Tuesday, October 28, 2008
My Epicness Part III

And I was definitely not prepared for this...

Staring at the ocean of people from atop the street, Feudie and I made a swift diversion to Lotteria for breakfast. Yes... double cheese burgers again. I must be out of my mind chowing down burgers in Japan but they are just too good an indulgence to pass up on. It'd be a crime to say no.

Looking for a smoking area in Takeshita-dori proves to be quite a feat. We exited through the first small lane we could find and joined in with a few Japanese Ah Bengs squatting by the roadside. Nobody seemed to bother about us having our puff there, so I reckon we were doing a decent job blending in. I spotted an Avex Trax training school a little up the small lane and there were a bunch of schoolgirls camping outside. Wonder if they were waiting for some celebrity?

After navigating through Takeshita-dori, we stopped by Laforet and then decided to randomly head in one direction in the hopes of finding the bridge.

My ninja senses tell me it is that-a-way.

As luck would have it, we were right. The bridge is actually en route to the shrine so it suited my plan perfectly.

Sundays - When the bridge comes to life

Long trek in to shrine.

A true ninja has perfected the art of blending into the surroundings.

And finally...

Literally throwing your money away.

So I pray for more money back than what I threw away.

What luck! We get to see a wedding.

Leaving the shrine via another exit was a big mistake cos we got lost. We tried our luck cutting through the back alley of some houses and stumbled upon a vending machine selling Asahi grape jelly which I had taken a very fond liking to. The alleyway was quiet. Housewives were hanging out the laundry and occasionally a cyclist rode by. It felt like I was walking through people's houses.

The sky was darkening (night comes early in autumn) and by the time we found the station and headed back to Shinjuku, it was pitch black.

Feudie headed back to the hotel room whereas I decided I was gonna drop by Marui to do a little shopping. He gave me a hug and told me to wait at the entrance of the mall if I didn't get back by 10pm. He probably knows I'd get lost (how right he was).

En route to Marui, I kept getting stopped by some male escorts handing out flyers. What I didn't know was that the minute you accepted the flyer, they assume you're interested in purchasing their services and they try to get you to follow them back to their headquarters. One of them made small banter and asked where I was heading off next. I shook him off by saying I wanted to go take a look at the street festival parade that was ongoing nearby. (Shoulda fought with him for the flyer when he took it back).

Pretty odd to see something traditional in the middle of Kabuki-cho.

Another escort stopped me at the traffic light but this time I asked if I could keep the flyer. I added that the dudes in the flyers were all very good looking and he let out a guffaw and said ok. Walking off (and proud of my loot), I flipped the flyer around and noticed a small scribbling at the corner. He had written his name down on the back of it. It read Hayato in Japanese.

My preciousssss...

Well, I did get lost but I met a nice lady who took me to Marui as she happened to be going to the building next to it. She asked if I was travelling alone and I told her I was on holiday with my boyfriend. Nice lady... She bid me farewell and to take care when we arrived at our destination.

Got chased out of the building again when the shops closed at 9pm. Got lost again and finally made it back to the hotel at 9.30pm to discover the room dark and empty. I wondered if Feudie had gone out looking for me already?

20 mins later I discovered a piece of paper on the dressing table with his handwriting.

Gone to Las Vegas to play Street Fighter 4.

To think I was getting worried for nothing...

I put on a coat and headed down to look for him. Talk about ending the night with a bang.

”きをつけて。”

Thank you kind lady.

Labels: October 2008