Well, I’m going home today. I love Tokyo. In the epic battle of JDK vs. Tokyo, it is clear Tokyo has emerged the victor. With a bruised head, exhaustion, and still 50 things I wish I had done, it is clear that Tokyo always held the upper hand. Until next time- I love you.
All original watercolors.
This is the set-up. We are actually on a boat. We had about 15 of us and it was a 3 hour cruise. The ceiling is low, so you can’t even stand up straight. Did I mention that they basically set 10 bottles of booze at the end of the table for you to pour yourself, and then serve you mediocre sushi and grilled meats?! Oh, and by the way, yes, there was karaoke machine that was in use the entire 3 hours.
A view from the rooftop of the boat back into Tokyo.
Michi and JDK. Men in White.
These are all pics from my actual birthday. I hadn’t realized that what would change when I turned 34 was that I would gain the ability to be invisible. Kind of excited about it. I haven’t mastered it quite yet, but I think it will come in handy at some point this year.
Nothing left. Q took Nick and I to this spot. It was on the 2nd floor down a long hallway with neon white lights. You could live in Tokyo for 100 years and never find this place.
Perhaps my favorite store in Tokyo, a small, secret bookstore and publishing company. This is a picture of a one-room “museum” they have in the store that rotates through exhibits – this one of vintage pencils and crayons from around the world. Epic.
Perhaps my favorite
Bamboo Shoots. So good grilled! This was a secret little family spot off a side street of Shibuya. Vegetarian to recover from all the meat in Korea.
That’s Tuna jaw! So tender, just falls off the bone.
One of my favorite things is the intimacy of the restaurants in Tokyo. More often than not, they seat less than 15 people total.
It looks like we’re in the future doesn’t it! These are vents at each table because there are actually charcoal grills in the middle of each table. Sadly this could never come to the US, since the first customer would walk in, burn themselves and then sue the place into submission. Oh well – go to Korea if you want it.
This was a cold soup you eat at the end of the meal (same as all above photos). It is served with crushed ice, and was so refreshing and amazing.
This was lunch on the first day. Boiled Chicken (Griff Behncke’s favorite!) A traditional lunch dish for Koreans.
Without a doubt the coolest thing in all of Tokyo.
There are two rival Rockabillie gangs – the Lebels and the Strangers. They set up every Sunday on the edge of the park with their own boomboxes and they dance. That’s it – they just dance. They aren’t very good, but their energy and commitment is beyond reproach. The rival gangs don’t talk to each other, and they have very different aesthetics while remaining within the Rockabilly sensibility. Oh, and by the way, if anyone in the audience tries to dance along with them, at least 1-2 of the gang members will stop dancing, and walk over to the perpetrator and get right in their face and start yelling at them and bumping chests – there will be no mocking or funny business with these guys. All business.
