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May 23, 2005

Birthday in Tokyo

I headed up to Tokyo with a few friends for the Design Festa and a birthday party or two. We rode the overnight bus, ack, on the way there, and then I made a little blunder that left poor Tricia and I sulking home on the bullet train (shinkansen)…oh darn. Of course Tokyo and friends were the best part, but I do love fast things…and we even saw Mt. Fuji out the windows.
There was dining and the festival and shopping and exploring and meeting up with recent-old friends like my predecessor from Tambara and I remembered how much fun big cities are! It’s been a rough week since I headed back to Tambara, feeling like I’m going to dye of boredom, but it’s also nice to be back in my cozy home!

The design fest is open to anyone who foots the bill. A lot of the work is more commercial than straight-up art. But that meant that I could actually buy things! There was music and food and very interesting live performances.

One night I stayed with a friend in “the Gaijin house”. The place was a hole, but cozy in that you can hear and see what most people are up to at all times of the day and night! It’s mostly full of Japanese people, but nearly everyone who lives in this house speaks English. The location is hot, right south of Shinagawa off the Oimachi JR railway stop, and the rent is surprisingly cheap for Tokyo, but still coming in at close to $600 a month for a one bedroom, shared bathroom abode.



This is the location of Design Festa, it’s called Big Sight and I still haven’t figured out what’s going on inside those upside down pyramids…



Alison, an ALT from Ehime, was showing these lovely pieces of ceramics…Alison: I still want to throw them like Jacks!



After a piece of fashion the models pose for pictures, the fashion was pretty lacking, but from what I hear it changes each show, perhaps a good excuse to come again next year?



Just when I say there wasn’t enough art for art’s sake these guys come out with howling music playing, I think she/it dies and then the packing bubbles man dies too, and then maybe we are supposed to feel empty inside without them? I just wanted to rough up the bubbles guy and see if we could make his packaging pop pop pop!



One booth was full of girls selling the best animal caps I have ever seen, here is another merchant displaying a horsy cap, I really wanted to ask “Why the long face?” but I have no idea how to say such a thing in Japanese…which is probably for the best.



it’s a map of one of the subway lines with tubes and metal parts, this could have only been cooler if there was a train attached to a railing system so you could send it winging through the tubes, instead of stuffing it full of straw wrappers.



I love Japanese construction sites!? They are always extremely orderly, buildings under construction are always covered in a sheath of tarps to hide the work/ keep in debris and dust, and the flashing lights aren’t the methodical blips we see in the states, no no, they are disco worthy strobes and swirling patterns of LED goodness.



I’m waiting to met up with some friends in Shinjuku and enjoying the parade of people that come washing past each time the signals turn blue.



Christon Café for Clair’s goth style birthday dinner, May is THE month to be born after all! I loved Clair’s friends, the party split up after dinner and I had fun hanging out with just Clair, Amiyu, and Clair’s sweet roommate while I waiting for friends. I headed out to some clubs, and then… it seems like every time I’ve been to Tokyo I have to end at least one night with breakfast at a ramen shop with the sun rising in the doorway.



Monday was my birthday! So Sunday night was Mexican food with many, and then just us two girls scouring the Shinjuku nightlife. We missed a rockabilly show at club Doctor but met the band (The Cat Fanclub)and nabbed a not yet released cd from their super cool lady drummer Ayaka. Monday was a blaze of shopping; we hit Shibuyu and then Harajuku. Less than half was shopping, the higher percentage goes to people watching, Japan is full of the craziest, most well maintained people on the planet! Eye candy everywhere! We hit some department stores including this one with crazy floral covered elevators. Then it was a rush to the Bullet train a change to an Express and then a Van and then bed.

Posted by theinfonaut at May 23, 2005 09:18 PM

Comments

Posted by: Jeremy S at June 19, 2005 02:55 PM