Eastbound: Japan

Tokyo

Current location: Kyoto, Japan

Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, Asakusa, Akihabara, Odaiba, the Yamanote-line, the underground passageways, the parks, the temples, the shrines, the people, the buildings, the arcades, the manga-cafes, nomihodai, the bars, the pop-culture, the underground-culture, the counterculture and a hundred more things in this city deserve their own posts, and the following rant will not come close to making justice to the many faces and nuances of this behemoth among cities.
The sheer volume of stories and my lack of poetic talent forces me to reduce this to a mere account of the time I spent in Tokyo. And I must confess much of that time was spent downing drinks and making new friends all around the world. But I don't think time spent getting wasted is time wasted, but then, that's just me.

I spent three weeks in Tokyo, two more than I had planned, but as I'm not in a hurry, and really bad at planning, that didn't really matter.
The first week I spent doing touristy stuff, visiting old favourites and places I hadn't visited on my first trip to Japan a couple years ago, and doing my thing getting lost in the largest urban area on the planet. But the thing about getting lost in Tokyo is that there is something outrageously interesting behind every single corner, and in the end you're never too far from the closest train- or subway station.

The downfall of my itinerary was when I was introduced to Kabukicho. Now the word "red light district" will have you thinking of strip clubs, prostitutes, gangsters and drugs, and while I must admit a large part of the allure of the district is that special vibe those kind of places have, I wasn't attracted to the town by the carnal pleasures it had to offer, but simply because it had the best nightlife I had encountered in a loooong time.
I say nightlife, but like Tokyo itself, Kabukicho NEVER sleeps, so when would I stagger out of one bar as it closed at 6 am I could continue my binge at the next one that had just opened, catering to those like me, who think too much is never enough, and that there are only two choices, go hard or go home.

This might sound rough, and it is, but if Tokyoites know how to party, they sure as hell know how to bring that beaten, broken, alcohol soaked body back to life.
24/7 bathhouses, capsule hotels and manga-cafes serve as safe havens for the weary and provide the body and the mind with rest, relaxation and free (soft) drinks to get rid of the bastards hammering your brain with tiny sledgehammers and the lizards that are always just out of sight.
I got to know these places quite well, as after spending a week at a friends place in a luxurious high rise in one of the fanciest parts of Tokyo, I suddenly found myself walking the beat with my backpack, somehow so distracted from the reality of my situation that I didn't even try to find a hostel to stay at. Must have been all the shiny, pretty lights. Or the jaeger...
Aaanyway, a night at a manga-cafe is cheaper than most guesthouses, and besides internet, TV and all the manga in the world you get shower and free drinks. Many people actually go to these "manga-kissas" just to sleep.
Another favourite for catching a bit of shut-eye is the JR Yamanote-line, a train that runs a full circle around the centre of Tokyo, so you never need to get off. Some people buy the cheapest ticket and get on the train to read manga, as the trains have air con, a luxury many cannot afford.

Now before you start sending me the numbers and addresses of your local AA-club, I want to point out that I did do stuff in Tokyo and the surrounding areas besides trying to find the meaning of life at the bottom of a pint, but I will cover those adventures in another post, as this is starting to drag on, and I already used my potato joke.