Whiskey a go-go

Last night we went out with Kelly to check out the nightlife in Shibuya. Tokyo during the day is a glorious web of people that moves like a single organism, assaulting you with the many smells and sounds of the 33 million people who make it up. Tokyo at night is more unreal, more artificial. William Gibson definitely got it right.

We went to a little cafe called Signs and drank red wine with a ham and soft-boiled egg pizza, while a DJ spun electroclash and super-rave. We then took a walk around nearby Aoyama and checked out the little backstreets. As soon as you leave the craziness that is the main drag and the neon falls away, it's still immensely strange. Drunken, sloppy businessmen stumble around, buying cans of sick-ass coffee from vending machines, while an ancient old lady dumps a pail of cooking water into an alley. Young Japanese couples sit chastely in parks the size of a playground merry-go-round, or walk tiny dogs with flashing collars while talking on flashing cell phones, or sit in cafes holding each other like they're in a 50's teen movie. A little alley offers up an old-style noodle shop with a counter that seats 5, next to a 3 story all-glass French Connection.

We met up with Kelly's friend Alistair at a little bar with chandeliers all over the ceiling. Any drink for 500 yen ($5)! And these were real drinks -- Trevor got a Jamesons in a real glass, not some half-shot of nasty Japanese whiskey. Sadly, however, the music was pretty bad, consisting of Kabbalah-era Madonna and little else. But drinks for 500 yen!

Today, after much sleep, we brave the madness that is Shinjuku. This is where the Japan of sci-fi really smacks you across the face.

Let's English the adventure way

Trevor and I are spending a couple of days near Shibuya with our friend Kelly. She's got sweet digs right down the street from the Sangenjaya subway stop on the Hanzomon line. After looking at some shocking little boxes (it really doesn't seem fair to call them apartments) near Kichijoji a few days ago, I am fully envious.

It is normally difficult for gaijin to rent apartments, as many landlords are old school and still perceive gaijin as trouble or as difficult to communicate with. It's also difficult unless you have some fat cash -- after a deposit (2 months of rent) , first month's rent, and the rental agency fee (often one month's rent), you still must pay what's called reiken, or key money. No, it's not for the keys (although you most often have to pay for changing the locks too -- about $150). It's what I affectionately call "extortion." It's thank you money for allowing you to move in, and it's equal to up to 2 months of rent. AND you still have to buy your own fridge and gas range! Ugh. Many of the mini-storage-size spaces (literally -- no light, metal on the outside, the whole nine yards) that we were looking at would've been in the 4 or 5 thousand range. Luckily, the place we found in Kunitachi (23 minutes from Trevor's work on the Chuo rail line) is furnished and free of crap fees.

Today (Sunday) the streets near Kelly's house are closed to car traffic, and they are full of tiny old ladies and all of the sararimen out with their families on their one day off. There are some breakdancers, and a street singer with his own roadie and a professional soundboard. Never let it be said that the Japanese do anything half-assed.

the Japanese word for monster is kaiju

First off, Japanese keyboards are a bit different, so please bear with us if you come across any strange typos...

Japan is very awesome and very hot. We are told to relish it as next month the heat truly begins...In the evenings, Ammie often catches "zarigani" (crawdads)with Shohei-kun (the five-year-old son of our host family, the Horikawas), and seems to be quite adept at it! We are staying in Togane, which is a small town with a lot of farming and small stores. It is lovely, though what we wouldn't give for a cafe that served large cups of strong coffee!

July 1, we will move to a town outside of Tokyo called Kunitachi, and at the end of July, work begins for Trevor in Kukijoji--a super town that reminds us a little of Brooklyn.

Yesterday we went to Shinjuku, and were truly amazed! William-Gibson-world for sure!

almost to japan!

Ammie and I are waiting in a hotel room for our 7:00 a.m. flight, we've ordered in, re-packed, are very nervous, and full of immense love. we will be across the ocean, without a home, and interacting with a brand new world as of tomorrow!