The Electric City, Sailor Girls and Darth Vader

Sat by the river, at our hostels "Sakura Party" me and the other groups of travellers enjoy the sun and company of new people, our group especially who where also enjoying the freshest Sashimi I've ever tasted and witnessed being built. A fish flavoured masterpiece.

I met many people at this little party, our group had pretty much one person from every country, including a lovely Spanish girl called Victoria Lopez who was living in Tokyo and learning English (which I could help her brush up on). We hit it off and were instantly friends, she was great company for the day and I hope to see her again one day! On my next trip I may be returning to Tokyo so I will see her again soon! After this relaxing day it was time to see "The Electric City"

This whole city buzzes, I don't mean with electricity (which is suprising) but literally with life. Akihabara, the "Electric City". This district wouldn't be the one for the faint hearted, from the lively and unusual people to the huge neon buildings, which by night illuminate the streets like a UV painting. Marcus and I were now walking through the flashing streets mesmerized by the strange things and shops, we walked past around four six story comic shops and decided to stop for a look around. The first two floors were relatively normal with standard anime comics, but the same cannot be said for the rest... we continued up the building expecting it to change from pretty vivid "Hentai", but we were mistaken (for anyone who does not know what Hentai is, and to save you from google searching it, its pretty weird anime porn). Now for us Westerners it felt pretty uncomfortable to be around all this stuff, like the feeling of walking out of a cinema into broad daylight, just not quite right. But the Japanese people didn't seem to care that all the people around them could see blatantly what they were into, because most of the people around were into the same thing. After the eyeful adventure we quickly made our decent back to the street to continue along the electric streets. Some more unusual stuff we saw were for example a Cat Cafe, where you literally payed to sit with a ton of cats, a multi story toy store containing pretty much every toy there could be in the world which included I might add what looked like real hand grenades, more cat toys than is healthy and many eight story arcades filled with people who look like the finish work, go straight there until they have to work again. Also I'd like to mention, they had a fullsize Darth Vader!

Now by night this part of the city is even more lively than in the day, the shops do not close, and even more bars open. Now I'd like to clear up that the bars here cater to all the comic book fans and with that in mind have "themes". For a start I didn't know this, but Marcus took me to a bar after talking to a girl on the street dressed as a maid... yeah I know right. So we walked into a small bar which seemed again like someones flat turned into a bar, and to be honest actually had a very good time and I don't mean just the "Maid Waitresses" causing that! We decided to play some darts joined by two of the girls and eventually two local young guys dressed in suits, we had a laugh with them as they spoke a little English and Marcus speaks a little Japanese.
"Would you like to go more places, like this?" One of them asked looking very happy about being able to show us around, with that we accepted. Why the hell not! When we came to pay one of the waitresses she told us that the two guys had paid for us, this mean they had paid our entry which was about £30 and our drinks! We went to the next bar which was called The Mermaid Cafe, this place I actually quite liked, you paid to enter and to drink all you can in an hour for £30, which once again the guys refused us to pay for and took it on themselves to pay for us. The girls "theme" here was like sailor school girl outfits with coloured contact lenses, tails and animal ears. I know exactly what you're thinking. We got seated right at the bar and the drinks started flowing, and it was strong. Some kind of plum brandy was served and something over 40% should NOT be that easy to drink...

After our hour was up we decided to move to our next place, we said goodbye to everyone and made our way to a pool hall which again we were not aloud to pay for! And once again you pay for an amount of time on the table and get drinks included which if I'm being completely honest I rather like this method, who knows why.

It's getting late. Time to go. As the time past by tonight Marcus and I really got an insight into not just the city but the people who inhabit it, what we saw is amazing. We met two strangers who insisted on taking us around the city to show us a good time and when I tried to give them some money at the end of the night, I was met with a kind "No, welcome to Japan"

The city

 

 Cat Cafe

The Arcade Inhabitants

 

So much cats...

 

Me and Darth

 

 



Money Worries and Extra Legroom

Living in America seemed like a different life style, either it was just because I was travelling or because it was genuinley more relaxed is yet to be known. I found personally that the American people have a polite and socialable nature aslong as you were not also American, hugely so if you were English. The little lake town of Lake Geneva was where I made my stop, the town where many Americans go for the summer to relax amoungst the lake itself.
Upon leaving I was made an "Honourary Lake Genevian", it really was an honour to live amoung such awesome people for the time I was there but it wasnt without problems. First off I was 20, and ten points to anyone who can tell me the drinking age in the USA, that's right... 21. So I went out with a plan, being a big eater I walked into town (a good 30-40mins I might add) getting funny looks from passing drivers and went between each bar and restaurant making friends with the barstaff and bouncers while eating in each place so when I went back later on they would welcome me in with open arms!

The next thing I had to deal with was something which happens often in the UK, problems with the bank. Before I left the UK I had been waiting for my money to move from one bank to another into an overseas worldwide account, sounds simple to me. Well it took them 6 weeks, so I had arrived in America with some cash I had run out pretty quickly, to much drinking at the bars I think.

 

 The nights I spent in Carvetti's (my favorite bar there) including Saint Patricks day with the new group of friends Matt Wingate, Stevie Michael, Muffin, April Fee, Tyler Shaitel, Eric Akuetteh plus loads of others were amazing, especially my leaving do which we all went back to Matt's for a party. Ever tried Everclear? Dont. 190 Proof Alcohol. You'll die.

Here's a photo of us all following ALOT of drunk guitar playing

Playing pool on a saddle:

 

The banks however told me, and I quote "There's nothing we can do". Luckily I could do chores for my Auntie to earn my keep. Eventually after another 2 weeks and one of the employees from the new bank I managed to get my money from the previous and I was ready for my next step, Japan.

 

$200 was all it costed from Chicago to Tokyo but what I saved in money I made up for in hours lost in changing timezones. Upon arriving in San Francisco I found myself wanting to run around the city but had to be constrained to the airport as I only had an hour before my flight. I found myself a nice suprise when checking in, the little Japanese lady behind the counter, tapping away on a computer, looked up at me, straining her neck. Smiled and looked back down. I took it as odd and thought she was ignoring me trying to check in.

"Excuse me, I'd like to check in?"

"One moment, please".

A few moments passed and then she looked up,

"Sir, I have given you an entire row of four seats in the middle so you can lie down, you're very tall" she smiled. I'd never been treated to like that by a stranger, it was a lovely gesture.

So I boarded the plane, sat in my four seats and settled down for a long journey. A sleepless night passed and I would not see the sun again for many hours as the night I crossed into had just begun, landing in Tokyo was fine, but the toilets, were not. I dont think my guitar pedal has as many buttons as a Japanese toilet. I stood staring for a while before taking what was the most daunting cross of what seemed like playing an Xbox while having a pee.

 

After getting the achievement for managing that trial, I made my way through the airport for the next, finding my way through the city. While on the plane I had searched which train I would need to get and learnt some phrases to try and help me. I asked the lady at the desk how to get to my train.

"I'm sorry, there is a problem on that line, the train is not running."

Oh God. Here we go.

"You'll have to take the underground, continue down there and you'll see it." she gestured.

"Ok, thank you."

 

I found the underground and stood feeling slightly stared at by the other passengers with my head gently rubbing the ceiling of the tram. I got off where I needed to be but not being able to read, I was lost. I found a map board, but to my dispair was not able to read it, suprising I know, but it was in Japanese. Not only that, but I didnt even know which station I was currently standing in!

This was the first stop on my travels where I was literally alone, there was no family here to comfort me or help me, it was midnight in one of the biggest cities in the world and I had no clue where I was and after a good twenty four hours of constant flying I was more than irritable. I forced my way through the crowds up to the heaving streets to look around for anything or anyone that could help. Taxis. Thats what I needed and luckily there they were, I lugged my bag to them and went to open one. Only to find it had no door handles. What? Are you kidding? I shit you not. Then the door opened as the driver had a remote, and I climbed in. He said something to me that I did not understand, and I tried my best to get across to him my point. I am lost. I had the name of my hostel and then district name Asakusa. He reached down onto the floor and pulled up a book, which he then passed to me. Upon inspection it was a book containing columns of writing next to other columns in five different languages. Thank you. He understood, kind of, where I wanted to go. I gave him the hostel name and we set off. It really struck me how this city, regardless of it being midnight, was incredibly busy, floods of busy people on their way to places. Im glad I was on my way.

 

 Never, drink this.

 Land Shark...

 I'd convinced these girls this was my personal saddle I had brought with me, although I'd let them have a photo on it. Fibs.