Stiffing A Bar in Shibuya

Sometimes you end up doing fucked up shit due to suddenly being caught in a fucked up situation. Now, yall should know that there will be people who get really pissed off after reading this post. What I ended up doing at a bar in Shibuya one night is considered `not cool` by most people`s standards. Hell, it is not cool by my standards! I should have kicked my own ass for doing this, but sometimes you got to do things in order to keep from getting totally fucked over. Case in point is one night in Shibuya when I choose to hang out with a Shibuya Gyaru.

These ladies known as `Shibuya Garu`are not to be trusted. Anyone keen to the street culture in Tokyo knows this to be very true. Partying with a Shibuya Gyaru is like drinking with the devil; your soul is targeted for suffering from the first hello. These unique brand of J-gals are keen and rough. Usually such a lady would be interesting to me. The problem is Gyaru`s in Shibuya is that they usually have no morals. If they think they can get away with something, you can bet your bottom dollar these ladies will try to pull it off. Yet, I fucked up and partied with some of them.

Anyway, it all started when I got a call from my buddy Akio.. He wanted to party in Shibuya all night. Akio is a good friend of mine so of course I was all game. When I met him in Shibuya, he took me to an odd live house with a huge bouncer at the door. The damn bouncer was so fucking big and mean looking that he could easily eat a man whole. We got past the bouncer and paid the 2,000 yen cover charge. The cover charge ended up being an entrance fee to see some psychedelic bands play. Fair enough I thought. Akio disappeared for about 30 minutes. When he showed up again he had three Gyaru`s with him looking to drink and be crazy. One of them started buying drinks for everyone. She kept saying, `I buy drinks. Who wants to drink?` Hell, I thought if this chick is going to buy drinks all night I will let her. What I did not know was that this chick had an underhanded plan to get drunk all night and put the bill on everyone else.

She seemed alright at the live house. She was throwing money around like water. There were four of us and she must have bought five rounds. The bar was C.O.D. as to prevent any monkey business. I like C.O.D. service actually. It keeps the bar from tossing in hidden charges. Anyway, after the bands stopped playing one of the Gyaru`s passed out from drinking too much. It must have taken over an hour to finally get her up and out of there. Once the four of us finally left the live house, things started to get weird. Akio said that the ladies wanted to go a bar and drink some more. No problem for me because I was stuck in Shibuya until the trains started running again. Again the Gyaru said, `I buy drinks lets go.` We go to one of those over priced bars in Shibuya which has a DJ playing hard rock music. Damn gal started ordering round after round and I did not have time to say no. I downed so many shots of Tequila that I am surprised that I was even able to think straight. As the night wore on it became clear that this chick was waiting for someone to show up. That person ended up being her boyfriend. I am married so no biggie for me. The problem came when everyone bailed the same time she did. She had attracted about seven people at that bar and they all bailed when she did. This left me and Akio alone at the bar and the fucking bar tap. That damn devil women left us with the fucking bill! It was her plan all along. She hooked up her `friends` up at the live house only to set up the gaijin and his buddy later so her and all her friends could drink for free. I was so pissed off I wanted to kill that chick!

I had enough money to pay for myself but not for seven goddamn people! Lucky for me, Akio is a keen motherfucker. As soon as I told him we had been set up, he started to carry out a plan to get us out of the situation. Akio simply said, `be cool. wait a minute.` So I had a smoke and tried to play it cool. After five minutes I get a text from Akio which said,`don`t talk to anyone. Come downstairs.` I went down stairs but staff noticed. I saw Akio out of the corner of my eye. He was hiding around the side of the building. Yeah, Akio was planning for us to stiff the bar and get the hell out of there. The staff came down stairs and I told them I was coming back. I needed to make a phone call. They left and I bailed. I know it was fucked up to do that but it was more fucked up that bitch tried to trick us into paying the tap for seven fucking people. No way in hell was I going to pay the tap for seven people I had just met and did not really know.

So yeah, I stiffed a bar in Shibuya once because of some fucked up Shibuya Gyaru. Lesson learned I guess.

Don`t party with fucked up people and you will not have to do fucked up things in order to save your own ass.

The Sad Cafe Shibuya,Tokyo

I usually do not do restaurant reviews. There are so many blogs out there which focus on such things like places to eat and things to see that I really feel it has been over done. Yet, sometimes I find a cool unique spot in the Tokyo Metro area which deserves mention. The Sad Cafe in the Shibuya area is one of those places which deserves taking a little look at. I have been going to this place for a while. I usually hit it up about once a month on one of my infamous Tokyo walkabouts. My buddy Jack of Jack's Vintage fame first passed the word on to me about this place about a year ago. He promised me a good lunch for under 2,000 yen. Well, any damn place which offers a decent lunch which will not clog my heart for under 2,000 yen is worth checking out.

About a week later I was damn hungry and had some extra cash on me so I decided to give the place a go. It is located half way from Harajuku and the central Shibuya area. It is in a food court slash mini shopping building right after the Auddi building. If you are not looking for it you will most likely miss it. Any damn way, when you walk into the place you are treated by a full on semi-sleazy 1970's theme. The slight sleeze is toned down with an up beat attitude and motto,'I can't help myself. I want to diet but with the sad cafe right around the corner...' At least they are honest that the food is good but maybe the so good for your health. Truth be told the good is actually pretty tasty. There are two items on the menu I would suggest are worth giving a go. The curry lunch plate is damn tasty and sure enough under 2,000 yen even with a drink. Not bad for downtown metro standards. Although the all time best is a straight up classic American hotdog. Be aware that most hotdogs in Tokyo are pure fucking shit. For some reason Tokyo is not good at making a decent hotdog. Lucky enough Sad Cafe makes a proper hotdog. I really enjoy having a damn good hotdog with a glass of beer at Sad Cafe. They also have tacos which are pretty good but can be a bit dry sometimes.

Despite the food, I think the main reason I keep coming back to the Sad Cafe is the overall atmosphere. The vibe is laid back and cool to say the least. The staff are very friendly but pretty much stay out of your way. They don't really come around asking you if you want more food or drink. You can sit at your table for an hour or more in total peace. There is also usually some cool 70's rock and roll playing in the background for your listening pleasure. They got all kinds of interesting 70's era posters and items on the wall to check out while you day dream. For those of you who like to view the city street while you gobble down some grub there is a long seating area which overlooks a busy Tokyo street.

Overall, the Sad Cafe offers something for just about anyone who loves good classic American food and 70's American culture. Hell, if you want to have a group party the Sad Cafe can be rented out for the evening. Just talk to the manager on duty for details.

You can get a coupon from their website for 10% discount! sadcafe.com

Don`t Call It A Come Back!

Hello Japan! You motherfuckers! Yeah, that is right my ass is still here. I have been keeping my head low for a while. A lot of crazy ass things have went down. A hell of a lot of stress and general bullshit kept my attention away from The Ghost Letters Blog.. I have collected a few good tales during my absence; some are worth sharing and some are not.

Anyway, my ass is still in Tokyo going strong. Despite all the insanity, low moments, fighting, drinking and tears I have survived all that Tokyo has thrown at me. I have pretty much come to point of `Fuck most of shit people in this city try to pull on a daily basis` kind of mindset. People can be damn brutal selfish assholes in this city. I used to smile and try my best to put up with all the sociopath like behavior I deal with. Not any more! I really can`t put up with it anymore yall. If I am going to keep calling Tokyo home I have to draw a line in the sand. At this point when someone pulls that brutal selfish shit all I can do is let them go their own way. I don`t even have to be rude for someone to take a hint.  All I have to do is simply stop the good time with them as soon as they pull any shit with me. I tried it recently and it worked like a charm.

Well, besides dealing with sociopaths I also been doing a lot of drinking with many different people. It is good to feel people out from time to time. Folks lighten up a bit after a few drinks. I get to see what kind of person they really are. I have found that most gaijin in Tokyo are totally in a near constant state of stress. I can relate for sure. People do some pretty shitty things in order to purge their stress. Some of the stuff they do is understandable but others things are really unacceptable. Yet, I can`t life their lives for them so I say, `have at it you`re a big boy.` You know, it is like when you hang-out a few times and all of a sudden they do something so horn-dog that you can`t look at them the same way anymore. What happened to simply hanging out with friends? I can recall so many evenings in which I just wanted to hang-out and have a few beers. Sadly, what ends up happening is I get to watch someone hit on chicks they will never get and basically babysit their drunk overbearing ass.

Hell, not everyone is fucked-up and crazed in Tokyo. I have met some really good people here. I know some people I would trust with my life; a very short list might I add. I wish I had more good-hearted funny down to earth people around me. I like going out and having a damn good time but all the horn-dog shit is really a drag. I don`t mind people going out and looking for a gal to fuck. Getting laid is a very good thing indeed. I am married so I don`t really care about picking up chicks so much. I am happy with what I got at home.

Any damn way, my ass is back and blogging again. I am also going to start taking a more active role in the English speaking J-web again. I miss a few folks here on the web so I look forward to reconnecting with a few of yall. So until next time, have a cold one for me.

Come Here Boy!

Okay. Something happen to me this past Friday I think is worth sharing. I handled the situation cool as ice but it pissed me off beyond all measure. Yet instead of going off in a rant, I will simply report the event to internet land and allow judgment to be passed as such.

This past Friday I was in Shibuya. I was about to come out of a back alley onto center gai. I was feeling good just being out and enjoying hanging in Shibuya for a bit. It was about 2:00 p.m. and all seemed calm. Suddenly, seemly out of know where three cops on my ass like horny gay bikers. It is creepy how these boys can sneak up on people. They try to surround me but I was able to get myself a little wiggle room; just in case. Their gang consisted of two old men and one young buck.

The two old men spoke no English at all but the young buck seem pretty fluent. The young buck quickly said, `Sorry sir but this is a police check. Please submit.` I quickly answered, `Why are you doing this? I don`t understand why you are talking to me.` The only response I got was, `Police check. Police check. Submit sir.` A voice in the back of my head said, `punch one of them in the face and run` but I knew that would be a very bad idea. So I said, `Okay. What do you want?`

The old men started asking for my gaijin card(yes they actually called it gaijin card) and requesting I empty all my pockets. The young buck seem to have a different intetest in me. He wanted to talk in English with me. He made casual conversation with me while the two old men raped me from top to bottom. He asked me my nationality and what my hobbies were. He then went on to explain that his sister married an American from Milwaukee. The young buck says he favorite beer is now Miller high life.

Anyway, the two old men really had their way with me. They made me remove everything from my pockets. Even the bits of random paper had to go! They struggle to go though my leather jacket. My jacket has many pockets with strong zippers. I had to help them with the zippers. LOL!

In the end they got their fill of me. They gave everything back to me and let me go. They never explained why they stopped me and searched me from head to toe.

What do yall think?

Fucked up?

Cheese Flyes

From time to time I am sure every good man dives head first into a drinking binge. Sometimes it take a while for all the stress and anger to build up to the boiling point; yet it always does. Instead of going ape shit crazy, most guys simple hit the bars for a few days to blow off steam. This is what I have been going the past several days.

It all started Monday when it became my mission to drink the stress away. I met up with Jordan from Chiri mo tsumoreba. We hung out in Shibuya at a 300 yen boor bar on center gai. We got a pretty good beer buzz going before wondering around the local area.

While at the 300 yen beer bar I noticed something on the menu which is completely new to me. `Cheese Flyes` seems to be the house special. I know I should not give the Japanese too much crap for their English skill; yet sometimes it is too funny not to mention. They were trying to spell `Cheese Fries` although they spelled it according to the Japanese ascent so they wrote `Cheese Flyes.` Such misadventures in English provide cheap laughs when drunk.

Why Love Tokyo?

Why love a city which can entice a star struck soul and transform them into a pure bastard? This is the million dollar question when pondering any good reason to love Tokyo. The jewel city of the far east can take from a person just as much as it gives. I have met people, not only in the flesh, but also on the net who have developed a right proper nasty attitude due to Tokyo`s overwhelming influence. Maybe they were a bastard of a person all along but I doubt this is the case in most situations. This city of ours does something to people which defies the laws of the `great escape` which many seek in the land of the raising sun. It does not transform everyone into a rotten bastard but it cannot be denied that many who come to Tokyo leave as a asshole action figure with hate-fu grip.

My transformation has went in the complete opposite direction of asshole ally. I came to Tokyo a proper bastard and now find myself mellowing out and becoming a slightly better human than when I arrived. I can be honest enough to admit that I came to Tokyo a hard drinking, fighting, swearing, stubborn, son of a bitch. Too many years of living in the bare bone coal fields of West Virginia had made a brutal keen greaser out of me. I was most likely the last person you wanted to deal with in a social situation. My bad behavior had become a thing of legend in the circles which I ran. Even though I had been making semi-regular trips to Tokyo for several years to spend time with my main love interest I kept becoming worse rather than better.

Yeah, I was becoming pretty bad at times. By the time I finally made the decision to make Tokyo my home I was ready for a change. If I had not made a change of scene and lifestyle I was gonna end up just as my grandmother predicted; either dead or in jail. I did manage to get myself a college degree somehow and I was, and still am, madly in love with my main gal. So, I moved to Tokyo and got myself hitched up with a Japanese gal I have known since I was nineteen. This change of scene and lifestyle has transformed me into a half-way decent person. Yet, this little extra history lesson still does not answer the question of why love Tokyo.

While I cannot answer the question at hand for everyone I know exactly why I love Tokyo. In fact there are many reasons why I love Tokyo. So many reasons that I cannot list them all. Although I can offer up a short list of some of the best reasons that I personally love this city.

1) Harajuku

One of the first places in Tokyo which I started hanging out on a regular basis is Harajuku. I quickly found that I can be exactly who I am without any worries of being judged for being a little different. It is in Harajuku that I made my first friend in this city. Tommy is his name and he took to me like white on rice as soon as we met. He accepted me from day one and I always have a good time with my friend from Vietnam.
Harajuku also caters to my personal taste in fashion. Yeah, I know I can dress a little campy sometimes but I have pretty much dressed the way I do for the majority of my life. I can find the best hair grease, music, jackets, or what ever I desire with ease. It is also very easy to just hang on the street and have a good time doing much of nothing.

2) Shibuya

A lot of people like Shibuya but for me it is a place I can always find a good bar to throw back a few cold brews. While I do not drink near as often as I used to, when I do get a taste for fine liquid poison Shibuya is usually where I head. There is also the fact that Shibuya has some of the best love hotels in the city which is fun to sneak off with my gal from time to time. I can wonder around Shibuya for hours on end and still find something new and interesting to get into.

3) Great Food

While growing up dirt poor a great meal was hard to come by sometimes. Many times I was happy just to have a warm belly full of food. Well, those days are long gone now that I live in Tokyo. I have found that I can enjoy any kind of food from all parts of the world in Tokyo. It is fun for me to explore all the different restaurants in Tokyo. I have found some really great places to stuff my face.

4) Live Music

This has proved to be a big plus for me. I have seen some great punk and Rock A` Billy bands in Tokyo. Hell, the all night Rock A` Billy parties are a real devil of a good time. I have seen some great bands I would have other wise never have even known about if I was not living in Tokyo. I don`t think I could see a band dressed in full clock work orange attire, including the long noise masks, anywhere else in the world.

5) The pure adventure of daily life

I have always said that if you turn over enough rocks you can find just about anything to match you desire in Tokyo. The stuff I have experience in just under a year in this city it a whole books worth of adventures. I have not even wrote about 1/10 of my adventures in Tokyo on this blog. Oh, the stories I could tell!
There is also the fact that everyday I see or experience something which keeps me on my toes. Around every corner a new surprise or off beat experience might be waiting for me. Each day when I leave my apartment is an adventure.



So, this is the best answer I can give with respect to `Why Love Tokyo.` This place is one hell of a city man! I mean some serious shit would have to go down for me to hate this place. If you have been transformed into a bitter bastard by Tokyo just know that while you are puking out hate I am out there having one hell of a good time.

Friendship Key to Maintaining `Balance` in Tokyo

Recently, I hung out with my pal Hamed. I have known him for a few months now. We met though work and have kept in contact. It is always fun to hang out with Hamed because he is kind of on the same vibe as me. We think alike on many things which makes it easy for me to talk to him. This most recent adventure with Hamed has got me thinking about how important it is to have a few friends in Tokyo.

I have read on several blogs the topic of finding or maintaining emotional and social balance a problem for a lot of people adjusting to life in Tokyo. I have almost been in Tokyo for a year, and while I do not feel that I am an expert about life in Tokyo, I can say that you have got to have at least one running mate. Living in Tokyo can be a very lonely and depressing experience for some people. This city has got a way of crushing people under its massive weight of emotional and social pressure. If you are not Japanese this pressure can be enough to send someone into a deep hole of hate and jadedness.

Now there a lot of people who have a large cycle of `friends` yet still find themselves just as unhappy as before. I think that some people get stuck in the `a lot of people know me but no one knows who I am` kind of situation. It seems that there is a focus on who you know rather than what you know in Tokyo. Social networking is the name of the game so many people end up knowing a lot of people and think that they have friends. The reality is that almost all of those people who say they are a friend are actually out to get some type of benefit. In order to have a true friend and maintain balance a person has got to separate friends from those who you just social network with at times. With that said there are some people I social network with who I would not mind moving over to the friend list; that is a topic for another day.

I guess what I like about Hamed is that I have never had a social networking relationship with him. While we did meet because we came up though the same company together I have never felt that Hamed was a point of contact for business or other wise. From the first time I met Hamed it has been very easy to talk to him. Too often I feel some pressure or stress with people I just social network. I have never felt that pressure with Hamed. We always seem to have a good time together and never have any disagreements.

So, a few days back I met up with Hamed for a few drinks and good old hanging out. I really enjoy just hanging out with people. This works best for me because the god of chaos is always watching and waiting to punish me for making plans which are too structured. When planning to hang out with a friends in Tokyo I keep a few ideas as to what to do in my head but I do not write anything in stone. This half-ass method of planning adds some adventure to hanging in Tokyo. I like the idea of never exactly knowing what is gonna happen. I kept the same method in West Virginia which usually led to some strange experiences. I think that now days leaving the details to be worked-out as I go along keeps things fresh for me and adds value to the hang out experience.

My half-ass plan for hanging with Hamed involved meeting up at Shibuya station. While, this was completed with little trouble things quickly ventured off into a totality different direction. The idea struck me to venture over to Harajuku and check out a few things. We made our way over to Harajuku by way of Yoyogi park. It actually did not take long at all to walk to Harajuku. I am always surprised by how close Shibuya and Harajuku are to each other.

I took Hamed to a shop called `Love Me Tender.` It is a Elvis tribute and `50 retro store. You can buy just about any kind of Rock A` Billy CD. The shop also offers vintage outfits and plenty of Elvis stuff. One of the things which gives Love Me Tender its charm is the Elvis statue out front. You get greeted by the king himself at Love Me Tender. Sadly, the shop will be closing its doors forever on Jan. 16,2009. I got word from Jack(who runs another 50`s retro shop) there are two send off parties going down for Love Me Tender. If I find out more I will share the info.

I also dragged Hamed to Jim Sin/Yellow House. This place has been in Harajuku forever. It claims to be the first punk rock shop in Tokyo but I am not so sure about that fact. Anyway, I go to this place from time to time. They have got a great selection of biker jackets, pants, and shirts.

After returning to Shibuya we headed over to this Irish pub for a few drinks during happy hour. It was a nice place but the beer prices were a little high to say to least. It did provide us a chance to just hang and chat. It has been a long while since I had a conversation with a fellow native speaker of English. It has become to real treat for me to talk to someone who can understand every word I say with no problem.

We ended the night smoking spice in an internet cafe. It seems that every person I have shown spice to has gotten hooked. The fun part for me is showing people how to get their hands on this odd little herb. Head shops in Tokyo do not use adverts much and tend to stay low key. Unless someone shows you where they are at it can take some exploring to find one.

So, having a decent drinking buddy and running mate is a very important part of keeping personal balance in Tokyo. When I lived in the country side in the states it was easy to live a more reclusive lifestyle and be happy. In Tokyo the daily grind is much more stressful. It is a must to have someone to blow off steam with.

Eating Burgers and Hanging with Tommy the Painter

I don`t always write about my adventures with Tommy. I have written about hanging with Tommy a few times in the past but most of my adventures with him I usually keep to myself. I decided that maybe I should write about running around with Tommy more often. He is after all the first friend I made in Tokyo. Actually, he was one of the first people to even talk to me. In Tokyo I have found that it is rare for people to talk to someone they do not know. Tommy is different. He is friendly and always enjoys meeting new people. Although, this Thursday I had a dual motivation for heading into central Tokyo.

So, this Thursday I venture out into central Tokyo looking to get into something. I decided to try out this new shop in Omotesando which only sells the McDonald`s Quarter Pounder with cheese. I found out about it from Neil at neilduckett.com. I must give him credit and a big thanks for both finding and sharing this place with the rest of the world. It was a real trip for sure. It is set up to look more like a night club than a fast food place. Painted in all black the place is not as welcoming as a regular McDonald`s. The menu is very simple and straight forward. You get too options to choose from; Double Quarter Pounder with cheese set for 600 yen or Quarter Pounder with cheese set for 500 yen. Well, I just went with the Quarter Pounder with cheese set because McDonald`s really is bad to be eating in the first place. I have to say it was damn good! I have not had a Quarter Pounder since I left the states almost eight months ago. It was as good as I remember. So, if you want to try an odd place for lunch give this one a try for sure.

After getting myself all bloated off of a big nasty burger I needed to walk around a little. It is so easy to go on a little walkabout in Tokyo. There seems to be an endless amount of sides streets and back alleys to explore. I headed into the back section of Harajuku. I do not often go that deep into Harajuku but from time to time I like to see what is going on around there. It is usually not all that crowed in the back section of Harajuku. Most people stick to Takashita street, the bridge at Yoyogi park, or the main side streets across from Takashita. The far end of Harajuku offers some really nice coffee shops along with some mid-scale fashion shops to explore.

The only thing out of the way I saw on my little walkabout was this odd little man pacing up and down the street with a compass and a writing pad. He kept walking and staring at his compass. Ever so often he would stop to write something on his writing pad. I have no idea what the hell he was doing but he seemed to be enjoying himself. He was going at it hardcore. I was wondering when a sparse car would come by and crash right into him? I also wondered if he even cared if a car hit him? Maybe he was trying to map out something. In my twisted thought process I stood around watching him making up little explanations for his strange actions. The craziest one I came up with was that he was trying to decode a special message giving to him by aliens so he could join them in space. After about 10 minutes or so the entertainment factor of watching the compass guy wore off and I made my way to the bridge at Yoyogi to see if Tommy was hanging around.

Sure enough as soon as I stepped foot on the bridge there was Tommy with a smile and a big hug. Now Tommy is a keen type of guy so he started talking at the speed of light about what has been going on since the last time me met. He usually does this until I start talking at the speed of light eventually leading to both running out of things to report on. He always has some interesting news to report about Yoyogi and Harajuku. The weekend festivals and the cops are two of his favorite topics. He is the expert when it comes to knowing the movements and behavior of the fuzz in Yoyogi park and Harajuku. I enjoy listening to him talk about what the cops have been up to as of late.

After helping him store this paintings in a locker in the subway we walked over to Shibuya for a little while. Tommy was hungry so we stopped at one of the many great curry shops he knows about. I think he might know about every good curry shop in Tokyo. Every place he has taken me to or suggested offered damn good curry at a great price. If you want to eat good curry in Tokyo just ask Tommy. Anyway, we went into this place and he ordered a chicken soup curry. I did not order anything but he was nice enough to order an extra side of rice and share some of his curry with me. It was really tasty curry!

After eating he wanted to show me a `better place` to buy that odd little, and 100% legal, herb we enjoy called spice. The usual head shop to buy the stuff is really expensive so Tommy found another head shop with much lower prices. He got a big packet of the stuff for only 3,000 yen; the other place charges over 7,000 yen for the same amount. After buying it we went back to Yoyogi park to hang out. Along the way he bought some beers. There is nothing like hanging out in Yoyogi park after dark drinking.

We went to an area in Yoyogi park over looking the pond. It was a nice view even though it was pitch dark. So, we sat there drinking some beer, smoking spice, and listening to some music from Vietnam provided by a little tape player. We talked a lot about life in Tokyo. We are both in agreement that a person cannot be normal and live in Tokyo. People who try to live normal in Tokyo end up going half crazy. I think this is very true in many ways. I believe that most people in Tokyo do stuff that they do not tell most people about. Just go to Shinjuku for proof.

It was a good evening but I could not hang out with Tommy all night. I had to go home and attend to my gal. She has been feeling a little under the weather as of late and needs me to make her feel better. Good thing I actually enjoy being at home attending to her or it would drive me nuts!

As always I look forward to hanging out with Tommy again soon. I never know exactly what we are gonna get into.

A Very Random Halloween

So, I had full intention of actually planning out my first Halloween in Tokyo. I did a bit of research like a good little boy and thought that I was ready for a pleasant evening. Well, the god of chaos frowned on me for turning my back on him. He sent a jolt of electric current down my spine and demanded that I bend over and do the brown eye smile. As punishment for making plans to celebrate Halloween I was cursed to a night of randomness.

A spell was placed on me and I did not wake up on the 31st until around 2:00 pm. I woke up feeling all warm and happy wrapped up in a thick soft blanket. The gal must have been nice enough to wrap me up into a comfortable position before she left on a little mini-holiday to her home town. For a moment I thought about just drifting back off into a deep sleep. It is real easy to just say screw it and not get out of bed when there is no work to attend. I knew that I had to get up because it would be a damn shame for me to sleep away my first Halloween in Tokyo. I forced myself to get up and took a long relaxing shower.

After surfing the net for a while and finish waking myself up for a few hours I started getting ready to head out. I did not buy a costume, I know that I should have pick one up but I just did not feel like going though the trouble this year. Last year in West Virginia I dressed up as a cop just for laughs. That was an interesting night. There is something about a man in uniform that drives the ladies wild. Although, this year I just dressed as my usual self. I wanted to remain low key and not attract any kind of unwanted attention.

By the time I made it Shibuya it must have been around 6:00 pm. There was plenty of people out and about. A lot of attractive, hungry for the night, types who are like juicy poison apples; they give a lot of pleasure to bit into but can send you on a trip to hell and back real quick. Now I had already slammed down a tall boy of 7 strong on the Joban line so I felt relaxed not even close to rocking a beer buzz. I kept another one hidden away in my inside jacket pocket for later.

It proved to be an excellent night for people watching in Shibuya. So many people in costume! I saw a lot of different creative and entertaining costumes that I cannot comment on all of my favorites. While just hanging at the Shibuya meet up spot it is worth noting two of my favorite costumes I laid eyes on. There was this one really sexy Japanese gal wearing almost nothing. She was wearing a bunny outfit that was something out those old playboy bars from back in the late 70`s and 80`s. It was pure eye candy for sure. I also say this guy who looked just like the joker. A real professional make-up job. It was impressive to say the least. I actually, talked to the guy for a few minutes. He was cool enough. He told me that he had a friend who did make-up for a production company in Tokyo. He was even nice enough to give me a shot from a little bottle of whisky he had stashed away in this coat pocket.

After a while I wanted to walked around so I headed to Yoyogi park. I expected the park to be alive with action but to my surprise it was all silent for the most part. I did talk to a few skater punks for a little while. One of them spoke good English so we talked about punk music and smoke a few cigs.

I ended up at the Hub in Harajuku. The gals working there were dressed up all sexy like in the spirit of Halloween. This one gal had a dead sexy little red ridding hood outfit on showing off a nice pair. I could not help but look at her way too much. I don`t think she cared too much as I was respectful enough to leave her to her work. I was setting at a round table with a couple of white guys on vacation from the states. They were a little rough around edges but hell I am used to that kind of attitude. We struck up a good conversation and swapped a few stories.

Around 11:30 pm we made our way over to Shibuya though Yoyogi park. For some damn reason we ended up at one of the Hubs in Shibuya, It was full to the brim with gaijin and Japanese college gals. Everyone was trying to get laid. This crowd would have been better off going to a swinger club than an English pub but to each his own I guess. I had started to grow tired of the my present company. The more drinks they had the more asshole came out of them. As luck would have it the gal called me which provided me a good excuse to get out of there. I found a semi-calm back street and talked on my cell with the gal for what have must been two hours.

The night ended with me passing out at a really nice internet cafe. I woke up around 6:00 am and made my way back to my apartment to get ready for work. It was a fun evening for me overall. I stayed low key and enjoyed myself in a mellow kind of way.

TimeOut in Shibuya

I am setting in the confides of a little box at an internet cafe in Shibuya. This is first time to send some time at one of these places. It has proven to a most excellent place to get a little sleep, relax, and nurse a hangover. I have pretty much everything I need to slow down for a bit. I can listen to music, surf the net, have a bite to eat, and take a little nap. The reason I am hiding out in this odd little hole is because I have been in Shibuya all night and half of today.

Thursday evening I met up with my co-worker Hamed. This guys from India and has a most interesting character. Really cool guy for sure but he still has not been out and about in Tokyo after almost of year of living in the city. From what I can gather he has been holding up in a love nest with a little Japanese gal. He is still on the first year of marriage. Well, our little venture was a first for Hamed to wonder about in Shibuya. I decided to show him around the area.

The first stop on our little gonzo adventure was a head shop down a back street. I got two packs of spice and suggest that Hamed do the same. Hamed was a little surprise that we were able to get a hold of some kind of `legal` drug in Tokyo. He did have his doubts even though he did not express it. Every time I go to this head shop I an amazing by now low key the shop keeps itself. Not even head shops in the States are this low key. The damn back street looks like the kind of spot you beat somebody up in or sell coke out of. All the place needs is a back door to a girl bar and it would be like something out of a gangster movie!

Well, after buying some spice we went to a coffee across from 109 to prepare for smoking. We did not brother buying a cup of coffee as it was not part of our agenda. Smoking is allowed on the third floor. I had Hamed take a seat and chill while I made a trip to the bathroom. The process of rolling spice is something I have only recently learned. You must mix the stuff with tobacco. It takes the edge off and helps to cover the smell. After rolling it up I left with Hamed and ended up in a out of the way spot in between two buildings. It was easy smoking and in short order we had the stuff smoked up. Hamed enjoyed the buzz as he has not been high in a long time.

Until around 11:30 we went from bar to bar getting drunk and have some cheap laughs. We ventured to the Hobglobbin, Hub, Gaspanic and some random japanese drinking bar. It has been a while since I drank so much beer. By the time Hamed left I was feeling pretty drunk. So, I decided to spent the night in Shibuya just for the hell of it. I went back to the hub and drank some more beer. I started up a good conversation with some guy from Germany. He was funny and kept me focued and not passing out like a fool. We drank and talked until the staff tossed us out at closing time.

After I parted ways with my drunk German friend I was really out of my wits. I wondered around Shibuya and ended up chilling in front of HMV. I got real relaxed and passed out. I must have been asleep for about an hour when a cop woke me up and told me to move along. No problem for me because I hate sleeping outside on the street. I staggered to an internet cafe and slept there for about six hours.

I left the internet cafe at around 9:00 am. I had a splitting headache and felt kind of confused. I wondered around Shibuya trying to wake up and get my head right. I hung out at a coffee shop for a while drinking coffee and smoking cigs. The morning in Shibuya was actually not bad at all. It was calm and not so many people. I saw no real point in going home so I went back to the internet cafe; which is were I am now. Just another day in Tokyo.

A Tokyo Blur

I am coming off the heels of a Tokyo Blur. What is a Tokyo Blur? Well, it is when you fall into a dark hole of work and play. In Tokyo is seems all too easy to live a lifestyle so fast and full of twist and turns you can become lost in all the madness. Even now, as I sit here writing this blog, I am struggling to remember exactly what happened over the past week. While I am no stranger to fast times Tokyo does have ability to eat your soul more quickly then most large cities. Almost every pleasure and desire can be fulfilled in this godless city.

My trip into a Tokyo Blur stated last Sunday. When I got off work I got a call from my baby M.K. She and Fumika arranged for a meet up at a nice bar/restaurant type of place in Shinjuku. I was feeling tired but also feeling like a cold beer to go down my thirsty mouth. I remember forcing myself to shake off the stress and tension which comes with work. After work I usually get into two different moods. Either I am gun ho crazy or tired asshole with a taste for beer. Last Sunday evening I was feeling somewhere in between my usually after work moods. I wanted to hang but did not want to deal with a load of bullshit. M.K., Fumika and I have been friends the age of 19 so I cannot turn an invite to hang with my two favorite girls in the whole world.

We met at the Shinkuju station at something called the 7-8. I am not used to hanging out in Shinjuku so I cannot give good direction of exact location of this place; but it was cool none the less. It always feels good the hang with M.K. and Fumika. Hell, I married M.K. so I see her everyday but a I feel a certain magic when the three of us get together. They know me better than anyone else in this world. I have known these gals for most of my adult life.

We got into the usual drinking and merry making. I always feed off Fumika`s very high level of energy. She can be a ball of excitement at times. Even in the worst of times this gal can smile and laugh. I really respect her ability to put a happy face on even the darkest of situations. Lately, she has been dealing with some rally fuck-up shit. I feel sorry for her and what she is having to go though in life. Although, she can still smile which is good.

The three of us talked about old times. There is so much history between the three of us you could write a book! All those crazy days in college and insane drunken nights in Tokyo make for a close friendship. We ended up getting pretty drunk. I do not really remember how I got home.

From left to write: M.K., Fumika




The next morning I woke up to the sound of M.K. blow drying her hair at 7:30 a.m.! Tuesday was my day off and the last thing I wanted to hear was the sound of a blow dryer. I had a splitting headache and M.K. was in full blown `getting ready for work mode.` I let out a sad long morn, which was answered by M.K. saying, ` You stupid drunk bastard that is what you get. Get the fuck up!` I guess I am the only person in the world who understands M.K.`s crude sense of humor. Out of spite I actually got up and unplugged her blow dryer. She threw the blow dryer at me and attempted to tickle me but I was ready for her. I pinned her down and tickled her until her said sorry for calling me a drunk bastard. She gave in only because she had to get ready for work. Usually a tickle match is serious business for M.K. and it is rare for her to loose. I enjoyed the moment as the victor with a little dance. M.K. vowed revenge and flipped me the bird.

All of the early morning hi jinks did nothing for the pounding in my head. I took a warm shower, which only relieved my pain sightly. The only real cure for a hangover and death black coffee and dumplings. As M.K. was putting the finishing touches on her makeup I brewed a evil pot of coffee I tricked her into having a drink from my cup. She hates really strong coffee. She took a big drink and then quickly slapped me across the face. Of course I just laughed it off and gave her a kiss. She loves me so all was forgiven. She did told harbor from emotions as she left for work because I was cooking my kick-ass dumplings.

Anyway, after eating good damn cook fried dumplings it was time to get in some web surfing. I checked out japansoc.com for a while. japansoc is becoming my favorite place to visit. It really has a great community and always provides great blogs written by gaijin living in Tokyo. There is also the interesting news articles and photos as well. If you have not got yourself an account at japansoc you really are missing out on one the best online communities with a focus on Japan. So, get an account jack-ass!

So, around 1:00 pm I finally left the house. Now I have to say the TX is one of the best yet one of the worst trains to deal with in Tokyo. The damn thing is very clean and fast but at the Aoi station the wind issue drives me crazy. As far as I know Aoi is the only station on the TX line which has wind issues. Every time a train passes the entire station becomes a mimi-wind tunnel. If you put effort into your hair everyday like I do Aoi station is a nightmare. Aoi station and I have been at war for a while now and it is still a dead tie. I will win in the end you just wait.

Well, I ended up in Harajuku. It is actually one of the my usual stomping grounds in Tokyo. I go there mostly because if you are a `different` person like myself people will accept you. No body gives me any shit there and I do not have to put up with off color comments from soaks without a clue. I headed down to Jack`s to get a jar of grease for my hair. Jack`s is my favorite retro-graser shop in Tokyo. It is a little shop off a side street on main street in Harajuku. They have the best hair grease for that instant cool look that all greasers strive for. I got myself some extra hard hair grease called `cool grease.` I also talked to the guy working the counter. Ends up that he is the base player for The Rizlas(a super cool rock a billy band). We talked about hair and music a little bit before I left.

My next stop was in front of the temple to meet up with Tommy the painter. Tommy is a guy from Vietnam. He was the first person I became friends with after moving to Tokyo. He is a laid back kind of guy. Real easy to talk to. If you ever go by the temple in Harajuku check out Tommy`s paintings and buy one please. Anyway, the first thing Tommy says to me is `do you want to get high?` Well, hell yes I wanted to get high. So, Tommy leaves his painting in the care of one of his friends and all we go to Shibuya. Once in Shibuya he takes me to a head shop in a back street in Shibuya. The guy working behind the counter looked high as a kite and happy as a pig in shit! Tommy asks me how many I will take. Hell, I had no idea what I was about to buy so I was one. Tommy get two and I get one of something called spice. A 100 percent legal drug sold over the counter. Well, this is good for me because I have been wanting to get high for months!

We get the stuff and head the Yoyogi park to prepare this strange drug for smoking. We find a spot in the woods. Tommy takes the pack I bought and empties it on my hat. He then removes all the tobbaco from a cig. After that he mixes the spice and the tobacco together and put it back into the cig. it is time to go! We talk back to the front of the temple smoking this spiked smoke.

At first, I did not feel anything and wondered if it was going to work. Tommy just winked at me and said, `any second now you are going to go on a little journey.` Well, Tommy boy was right on the money. By the time we were back at the above ground subway elevator I felt as if I was about to trip my ass off. The stiff hit me like a ton of bricks! Maybe it was the fact that I had not been high for several months or `Spice` really was that good. I felt a strong feeling of floating on air. I totality lost my sense of placement and awareness of myself or where I was at. The only thing I knew was that I was in Harajuku, Tokyo and I was high on some strange drug I bought at a head shop in a back street in Shibuya. I felt so happy damn happy. I could stop smiling and laughing. Colors were very vivid. At some points it almost hurt to look at the world around me. I experienced a connect to the city that I had never felt before. For the first time I felt one with Tokyo. It was as if I was apart of the city itself. I can sum up the experience as a mix between a coke, acid, and a pot high all at once.

High with Tommy the painter


Around 7:30 M.K. calls me. I was slightly relieved because I was damn hungry. Tommmy was totality out of his wits and all too happy to sit on the streets of Harajuku until the late hours of the night. I, on the other hand, was itching to move to somewhere else. I agreed to meet M.K. in Ginza to grab some food and catch a movie. The train ride to Ginza was interesting to say the least. The real effect of the drug hit me while on the train. Now, I do not know exactly this shit is or where is comes from, but it really turns your head for a loop. While on the train I started to look at everyone and they started to change. All the people`s yellow skin looked orange. Their eyes looked like little black 8 balls. It was not an extreme hallucination but I did not expect it at all. I just went with the flow and my mind accepted the slight change in perspective quickly. You can image how happy I was to see M.K.

I did not tell M.K. that I was on this strange drug. I thought is would more interesting to see her from this different perspective. We grab some pretty good curry from a ramdon shop in Ginza. The food was really good and help me come down from this very strange high. I have an odd love of curry. Actaully, I could eat the stuff everyday and ever set sick of it. Although, my stomach might start to hate me for all the spicy food. The movie we saw are the The Dragon Kingdom. This was the best movie I have seem this year. It is loosely based on the legend of Goku the monkey king. If you have not read the The Monkey King you really need to check this piece of writing out for sure. The flick has Jackie Chan and Jet Li together for the first time in the same movie! They work well together. They both have very different fighting and acting styles. Jackie displays his funny and skilled art of drunken boxing while Li shows off this mater kung-ku skills. An added bonus in this movie is that Jet Li plays the role of the seeker and the monkey king! He does a great job of bring the monkey to life. The monkey king is meant to be a funny, happy, honest, tricky, and a little stupid kind of character. Jet Li pulls it off like a master actor. Watch this damn movie!!

Anyway....the next two days were kind of a haze for me. It was just teaching and getting the soft treatment from M.K. The gal does have her moments. I really feel she is a very special person in this evil world. At times she can be a fireball of pure fury from hell while in some moments she can as gentle as a kitten. She can breath fire that smells like the sweetest rose. We are as tight as white on rice. I am lucky to have found her in this life.

Thursday night brought an evening at my favorite local bar. Every man needs his place to get drunk and be left the fuck alone; even in Tokyo. My place is a mis-sized bar(by Tokyo standards) about two blocks away from my apartment in Aoi. It really is the kind of place in which everyone knows my name. I am a regular to this dive so the bartender knows exactly what I life to drink. It is rare for me to ask for me first drink. He knows that I want a tall cold Ebisu Black. I am keen on black beer. I usually enjoy the dark stuff. Ebius black is one of the best black beers in the world. It has a nice sweet taste flowered with a gentle bitter after taste. If you have not tried a Ebius black then go and have one asshole! I got pretty drunk that night. I always a good drunk.

All good and drunk



Friday saw an evening in Shibuya. Now, my only goal in Shibuya was buying some more of that spice stuff. The first thing I did when a arrived in Shibuya was go to the head shop and buy two packs of the strange little drug that Tommy turned me onto. I was able to find the little shop in quick order. I bought two packs of spice and left the place. The problem presented itself as to how and where to smoke the shit. I had some papers on me so I decided to smoke it like a joint; but where to roll it and where to smoke it. I could have walk to Yoyogi and roll in smoke in peace but I did not feel like talking that far. Instead, I went to a coffee across from the 109. I did not brother to buy a cup of joe. I went straight to the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom I took a pack of spice and empty the contents on the sink table. The stuff looks just like pot! I did not waste time. I rolled this crazy stuff up into a joint. One pack actually will give you about a dimes worth. After rolling it up I got the hell out of the coffee shop.

Something called spice




I choose a side street to smoke my little strange smoke. I felt really odd to be smoking a joint of `legal` drugs on the damn streets. It make a heavy stink which did nothing for my nerves. It smells like burning wood chips in a brush fire. I lit a cig to try and cover the odd smell. It not take long for the shit to take effect. Smoking the stuff full blown as apposed to mixing it with tobacco is a big difference. About half-way though the joint I started to feel real funny. My head was about to leave my body. I had to put the shit out and left a good sized roach for later. I have to say it was a damn good high. I wondered around Shibuya for a while trying to get my wits about me. After a while I simply gave into the drug. I struggled to walk abound but I did not stagger. I ended up at the Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin is the best bar in Shibuya. It is a little expensive but well worth the extra price of the beer. They got the finest selection of beer! I got a good drunk going to add to my buzz while I chatted away for the bartender. It was a good time for sure.

Around 9:00 M.K. finally called me home. To be honest the only thing I remember from this past weekend was work and a lot of wild ass sex. I am not going to go into details because it is a wife after all. So, I will leave it to your our sick mind to fill in the details.

Don`t worry I will get the all the gonzo insanity started up on Thursday. Until them be like pop and not like sis, flip the lid before you piss.