More Tokyo

I explored some more of Tokyo the next day using a metro pass to easily get around. I never waited more than 3 minutes for a train. I was so tired of walking that my legs led me back to the metro where I could sit down for a while, there didn’t seem to be any other place to do that!

I once again used Anthony Bourdain and his show Parts Unknown for inspiration. In his Tokyo show he went to the Robot Restaurant and thought it was the greatest show on earth. That was a few years ago and it’s become a little more G rated.

I met a few of my new friends at the Shinjuku station, the busiest in the world, with more than 3 million people passing though each day. From there we walked to the Kabuchiko district. If you have a fetish of any kind apparently this is where to go.

You can get food at the Robot Restaurant but it’s really not a restaurant. It was a fantastic show of lights, dancing, giant robots, fire- breathing dragons, right in your face. Nothing to take seriously, just great fun.

After the show we found Memory Lane, better known as Piss Alley, a seedy lane of tiny restaurants started when the Americans occupied after WWII. The restaurants are crowded, the food is awesome and cheap, and everyone smokes.

The next morning I had some time before heading to the airport, so walked around a bit. Just a block or two from our hotel, down an alley, there was a row of Love Hotels renting rooms by the hour. I found a catalogue of fully or partially dressed women there, faces blurred or missing.

Tokyo is a little dirtier and grittier than the rest of Japan but even here street crime is rare. It’s crazy busy but no one shouts or runs, and everyone is unfailingly polite.

It is an amazing place but it was a pleasure to get home to my quieter city and friendlier cat.