Visit to Tokyo

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A few weeks ago I made it down to Tokyo for a much needed visit. The impetus for the trip was my long lost friend Maylee coming to Japan for a few weeks of work, and that was all I needed to pack my small bag and head down for a weekend of catching up and sightseeing. She works for a retailer that recently opened a new store in Harijuku (a VERY busy shopping district in Tokyo) and was part of a team that came down to help them get rolling in their first few weeks. It was crazy, thousands of people came in each day, so much that they hired a bouncer and formed a cue down the sidewalk.

She was working 15 hour days and only had 2 off in her 14 there. Needless to say I did not call her until 11 on her day off and we went walking around the neighborhood near her hotel until we headed to Yoyogi park for a Thai festival where we gorged on Pad Thai and Thai curries before heading to the fried bananas with mngo ice cream and other delectable deserts (my sweet tooth, already formidable, has grown beyond itself under the attack of so much healthy food.)

Once we had our fill of edibles we strolled over to the other side of the park to see what a Saturday holds for the inhabitants of Tokyo, and we were not disappointed; the park was full of picnicking groups, running groups, and musical groups to name a few. As we walked we came across a group that boasted a banjo picker, tuba player, and a beat box drummer, as well as a vocalist that played the kazoo among other things... they were great. We sat and got a personal concert for a full 30 minutes. I bought two cds, and I never buy cds. I got a sheet of paper with their bio and website information but subsequently lost it, but have no fear when I find it again I will pass it on to you.

After the concert we wandered some more, on a mission to walk the two stations back towards the hotel, and wound up at their store. The store was huge and crowded and I avoided going in, but I was still inspired by the dedication of the shoppers and their commitment to their wardrobes. We wound up meeting some of her co-workers for a sushi dinner then hanging out like hooligans outside of the hotel into the wee hours of the morning, reminiscing and pondering all the possibilities of life.

The next morning I rolled out of bed and found my way to the St. Alban's Anglican church and went to my first English speaking service in almost 8 months. It was awesome, the priest gave a sermon I could understand (about a Rabbi and very long spoons) and then I met all kinds of wonderful people afterward. Most of the people I had met had not heard of ARI but were intrigued so we exchanged emails and are currently working on getting a group together to come visit. After the service I went and had lunch with to of the parishioners and then got a tour of the Ropungi district before heading back to ARI exhausted but happy.

Stay tuned for more updates on my shenanigans and the first installment of my food generation series, I am still working on a Thailand post and have two more talks in the works, wish me luck. Peace, love and good food.


Mike