Big craziness yesterday. Ariel kept trying to call me, but the hotel wouldn't connect to the room for whatever reason, and there were cell phone issues. So I stayed in the room until I FINALLY got ahold of her...and was stuck here until 5:30pm. It sucked, but I had Densha Otoko to keep me company. She brought over her friend Julia, who is amazing, and was wearing a green furry vest, a black corset and black bloomers, and striped green and black socks. She looked amazing. Julia speaks good Japanese and is going to college here. I hope we get to hang out with her on Friday.
We went to eat shabu shabu with Julia and a girl named Katie (aka Cutie Honey). Shabu shabu is crazy delicious. We embarked on our attempt to find a place, and ended up on the 13th floor of the Odakyu building...in a restaurant so expensive that none of us could have paid for it. Ariel faked sick, so we left for an all you can eat place that was very conservative. The interior was all wooden modern art and glass and I loved it. We capped off the dinner with amazing parfaits.
Afterwards we went to Kabuki-cho to go to a host club. A host club is a bar where you pay guys to talk to you. It is not stripping or porn, and if you only want them to talk, that is all they will do. They will not sleep with you (unless it is a rare situation, such as you have been a steady customer for years and are supplying the guy most of his income) and the relationships there get very intricate if you frequent the same one for a long time. I really just wanted to experience it because I had never been to one (although I've been to hostess clubs before).
The first one we went to was pretty stylish, with three guys who sat at the little tables in front of us. I am the only one who speaks Japanese, so I had some conversation while they poured drinks, lit cigarettes, and basically were there to look at (but not to touch, of course). I did a few karaoke numbers, mostly m-flo. I sang the Koda Kumi version of Cutie Honey because one of the guys messed up Katie's name and kept calling her "Cutie." We played a game where we put plastic swords in a barrel, and whoever makes Kurohige (Blackbeard) jump out of the barrel loses (or wins, depending on how you look at it).
We left that club and went to another one which seemed to have a million hosts. The owner was a really gruff looking yakuza guy who kept to the coat check. Ariel really liked their Number One, a guy named Rui. He looked and acted exactly like you can imagine a Number One would, and sat with some girls that will probably spend a shitload of money on gifts for him in the vain hopes of getting him someday. The guy sitting next to Ariel, however, had a huge shoulder tattoo which he just whipped out with little to no provocation. Being a big yakuza nerd like I am, getting to make these sorts of observations firsthand just floored me. Well, that and all the soju that we were drinking.
We went back to the hotel, and I woke up in my clothes a mere 10 minutes before my host mom came to pick me up. She met me in the hotel lobby and brought calendars for Ariel and I (even though Ariel was passed out upstairs). I gave her my gifts, two Chicago t-shirts and a jar of peanut butter. We went to Ebisu, and ate yakitori with a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Afterwards we had cake at a cafe and talked about Japan. I got an invitation to her house for New Year's, which I am very excited about. Afterwards Ariel and I went to Closet Child and then decided to chill for the evening.
Nahomi emailed me and hopefully we can go to Asakusa on the 31st, which will rock.
Curi.
We went to eat shabu shabu with Julia and a girl named Katie (aka Cutie Honey). Shabu shabu is crazy delicious. We embarked on our attempt to find a place, and ended up on the 13th floor of the Odakyu building...in a restaurant so expensive that none of us could have paid for it. Ariel faked sick, so we left for an all you can eat place that was very conservative. The interior was all wooden modern art and glass and I loved it. We capped off the dinner with amazing parfaits.
Afterwards we went to Kabuki-cho to go to a host club. A host club is a bar where you pay guys to talk to you. It is not stripping or porn, and if you only want them to talk, that is all they will do. They will not sleep with you (unless it is a rare situation, such as you have been a steady customer for years and are supplying the guy most of his income) and the relationships there get very intricate if you frequent the same one for a long time. I really just wanted to experience it because I had never been to one (although I've been to hostess clubs before).
The first one we went to was pretty stylish, with three guys who sat at the little tables in front of us. I am the only one who speaks Japanese, so I had some conversation while they poured drinks, lit cigarettes, and basically were there to look at (but not to touch, of course). I did a few karaoke numbers, mostly m-flo. I sang the Koda Kumi version of Cutie Honey because one of the guys messed up Katie's name and kept calling her "Cutie." We played a game where we put plastic swords in a barrel, and whoever makes Kurohige (Blackbeard) jump out of the barrel loses (or wins, depending on how you look at it).
We left that club and went to another one which seemed to have a million hosts. The owner was a really gruff looking yakuza guy who kept to the coat check. Ariel really liked their Number One, a guy named Rui. He looked and acted exactly like you can imagine a Number One would, and sat with some girls that will probably spend a shitload of money on gifts for him in the vain hopes of getting him someday. The guy sitting next to Ariel, however, had a huge shoulder tattoo which he just whipped out with little to no provocation. Being a big yakuza nerd like I am, getting to make these sorts of observations firsthand just floored me. Well, that and all the soju that we were drinking.
We went back to the hotel, and I woke up in my clothes a mere 10 minutes before my host mom came to pick me up. She met me in the hotel lobby and brought calendars for Ariel and I (even though Ariel was passed out upstairs). I gave her my gifts, two Chicago t-shirts and a jar of peanut butter. We went to Ebisu, and ate yakitori with a gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Afterwards we had cake at a cafe and talked about Japan. I got an invitation to her house for New Year's, which I am very excited about. Afterwards Ariel and I went to Closet Child and then decided to chill for the evening.
Nahomi emailed me and hopefully we can go to Asakusa on the 31st, which will rock.
Curi.
lotusmonger:
nice. very very nice. I want to go to Japan.
johnnystorm:
shabu shabu is fun, but it lacks the thrill of cooking sizzling meat over fire or the art and beauty of raw fish. its hard to make boiling shaved beef in hot water exciting. It is just me? I don't think even squad of yakuza heavys could make eating shabu shabu profound. Where is the skill or touch required in determing when to pull the beef out of the hot water. I could understand why you did not stay at the 13th floor shabu restuarant. 