small restaurant. I stop to check the sign and see that the place is called Bar My Place. Seeing as the name is in English and it's called Bar My Place, I figure there's no reason not to drop in.

I'm immediately disappointed to see that I appear to be walking in on a dinner party. Like everywhere, it's a small room with one large table (currently seating 6 or so nicely-dressed people) and a couple smaller tables. Since I've already walked in, I figure I'll at least have a beer and jot some notes for the blog. The bartender is very friendly and tells me that I'm welcome to go upstairs where it's a bit more lively. I drop off my coat and bag and follow him up the narrow stairway near the entrance.

I find myself in what looks like a band practice room that someone set up in a small apartment. There's an inflatable deer head above the door, a projector showing some movie, a few couches and a band set-up behind the movie screen. I'm greeted by Jeff, another American. He introduces me to his wife, brother-in-law and a couple other Japanese people hanging out in the apartment above the bar.

I'd finished about half a beer when they decided it was time to play some music. The screen is raised. The brother-in-law sits at the drums, other Japanese guy grabs a guitar, the two women start messing w/ the keyboard. Jeff shoves some Bongo drums in front of me and grabs a microphone. I've now joined the most surreal band of all time.

The two Japanese guys are very good musicians and, since they don't speak English, Jeff assures me they think anything you 'sing' in English sounds good. I'm a bit weirded out, but figure it's better to just go with the flow and hit the bongos.

After a bit the bartender comes up to check on us. He asks how I'm doing and indicates that everybody up here is crazy. He then sits down and picks up a bass. Another song ensues. This time the microphone is shoved in front of me near the end and I'm forced to make up random lyrics.

Not long after this, everyone has to leave to catch the last train. I'm left to finish my beer and chat w/ Kento, the bartender, a bit. Turns out he used to be high up in some company and more or less retired to run the bar. It's mostly run as a restaurant where he cooks some daily special each evening. He gave me his card and cell phone number so I can call him if I ever want a specific meal prepared.

Kento also wondered why I had stopped by. I explained that it was just b/c I walked by and heard noise. For some reason this seems to be a common theme everywhere I go. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, but no one understands why I'm there. I don't know if the Japanese just never go to new places or if I'm just wandering into very non-touristy places or what. Maybe it's just that I'm weird and drawn to the unwelcoming places that have a small sign in a dark alley. I don't know.

Golden Gai

In my ongoing quest to thoroughly embrace the Japanese culture, I chose to sacrifice my weekend and the better part of Monday in order to examine Tokyo nightlife.

So Tokyo is large, cabs are really expensive and the subway shuts down at ~midnight. This, coupled with the fact that night entertainment options vary greatly by ward, means that if you plan to go out at night, it seems you have to be willing to commit the whole night to it. I assume this is part of the reason for the capsule hotels which I fully intend to try out sometime.

Anyway, Golden Gai is a little bar district next to Shinjuku, the insane neon district. The lonely planet guide recommends checking it out even if you don't plan to drink and mentions that it's not the most tourist friendly place. Friday night as I'm leaving work around 10, I decide that I'll sacrifice the night and check it out.

I'm running a bit late and manage to catch one of the last trains to the Shinjuku area. I don't have a map, so I'm not entirely sure where I'm going. When I get to the neon lights of Shinjuku, I know I've gone to far and back track a couple blocks off the main drag. As I'm wander, I spot Bon's, a place noted in the Lonely Planet guide. I stop in.

Bon's has a 500yen cover charge. It also has about 6 people in it sitting around tables. I sit at the bar and am not impressed. 1 drink down, I'm out of Bon's and wondering if I will seriously regret commiting the night to being here.

Fortunately, Bon's is just on the edge of Golden Gai and gives no real indication of what I'm getting into. Golden Gai is unlike anywhere I've ever been. It is literally jam-packed with bars. Every floor, every building. They are all tiny so they're packed in like crazy. The streets between them are too small for cars. For like 5 or 6 blocks, this is all there is.

The strangest thing, though, is that there's almost no one there. It's a Friday night, a little after 12 and the only people I see wandering amongst the hundreds of bars are a couple making out in an alley and an occasional staggering drunk. It's like some horror movie or something.

I literally just wander around soaking everything in. I really don't know what to say about it. I'll have to go back and get pictures.

Anyway, after I wander through it all, I decide I'll take a chance on one of the random bars. The small stairwells always intrigue me, so I decided to wander up one. I reach the top and don't see any open places to sit. It's a small place and a guy sitting at the bar asks me something in Japanese. I have no idea what he's saying, but he doesn't seem very welcoming and I don't see anywhere to go. I retreat back down the stairs.

I wander more. I notice some of the doors say 'members only'. The Lonely Planet guide had mentioned that the area wasn't particularly welcoming. On the far end from Bon's, there is a lively Karaoke bar that offers no cover and 500yen drinks. It is packed and spilling out the door. Mostly it seems to be packed w/ drunk European guys. I decide I'd rather take my chances with another random place. I appear to be developing a resentment towards non-Japanese people I see in Tokyo. I don't know why or what this means.

I find another place. It's on the first floor. I can see there are a few people inside, but there are seats available. English writing out front. All looks good.

Turns out I chose well this time. I meet Aaron, and English guy and his Japanese girlfriend, Chewy, or something. There's also a Japanese guy who turns out to be a baseball fan and recognized the Pirates hat b/c Masumi Kuwata pitched for them a couple years back. Everyone is friendly and I am fed Japanese bar snacks. These consist of some sort of fish eggs, a weird thing wrapped in a leaf, and some pre-packaged fried snacks with flavors like pepperoni and shrimp & mayonaise. There is also an Obama mask in the bar.

I stay there until 3Am or so, then decide I should check out more of Golden Gai. Aaron recommends a place not far away that conveniently has a sign saying 'I love English people and you'.

The bartender speaks English well and lived in Colorado for a while. We discuss how I think they're 10 years younger than they are and how they can't believe I'm not 35. This is another common theme.

Around 4.30 or so, I get hungry and wander over to Shinjuku to find some food. Even at this time I am harassed by people trying to lure me into clubs. I learn that if you tell them you want food they leave you alone much quicker than if you tell them you're just not interested in going to a strip club. A useful tidbit.

I find a small noodle shop where you order by selecting something and paying at a vending machine and giving the cook the ticket it produces. I have no idea what things are, but don't really care. I wind up w/ some sort of ramen w/ meat and eggs in it. It's not bad, but at 5am, I don't really care.

Soon, the subway is running again and I'm able to get home and crash. I still have yet to find anywhere with many young Japanese people, but I now know that Golden Gai is worth returning to.

Taco es muy delicioso

Tonight I went to a little restaurant not far from where I'm living. Unlike most restaurants in the area, this one is open late. Also it does not have any pictures of the food or anything written in English.

So, I'm seated at a small counter with my knees touching the bottom of the counter. Directly in front of me is the kitchen area so I can watch the cook. There's some octopus tentacle behind the glass right in front of me. I decide this is a good place to try it, so I point and request 'taco'.

Fortunately, the waitress speaks English. I ask her how the octopus is prepared and she tells me it's sashimi. This is somewhat disconcerting, but I figure I should go ahead with it. I also order some udon noodle something or other.

This is what about what they bring out to me:


Surprisingly, raw octopus tastes pretty good. The udon stuff is good too (except the ginger on it; I really don't like ginger).

The Japanese people at the counter seem amused by my ordering tako. They all ask if it's good. They also point out an error in my chopstick holding technique. One lady insists that I have some of her sashimi fish. It's also not bad. I think I'm developing a taste for raw flesh.

Groceries

I must be making an awesome impression upon the local grocery store employees regarding the eating habits of Americans. It's less than a block away, so I stop in every couple days or so. And I don't really vary my purchases very much.

Today's groceries: Bacon, bread, popcorn and beer.

I go through a bag of popcorn every day or two. I also get a lot of pasta and fruit. That's pretty much it.

Advertising

Barack Obama enticing me to eat a hot dog.

Why, if it weren't for everything else around me, I'd swear I was in America.

Akihabara: the Redux

So my laptop sucks. This is slightly more problematic than usual b/c the other computers available to me are Japanese. This doesn't render them completely useless, but the keyboard is weird and likes to occasionally make me type jibberish and most of the writing is in Japanese. I can get by in Word by looking at the icons, but reading error messages when I'm programming is more problematic.

Given this situation, I decided it would be worthwhile to at least upgrade the memory in my laptop. This gave me a convenient excuse to skip out on work this afternoon and head back to Akihabara.

I'm working on getting a better feeling for Tokyo's layout, so I decided to walk. Everything was going fine until I was almost in Akihabara. Having seen the first of the electronics stores, I gave in to the temptation of deviating from the known route and following more interesting streets (damn alleys and there irresistable allure).

I found myself in a place that was very like Akihabara, except instead of electronics there were many clothing and golf shops. I was also deceived by an overhead rail track that I 'recognized' from my last trip to Akiba, so I kept walking. Just as I was getting quite concerned about my location, I stumble upon the Ueno subway station.

So my detour to Ueno wasted 45 minutes or so, but at least I knew where I was and how to get back to where I wanted to be. I finally get to Akihabara and quickly come across my first destination: Nyankoro


Nyankoro is a cat cafe. You pay money to hang out in a room filled with cats. As an added bonus you can help yourself to drinks from the fountain machines.


It is at least as weird as it sounds. There were 3 people already there when I arrived (a couple and a guy in a suit) and another group of 3 showed up while I was there. There are little mats and tables on the floor and you just hang out with 10 or so cats in a small room.


I didn't stay for the whole half hour I paid for, but it was worth seeing with my own eyes. I'm still not sure what I think of this.

Next, I went wandering around the many electronics stores. The bigger ones didn't have the RAM I needed (probably b/c it's old and crappy), but I found a smaller place where I could get a Gig for 2990yen. I also picked up some speakers for my mp3 player and a mouse for cheap.

By this point it was 6.30 or so and I was pretty hungry. Having already investigated the cat cafe, I figured I ought to try out a maid cafe as well. As you might guess, this is a cafe where the women dress up in maid costumes. There are quit a few of them in Akihabara and even more women in the streets dressed like maids handing out flyers for them.

I guess maid cafes are kind of like a weird Japanese take on Hooters. The staff is all female and they wear costumes and are flirty. I was sat at a bar and ordered Carbonara and a beer. There was already another guy at the bar when I got there (needless to say the only customers were guys). When he left, the bartender-maid came over to talk to me. She tried to converse with my, but did not speak English. So mostly she would just giggle a lot. I don't know, maybe that appeals to some people, but for my part, trying to eat while a Japanese woman dressed like a maid giggles at you is really just unnerving.

On the plus side, beer was only 500yen and the food wasn't too expensive either. Even w/ the 300yen charge for walking in the door, it was no more than a normal meal w/ a beer.