Harajuku

Sunday we went to hang with the cool kids in Harajuku. This is an area of Tokyo between Shibuya and Shinjuku that is well known for it's unique shopping and street fashion. On Sundays throngs of young Japanese people come to here to hang out and show off.

Harajuku is a mecca for those who love clothes. There is everything here from the cheap chic Zara and Muji to Prada, and Chanel on Omotesando Street (often called the Champs Elysees of Tokyo). There are a lot of very cool stores for Japanese labels such as A Bathing Ape.

All fashion is embraced here. We saw a lot of skate and punk kids and some hip hop fashion. But what we really were there to see was the Gothic Lolita and Cosplay styles for which Harajuku is so famous. We saw a few...some "Harajuku Girls" (a term coined way before Gwen Stefani) dressed as a pair of Little Bo Peeps and a few other interesting things.  Next time we go we're taking a pocket full of cash and hoping we will catch the rockabilly groups that regularly perform in the park. We'll also have our camera at the ready... we weren't quick enough to get any really great photos of any of the people we saw.  Check out this link to see what you are missing:  Gothic Lolita

We also got some pics of Shibuya Crossing. When you see Tokyo in a tv show or movie, this is usually what is shown. It is a huge intersection surrounded by neon signs and video screens-sort of like Times Square. It is estimated that over 1500 people flood the street every 90 seconds when the light changes. We also saw the Hachiko dog statue. As the story goes, this dog waited for her master everyday at the Shibuya train station. After her master died, she continued to come for years and wait outside the station. When she died, a statue was erected in her honor. Now it's a popular meeting spot near the station.

Open Orchestra

That is the meaning of "karaoke", not "bad sound" as I had always thought.

(10 sec language lesson: kara is the word for "open", therefore karate is "open hand" martial arts)

The Japanese really are as crazy for karaoke as you've always heard. Last week we had our first Japanese karaoke experience and it was nuts. We went with our friends who had picked the spot. We thought we were going to a spa, the place was decked out with chandeliers and white sofas. We were lead to a little cubicle with a leather sofa and table and flat screen tv. Each cubicle had drink service, so we got settled, plugged in and karaoked.

Our friend Nakano-san sang this song, complete with the dance moves. She said it was a big hit back in the day. The video really cracked me up, so thought I would share.

Fish Market Fun

We've been busy lately, as usual. We attended the Subamarine Birthday Ball a couple of weeks ago in Tokyo. It was at the New Sanno hotel, which caters to the military in Japan. David was the head of the planning committee for the event, so I think he was a little anxious beforehand, but once the event was underway, he was able to relax and we had a really nice time.

On Monday, our Japanese friends took us to a fish market near Miura kaigan. It is not nearly as big as the famous Tsukiji market in Tokyo, but unlike Tsukiji, which has a constant stream of tourists (it was even closed to tourists earlier this year because of some bad behavior),


everyone in this market seemed surprised to see me and David there. Of course our Japanese friends were helpful, but as we continually experience here, complete strangers were eager to show us things and explain-like how to cook and eat tuna eye sockets. We bought three different kinds of tuna- one for sashimi and the other two for cooking. The vendor threw in some special wakame seaweed for us first timers

The only disappointing thing was the traffic. Golden Week just ended here, which includes four seperate Japanese holidays. It is the biggest travel week in Japan-I guess we can chalk it up the three hours of bumper to bumper traffic as another cultural experience.

The pictures above are from the Sub Ball and the fish market. Hopefully you can figure out which is which!