Into the fray

Well, here goes my first official blog post since arriving in Tokyo. I suppose I'll just hit you up with a few anecdotes from my adventures thus far?

Fun on the plane!
I flew JAL over here, a decision which foresight and hindsight have both validated, thank god. I flew Delta last year and it was, to quote Hanako, a DISASTUH (firstworldproblems). I sat in the aisle row, and a Vietnamese-American boy took the window seat. However, he, being Asian, was addressed in unapologetic Japanese; whereas I was treated to halting English and uncomfortable smiles, despite the fact that I certainly speak more Japanese than awkward and slightly adorable otaku boy (AASAOB for short). You know, I couldn't help but be a little put-out by this turn of events, but at least one of the flight attendants was FOREVER REDEEMED in my eyes by a conversation I had with her about 8 hours into the flight. I was up working on my leg exercises--what with the embolism and all I didn't take any chances--and this lovely woman approached me with a takefumi, a sort of device made of bamboo that you step on and roll around on with the balls of your feet. Supposedly it helps with circulation, so I said I'd give it a go! Three seconds into our conversation the woman was complementing my Japanese, which in and of itself isn't that surprising, but she went so far as to ask me if I was half Japanese! I admit it; I dug it. So, as I was being flattered whilst rubbing my feet on this bamboo rod the flight attendant told me a story about this Chinese movie star who was on one of her flights. Apparently he gave this thing a try as well, and he loved it so much that he was rubbing it all over his face saying "Ahh this is beautiful, I want it!" Needless to say, the woman was mildly grossed out. She was like "Dude, do you know how many people have put their feet on that?" But, since he loved it enough to cuddle it despite all of that, they gave it to him free of charge! Touching AND beautiful, yes? I thought so!

So I land.
I get my bags. I get through customs without a hitch and make my way to the train station to get down to Shinagawa. During the first leg of the journey a happening occurred which I thought would be my main point of interest for the day, but what went down after I changed lines juuust takes the cake. The first incident involved a pure gyaru-o (kind of like the Japanese equivalent of a poser beach bum? At least the coloration is the same) falling asleep in the handicap seats. Nobody thought much of it at first, but then he slumped over and eventually had his whole body spread across the seats, almost landing his head in some old man's lap. The old man tried to wake him up, but by this time it was clear that he wasn't just asleep; he was actually kind of ill. I'm not sure if he was drunk (bear in mind, folks, it was about 3 in the afternoon) or was having a medical emergency, but either way the train was stopped and he was escorted off. So, yeah, not something you could call amusing but definitely noteworthy, right?

Everything changes when I hop off the Keisei line and onto the Yamanote. So I'm standing there, in the middle of a crowded train, feeling guilty because I am white and have all this luggage and am being horribly in the way, when I notice what the man in front of me is doing. Allow me to paint you a picture: typical salaryman dressed in a white button-up and black slacks, fancy smartphone, mid-thirties, about my height. Essentially the least conspicuous person you could dream up, and riding one of the busiest central JR lines in Tokyo, yeah? Well, he's got his headphones in and is diddling around on his phone. I realize he's watching a video, and cannot help viewing the contents myself, as he is standing directly in front of me. I'll just get right to it: it was a 5 second clip of a very erect penis getting rubbed. Not like, pleasured or anything, just having the head rubbed rapidly. And he would watch it, click out of it and go somewhere else on his phone, and then go back and watch it again. Over and over. In the middle of a very crowded train. A penis video. Over and over. Not obviously pornographic. On a train. With headphones. I just don't even know anymore.

Shinagawa Shuku
I arrived at the hostel with no further incidents, excited to see the people who run it, and meet up with Bianca and tell her all about my interesting experience. The woman at the front desk at the time checked me in with a smile, carried my bags up to my room (on the third floor, in the same room Tamaki and I stayed last year before we went to our host families!) and gave me a towel and a yukata free of charge, as a "service for referring the place to so many of my friends." I have said it before and I will say it again, this place is perfect. Nice people, excellent location, tatami rooms, and extremely affordable. Everyone, if you come to Japan, I highly encourage you to consider staying here! Okay, business pitch aside, I got settled in. After that we met up with Tomomi and ate dinner at a yakitori place literally right next door.

Can't go wrong with delicious chicken on a stick and a nice cold beer

THEN I WENT TO SLEEP, YESSSS.

Yesterday was spent at the wonderful Ooedo onsen monogatari, a beautiful, Edo-era themed public bath in Odaiba. We caught a free bus over there, paid admission, and changed into yukata before entering this lovely little number:

Incidentally, this picture was taken by a very friendly, mildly inebriated old man who approached us offering to take our photograph and then spent the next 10 minutes sitting at our table calling us cute and claiming, prefaced with the usual "I don't mean to brag, but.." line, that people tell him he looks like Ohno Satoshi. That's right, Arashi's Ohno Satoshi. Yeah it was weird, it was certainly a first in my book, but I'm not gonna pretend it wasn't cute.

The Concert (part one, hopefully)
Speaking of Ohno Satoshi, my plan for this wonderful Friday afternoon was initially to head over to Kokuritsu Stadium in Yoyogi and stake out the Arashi concert! I was going to get in line for goods, buy a ridiculous number of clear files and T-shirts (I have received a lot of orders from close personal friends) and then simultaneously squeal with delight and sigh forlornly as I listened to the concert get underway. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, as I am not feeling at all well today) due to the purportedly impending typhoon swirling up to Tokyo as I write this, today's concert has been postponed until Sunday. Tomorrow's concert is apparently going down as planned, though, which is strange to me as it is equally as likely to rain tomorrow as it has been today. Ah well, beggars cannot be choosers. So, concerts are on the agenda for tomorrow and Sunday, and then Monday's the day I check out of Shinagawa Shuku and head down to my dorm in Yokohama!

I am going to make a promise to cyberspace that I will update my blog no later than September 6th, the day after I settle into my dorm. Maybe, hopefully, I'll have stories to tell about my Arashi adventures and will post something before then as well :)