Up early for the Shinkazen back to Tokyo….
…and catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the train window on the way. This picture doesn’t do it justice. Mt. Fuji is huge and imposing. A real presence no matter how far away you are.
Back in Tokyo for some much needed Karaoke!
Marc and Casey belt the metal out to the back rows.
While Ron melts faces with his leathal air guitar licks.
Casey’s high score! With our own little room and fresh drinks coming every half hour or so Karaoke was way more fun tha I was expecting.
After Karaoke outdoor beer garden.
Next day we’re off to the Tokyo National Museum with Ron. We stopped off for some conveyor belt sushi. The sushi glides by, right in front of you and you take what you want. Each plate is a certain price. You just count up your plates when you are done.
Tokyo National Musuem. There are multiple buildings that house the collection.
Queue for an exhibit. We didn’t have much time so we only hit the main building.
These sceens from a castel that depict the spirits of Thunder and Lightening.
Shogun armor. Look at that headpiece.
Ears!
Darth Vader inspiration.
I love how the top of the helmet and straps are made to look like hair, beard, and moustache. I don’t know why, but this one kinda reminds me of Robin Williams.
The day of the samuri was ending as photography became popular. Here is a photo of one of the last samuri shot around 1870
Another photo of a samuri circa 1870.
This one is for you Charles Lawance.
This one too.
Marc got calls from the office from time to time and had to knock out some impromptu code..
A stop on our way to dinner at Yodobashi Akiba. No trip to Japan is complete without a visit to the largest electronics store in the world. It’s 9 stories tall and has everything you could ever imagine and a whole mess of stuff you could never imagine.
The street out front of Andy’s, where we’ll be eating dinner. It occupies an old space that sits under some elevated train tracks.
Well known among foreigners, Andy’s is run by a Brit who married and Japanese woman whose family owned teh restaurant. They split and now Andy runs the top floor while the ex runs the bottom. The top is always packed and reservations need to be made well in advance. Those without reservations are sent downstairs.
The roof is the arched support of the train tracks above. Kinda feels like the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station.
That’s Andy himself behind Ron.
A surprise appearance from the US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and the rest of the clan.
Marc preordered the crab a couple days before. The food was absolutly fantastic in Japan. Everywhere we went it was all fresh and delicious. Tokyo might be the best food city in the world.
Tokyo Station. Built at the turn of the century the Prime Minister of Japan, Hara Takashi, was assassinated here in 1921
Shopping extravaganza on Takeshita Street in Harajuku.
This is where all the cool hip kids buy their clothes.
The three legged crow from the shrine makes and appearance at the mascot for the Japanese World Cup team.
Seriously, you could just buy this. There was a whole store of this stuff.
Action girl in her new Japanes threads!
Sunday morning 50’s greasers taking a break from performing at Yoyogi Park.
Erika took us to a wonderful traditional sushi restaurant called Sushiyuu in Roppongi. The restaurant serves at most 15 people. The chef chooses your meal for you. As the meal plays out there are 12 or so individual courses.
At first I thought this was a celephane noodle, but then I saw the eyes.
Tuna
How many courses?
Shimazaki Daisuke, the restaurant owner, forming rice. Look at the tuna sashimi. It looks like sugar candy.
Fatty Tuna.
Roe
We decided to top of the night with a trip to the New York Grill. The hotel bar where Bill Murray drank in Lost in Translation. We didn’t see BIll there, but Marc sure does look cool with the dramatic lighting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGvDCmuDKKE
This is Tokyo. View from the New York Grill. Feeling a little Blade Runnery.
Lovefest13 