On August 26, 2016, I went to go see my number one favorite band, Streetlight Manifesto, in concert in Tokyo. I go to their concert every chance I get, and I definitely couldn’t pass to see them in Tokyo. As an added bonus, they were opening for the Japanese Ska band Kemuri, whose music I also enjoy immensely. I used a vacation day to skip work (this was a Friday) and I took a bus from Minamisoma to Tokyo, which took over five hours (about 3.5 hours to drive directly, but the company I went with took frequent stops.)
Tokyo Sky Tree as seen from the bus.
I arrived in Ikebukuro, Tokyo with plenty of time to spare until the concert, so I went in search of my hostel in Shinjuku, just down the street from Akebonobashi station. Navigating the Tokyo train and subway systems is difficult, but it’s not impossible, especially if you’re not afraid to ask questions to the station workers. I was absolutely lost on how to get to Akebonobashi station until I asked a station worker, and he was nice enough to pull out a map and give me detailed instructions to Akebonobashi.
I made it to my destination with a lot of time to spare, dropped off my things and set out again to find the concert venue, the O-East venue in Shibuya. I found it easily enough. It’s quite close to the station. I still had about two hours until the concert started and about an hour and a half until I needed to go enter the building. I decided to stop and get some food at a Jamaican restaurant. I spoke with one of the owners, a handsome Jamaican man who was quite interesting. His name was Richard. He told me about his life in Jamaica and why he decided to come to Japan and open a restaurant and when he planned to return to Jamaica in the future. He was very nice and I hope to see him again the next time I visit Tokyo.
After my dinner I went to the concert and it was amazing. I rocked out hard core to Streetlight Manifesto and sang along to all the songs. I knew every lyric, and danced until my knees were no longer supporting my weight. I also realized at the end of the night that there were small holes in my socks that were not there that morning, so you know it was a good concert when you dance holes in your socks.
I loved listening to Kemuri as well. I didn’t know all the songs they played, let alone the lyrics, but I recognized a lot and danced my heart out. I was one of four white people in the audience; I spoke to the other three for a while during the intermission between bands. Two of them were a married and came from a nearby military base and the third was a friend of theirs. We spoke for a short time, partly because the friend wouldn’t answer any question I asked him. I think he was trying to come off as “mysterious” but he just came off as an asshole. I liked speaking to the couple a lot more.
By the time the concert ended I was drenched and my knees were wobbly. I went back to the restaurant and talked with Richard some more. After that we walked to the train station and went our separate ways.
The next day (Saturday) I hung out with my old friend Ryohei. I knew Ryohei years ago when he came to my college as a Foreign Exchange Student. He was the TA in one of my Japanese language classes. He lives in Chiba, so when I came to Tokyo for the weekend I contacted him and luckily we were able to hang out again. He took me to Odaiba in the south of Tokyo. We made our way to Odaiba on a train that was famous for being 100% completely automatic, it had no conductor or train staff. It was really cool, there were a lot of children crowding the front window so they could watch the train track disappear under the train. It was really cool. The train also soared above segments of Tokyo Bay, so the scenery was beautiful as well.
The first thing we did was we went to a technology museum within walking distance of the train station. We learned about the insides of space shuttles and the international space station as well as robots and weather tracking around Japan and the globe. There were also a lot of different displays of various technologies, such as pollution control, and how to make factories more eco-friendly. There were displays of Nobel Peace Prize winners and their contributions to technological fields. There was a Ninja exhibit as well, but we realized too late that we bought the wrong tickets to go see that exhibit.
We ate lunch at a restaurant in a shopping center of Odaiba, although it wasn’t in Venus Fort. It served pasta and other “Italian” foods. I had a Japanese interpretation for an Italian Doria for the first time ever. It was amazing.
After that we walked around the shopping center VenusFort which had a lot of amazing shops.
The name of this shop made me giggle, because I'm 12 on the inside.
One of which is called “Loved to Death”. It’s a creepy little shop with lots of oddities for sale, although at outrageous prices. It’s more like a museum because while they have tons of oddities displayed, a lot of them are not for sale. They’ve got things like occult books and ritual knick-knacks, old-timey medical instruments, glass eyes, Halloween decorations, decorative statues, Christian memorabilia and plenty more. When you think the word “Gothic” or “Occultish” or “creepy” those are the items that can be found in this shop. I loved being there, and Ryohei was a bit creeped out. He now thinks I’m a weirdo, but that’s ok. I walked away with a post card that has a picture of the devil on it and says “Cheer Up, Cheer Up! The worst is yet to come.” It was the perfect amount of creepy and in my price range. If I ever have more money to flippantly throw away, I do believe I will go back.
After that we decided to go to a popular restaurant in Shibuya called “The Lockup.” It is a themed restaurant where the atmosphere is that of a dungeon. When you arrive the hostess asks you what you hae done to desere going to jail in the dungeon. Ryohei got pinched for stealing and I got pinched for tearing a man’s heart out with my teeth. She put handcuffs on us and led us to our cell (table.) It was a small cell with stone walls and a ragged old wooden table. The door to our cell was a sliding metal door with bars. It was a pretty great atmosphere.
My flash was on, so you can see what exactly we were in. But it loses a lot of its creepy factor. Imagine this in the dark.
There were also barred windows a little higher up the walls. All the drinks were served in beakers, so it looks like you’re drinking a laboratory experiment.
Soon after we ordered we heard some ominous music and an alarm. A voice sounded over the speakers in the restaurant: “A bunch of monsters, laboratory experiments and crazy people have broken from their cells! Please be careful!” That’s when the crazies and monsters started bursting into our cells with claws and masks. They reached their hands through the windows to touch our hair with our backs turned! Ryohei was by the door so he got the worst of it. I was in the corner squeal-screaming with delight and mock-fright…. And also maybe a little bit of real fright.
The loud speakers sounded again: “We have deployed police and guards to help. It will be alright soon!” We watched from behind the bars of our cell door as police and crazies ran up and down the halls. And towards the end we saw the crazies and monsters being led away in handcuffs. The lights turned on again and we continued with our meal.
Our meal consisted of a bunch of small plates of food that are meant to be shared. One of my favorite parts of the evening was the roulette meal we ordered. There were cream puffs, takoyaki and something else. We ordered a plate of five takoyaki. There are five of the items on a plate. Four of them are normal and one is filled with hot sauce! It was really cool to play roulette with our food. The roulette was meant to be a “punishment” for the prisoners. We ordered a plate of the takoyaki. Ryohei and I wished that the other got the trick takoyaki and ate one. Both were normal. We sighed out of relief, and then looked back down at our plate with three takoyaki still on it. We exchanged a look and picked up another. This time I got the trick takoyaki and Ryohei’s was normal. It was an awful experience. It was so hot! I had to spit it out (attractive huh?) and drank all the water remaining on the table. Then I sat for a few minutes breathing through my mouth over my tongue. Ryohei laughed the whole time. Once I felt like I could eat food again and not barf a little, Ryohei let me have the last normal takoyaki.
After all this we meandered our way back to Tokyo proper, and we went our separate ways. He went back to Chiba, and I made my way back to Shinjuku. I didn’t stay out that night; instead I went to bed fairly early so I could get a nice start on exploring Tokyo the next day by myself before I headed back to Minamisoma.
I checked out and headed for Harajuku. I had been once before, but not on a Sunday, so I was excited to see all the rebellious teenage fashion that I had seen so many pictures of, but not much in person. Sadly, I didn’t see many, which confused me, to be honest. But I visited a lot of shops and spent all the spare money I had.
I saw this jacket again in Harajuku. I bought the very same one three years ago. I was tempted to buy it again in black. ... Its still there I'm sure. ... I'm sure I'll dream of buying this jacket in black until the day I die.
My favorite store in the whole world called “B Side Label” is in Harajuku. They sell original artwork in the form of stickers, t-shirts, posters, magnets and other items. I will always and forever give them all my money. They are great. I also bought an expensive dress in a Portuguese store that has a location in Harajuku called “Desigal.” It was worth it. I realized that I should probably head back to Ikebukuro so I didn’t miss my bus back to Minamisoma. I made it with time to spare, and then spent another five hours riding back, but it was cool. I got caught up on some reading during the trip.
Streetlight Manifesto 4Evah!
Stacey, I love your blog and have had a wonderful time reading it. I'm so proud of you! Love Dad
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