Land of the Rising Sun

I've arrived in Japan.  Indeed, yesterday I landed at Tokyo, Narita airport at 2:30 pm.  I really don't remember the flight as after a few glasses of wine, a clonopin and an over-the-counter sleeping pill, I fell into a deep state of unconciousness and awoke when the plane was landing.  A wonderful respite that had rid of me of potential jet lag problems.

After clearing customs, I made my way through mazes of subway systems, ingesting food and drink bearing no english characters, and located my friend Nari near his work in Ebisu (by the large Ebisu Garden Place).  Being an absolute gem, Nari and I took a taxi to his home near the 

Todoroki station and then took a subway back into the city so I could figure out my bearings.  He had prior dinner plans and left me to my own devices.

I headed to Roppongi.  That area of town kind of reminds me on midtown Manhattan, if midtown Manhattan was cartoonish and in the future.  Well, let me attempt to be a touch more descriptive.  The subways (sleek, fast, spotless, video screens) and bathrooms (toilets have warm seats and shoot warm water and air into your butthole after a number 2) and showers (i still don't get it) and doors (push a button so they slide open) are way futuristic.  And all the ads and videos are strange and bizarre cartoons.  

I had some miso ramen and gyoza at a small shop off the beaten path.  I am making an effort to eat only japanese food while here, and the first bite at the apple did not disappoint.  From there I made my way to Roppongi Hills for the Tokyo City View.  52 stories into the air, I took in a 360 degree panoramic view of the city.  Beautiful.  I topped that off with a visit to the adjoining Mari Art Museum.  The most interesting piece was a cow, sliced in half and preserved in a vat of formaldihyde.  It was as if the Bodies exhibit now featured cows.

I needed a few drinks in my system and visited a bar called Kingston.  I heard music from other bars, but nothing aside from Janet Jackson or Bon Jovi.  Cmon now, this is Japan!  So Kingston seemed to be the spot for me - something different.  On the fifth floor of a building in the heart of Roppongi, I walked in to a darkened room with Desmond Dekker playing.  Not bad.  A cute girl behind the bar asked me what I wanted to drink.  "a good shot, and a red stripe."  She gave me some tequila.  After a few minutes of talking, I learned that Marcia is Colombian and into world traveling.  She had been in Japan for a few months and began working at this bar in Tokyo to allow her to stay on.  I also learned that when she had lived in NYC, she called Greenpoint here home.  How fun!  So, she gave me some tips about things to do in Tokyo, pointing me out the "Williamsburg" of Tokyo.  She also gave me her phone # and told me of a really fun Sunday party with music and bbq, in case I am still in town.  A few shots and drinks later I took the last trains back to Nari's.  

Looking forward to more!