Trouble in Tokyo
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2013
1
2
Trip End
Oct 14, 2013
Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
Monday, September 23, 2013
We had soon convinced our celeb friends to take us to their favorite karaoke joint … we were toooo excited!! In Japan karaoke is done in a booth, which you rent for the night with you and your mates. Our room was kitted out with a full blown stage, mic stands, and a series of percussion instruments (yay!). With lots of plum wine and our two new best friends, the scene honestly could not have been more perfect, to say we were loving life would be a massive understatement!
Crying with laughter, we pranced around with maracas singing Chiquittita, Abba, (at Ken andTomo’s request), Loose yourself, Eminem,(note the particularly stunning performance on my behalf, see video below), and perhaps best of all;Gangham Style (just too funny!).
Managed to obtain my very first karaoke injury falling into a blind, and now have a rather large gash in my leg ….... oopsies!!
Sadly at this point Ken called it a night, and we were dragged away kicking and screaming. This was obviously a problem in Lucy’s eyes as she expressed her concern that it might now be awkward for me, as she didn't want me to feel like I was third wheeling!
Circa 3 am we hit the club. It was a very Japanese affair, there wasn't another westerner in the place. We were swiftly ushered into a VIP area, (that it turns out is solely reserved for Tomo’s private use!) where three bottles of Moet were consumed and Luce had a little nap (such a raver!!). Leaving the club the sun was shining and Luce fell flat on her face, we are really hoping that Tomo got papped dragging a drunk English girl off the floor.
At the station it was an emotional goodbye for Lucy and Tomo, but the heartache made easier (I think) by our plans for Tomo to take us round some more of Tokyo the following day.
The following day came far too soon! Still completely sozzled we checked out of our hostel and headed out to find our new one.
Two hours later, lost, hot, drunk, but with hangovers rapidly setting in we crumpled to a heap in a bus shelter, chowed down pastries and begged the owner of the illusive hostel to come and find us. Thankfully he obliged.After this horrendous ordeal we arrived at our hostel to find our lodgings as below…......lollllllll!
Now late for our (or should I say Lucy’s) date with Tomo we hurried off out to meet our new amigo. He took us to an extraordinarily peaceful park with a shrine where we were taught to pray. Lucy repented for her sins, and I just prayed for more hilarity to continue!
He took us round some fab places, a highlight was a famous fantasy condom shop. Tomo’s fame prevented him from entering for fear of being photographed in such a place! Later we were sat down and force fed revoltingly sweet “fruit parfait”s. While swallowing mountains of cream, cake, ice cream, and syrup, we were lucky enough to hear Tomo’s perspective on the 2011 Japan earthquake that led to the tsunami and Fukishima nuclear melt down. Hearing about the disaster from a Japanese news reporter really brought it all to reality, as opposed to being a far off TV report. Aside from all the karaoke it is these little moments have that have made our trip so special.
