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For the Ma.K. show, click here!
For the second half of the trip, click here!
Ladies and Gentlemen, one day until JAPAN
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
As before, I plan to update daily, as we vacation in Tokyo Japan! Check back!!
(Almost) Back on our feet
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Hey gang! We have arrived, slept fitfully in a hotel room that has a couple challenges (which I'll touch on later), and are currently showering in preparation for our first day on the gorund! As usual, the trip was semi-arduous to painful:
On the set of Star Trek, The Next Generation.
Lisa, ready to catch that layover plane!
The flight was as expected, cramped for thirteen hours with yummy to questionable food, but the flight itself was smooth.
On the Narita Express train to Shinjuku Station.
We've been up for a day now...
Watching station after station whiz by.
View outside of our hotel room - it's raining today (waaa waaa waaaaaaaaa). That's all for now - my turn to shower!
(Belly full of) Bento!
(still) Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Okay, back from the first day out! As I said below, the hotel has a couple challenges, probably because it's primarily geared towards older Japanese businessmen and not traveling couples (or foreigners!). Challenge #1 - the beds are two twins!! And the matteresses are about two inches off from each other height-wise, so when you push them together youl get a weird ridge running down the center. Bummer, but workable. The pillows are the other hurdle for our soft baby heads. Apparently, a lot of people around here like their pillow stuffing to be made from what are basically thick hard plastic hollow cylinders - like filling a sack with hard uncooked macaroni!! So after being up for over a day, those pillows are "fucking evil". Today we asked the front desk for two extra pillows, and we got ones with the same filler but had a thick (and therefore softer) topper in addition - so they'll feel a lot more comfortable (and I assume we'll be a lot more easy-going about them, now that we're catching up on our sleep! I think tomorrow will be even better, as we get our "Japan legs" back in form.
Today we hung out with Lincoln and Travis for the afternoon. Awesome fellas!! They helped ease us into Shinjuku Station and led us to a great place for lunch.
Here's Lisa perusing the menu from a great Udon place (where we ate lunch).
I picked this delightful number. Unlike food in the US, when it arrives at your table, it's prettier than the photos!
Fellow patrons chowing down.
Here's mine - fried egg and all!
Lisa and the Wright Brothers™ got the Tempura (with Ebi - yikes for me!)
Here's Linc. He's a narcoleptic ;)
Every Life, Every Fun - DON'T YOU FORGET IT!
Ahhh costumes (at Tokyu Hands). Do you know how much fun this could be if it was sold in the US? CREEPY!
And now you know.
Here I am using the super-awesome hand drier you see in most of the bathrooms. You stick your hands into the trough, and needles of super-strong air rocket out of nozzles, blasting the water away. Stick 'em in up to the wrist and slowly pull up towards the ceiling. It's motion-activated and your hands are DRY in seconds. Crazy good.
Here we are in the port Nacelle of the Enterprise A.
Being a clever lad, I took a photo of the food I wanted (as advertised here, in plastic, in the shop window - yes - the food in this photo is fake!) and showed the camera's lcd screen to the cashier.
Dinner was delicious! This place is literally 2 minutes down the street from our hotel.
Asakusa & Nakano
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Ahhh another great day! Today was overcast - not rainy!
Gas station right next to our hotel.
Our hotel!
More gas station - they seem WAY more service oriented than in the states.
Pumpkin bun that Lisa got from the Vie de France in the train station.
Hot dogs we did not get.
More 'dogs we did not get. Many crazy variations.
I got a fried chicken/salad pita... for breakfast!
Pretty things Lisa plans to try tomorrow!
Curry donuts - dum dum dummmmmmm!
Money in my pocket!
We are slowly braving the Shinjuku train station - a massive sprawl!
The golden poo in Asakusa. I have no idea.
Rickshaws!
Main gate!
Detail under the lantern!
We were here for the Rake Festival today.
Lots of beautiful sights and smells.
The running of the Lantern Gauntlet.
Year of the Tiger. Rarrgh.
Beautiful...
Map of the shrines.
It was lovely in this area.
Loveliness, continued.
Sometimes I take a photo just because the surface is gorgeous. I have no idea what this is.
Nor what these fellas are up to.
Just composing shots.
We then went in search of our Indian restaurant.
Found it again, third trip running!
Forks!
Later, in Shibuya, Hachiko!!
Back to the hotel room...
Where we tried the bean flavored Pepsi. Bad no no bad bad!
After that unpleasantness, Travis escorted us to Lincoln's house where we met his lovely wife and daughter, and then we went to Nakano to meet up with the Yokoyamas! Model shops, dinner, and cake - another awesome evening!!
Harajuku & Akihabara
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Here's some pics I took yesterday, but forgot to include them! Japan is a whirlwind.
I have no idea... it just looked rad.
The view of Nakano from Linc's 13th floor pad.
Their park was recently torn down for what looks like a missile silo - whoosh!
This cracks me up - an SD Studios Golden Gun, all the way over here!
Only $1,470! Wow - that's cool.
It's number 398, for those keeping track :)
So today we went to Harajuku and Akihabara. Harajuku was awesome, but I struck out in Akihabara, not being able to find the model stores I really wanted to hit. Next time, baby. Maybe tomorrow, after we visit Yokoyama's studio?
Here's Lisa, ready for the Daiso. She got lots of cool stuff (it's like a dollar store on steroids).
Yamanote line, whoosh!
One of the main streets in Harajuku.
It's a no smorking street. Whoosh!
I don't know which I enjoy more - the creepy bunny and mouse, or the haute masked rain people.
Shit! I haven't seen season 1 yet! OR HAVE I?!
My brother has a restaurant here. Whoosh!
Lacoste and Condomania - two stores I've never been in, or have thought about - but here they are!
Some tricked out trike.
Hey Jane, you share Japan's forward thinking Christmas decoration timetable. You win! :)
Akihabara, right before the rain came. Here's the Radio building, where I scored a 1/12th Ferrari 312B for $60!
My favorite habitrail escalators!
So once the rain came I tucked the camera away and tried in vain to find a few model shops I wanted to hit. On the one hand, frustrating. On the other hand, I WAS IN BLADE RUNNER! Weird sounds, smells, blinding flashing neon everywhere, thick throngs of Asianas with umbrellas in the rain - it was super awesome.
Here we are, later in the evening, doing laundry. Here's the detergent.
Two loads!
Waiting for the grass to grow. Whoosh!
Finally, dinner! Back to the Bento people, and then a big awesome salad (seen of the floor, to the right, below).
Lisa innocently and almost randomly selected the same thing I got!
We're now winding down with Japanese TV. I have no idea.
Whoosh!
Kokubunji to Akihabara
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
This morning I slept through an earthquake! Woke early to catch the train with Linc to Kow Yokoyama's house.
View from just outside our hotel.
Train that takes you to fun town.
Uran-chan! Official MaK cat!
Yokoyama-san taking some photos on the famous outside wall.
MaK on wall!
Here he is with a new MaK color, Spinach Green, showing us how it performs.
Also, Dark Snow - coming soon!
A great model depicting a trash mover and a junked Spinner! Hey Sebastian - we found a bottle!
After Yokoyama-san's house, we went to an "Off-Kai" MaK party. Had to stop off briefly to get dinner.
Crossed a river in Akihabara.
Drank some bear! Roar!!
Ate some animals! Grrrr!
Saw an awesome Yokoyama-san recreation by Koara!!
Amazing!
Hello there!
He's right at home.
Okay, I'm tired... tomorrow is the MaK Expo show! Early day!
For the Ma.K. show, click here!
For the second half of the trip, click here!
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