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| Japan 2017 - Day 12 - Tokyo (Pt. 2) |
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After arriving back in Tokyo Thursday night I got settled into my new Hotel and then headed down to the Akihabara area. It's an entertainment district that is cosplay and anime heavy. I ended up and sort of Gothic maid bar named Jeanne D'arc. It was a total tourist trap but I had a great time. I ended up hanging out with 3 guys from China that spoke pretty good English. They then translated what I said to a waitress that was also from China but was in Japan going to collage. She in turn translated to my waitress who was Japanese and spoke almost no English. We laughed and chatted for about an hour this way. On Friday, my one full day in Tokyo I packed in a lot. I wandered around Ueno park which has not only several Shrines and Temples, but also several museums and a zoo. After spending the first part of the morning there I headed to the Tokyo Tower. As I was walking from the train station to the tower I stumbled upon Shinkoji Temple. It's a small temple tucked away on a side street. I asked the guy working in the garden if I could go inside. He nodded and then escorted me to a side entrance where I traded my shoes for slipper and then proceeded into the main alter area. I asked if I could take photos and he nodded again. This was the only time on the whole trip where I was allowed to actually take photos at the main alter of a Temple or Shrine. After spending about 15 minutes inside I thanked the guy, put some coins in the tray on the alter, and then continued on my way to the Tower. The Tokyo Tower is modeled after the Eiffel tower, and even though it's supposed to be taller, it doesn't feel as grand or impressive. I was disappointed that the top observation deck was closed for remodeling, but enjoyed myself non the less. After leaving the Tower it was time for lunch. So I got back on the train and headed to the Kawaii Monster Cafe. Kawaii is the Japanese word for "cute". The cafe is supposed to be staffed by waitresses dressed up as "cute monsters". But really it's got more of an Alice in Wonderland on LSD feel to it. The burger I had was surprisingly good. And the 10 minute long floor show that was put on by 3 of the Kawaii Monsters was also quite entertaining. But what made the place so enjoyable for me was just the wild ambiance and the excellent music they had playing. It really was a fantastic lunch. After lunch I headed over to a nearby park that was supposed to have some pretty gardens and a shrine I wanted to see. It was also supposed to be a place to watch Cosplayers, but I didn't see a single one. The Gardens where pretty good and the Shrine was nice too. After the park I did some geocaching which took me into a the neighborhood just to the west of the park. After roaming around there for a while I headed back to my hotel. I needed to get cleaned up. I had tickets for the 7:00pm show at the Robot Restaurant. The Robot Restaurant. Holy Smokes! What an experience that was! From talking to others that have been there it actually changes up quite regularly. It's is a very strange series of four separate mini shows, each about 15 minutes long, with about 10 minutes in between. They don't appear to be even remotely related to each other. If you don't do well with long periods in dark room with loud music, flashing lights and lasers of all colors, and stuff happening to both sides as well as in front of you, then you may want to pass on this. It is an assault on your senses that you will either lover or hate. I, of course, LOVED IT! If you want to replicate the experience there are some videos below. Put on headphones with the volume all the way up and then put your face as close to you screen as you can and still focuse your eyes. LOL. You start out by picking up your tickets then walking across the street to work your way up to the 2nd floor lounge. Here you can get a drink and are entertained by a sort of pre-show. You then work your way down stairs to the basement where there is a sort of long narrow stadium. There are 3 rows of stadium seats along each side. You have assigned seats. Mine was almost in the middle and was on the first row. This seemed great to me at first. (and it was) But then they come along and teach everyone in the first row how to lean back in your seats because some of the larger "robots" can smack you in the head if you don't. It turns out that this wasn't just an exaggeration to get you worked up. Then the show starts. When I was there the first act a song and dance bit that was wonderfully heavy on drums. The second act was some sort of story about wars that took place in several time periods on some fictional planet. Both Mothra and Baby Godzilla made appearances. Then they bring out the big dancing robots. After that came another dancing series that started out as a 1950's influenced number but mutated into some sort of Brazilian Carnival affair. The other thing you need to know about the Robot Restaurant is DON'T eat there. Eat before or after you go. It is universally agreed that the food is expensive and crap. |
Some Videos
 A bit of the show at the Kawaii Monster Cafe |
 Robot Restaurant Pt1 |
 Robot Restaurant Pt2 |
 Robot Restaurant Pt3 |
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