DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 It's been a long, but very exciting, 16 days there, and nearly 3 weeks since I've really been active on here. During that time, I got to see two of my faves, Shiina Ringo and Sakanaction, on their 20th anniversary and best album tours, respectively. I went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji. Saw many things, ate many things (including shirako), and met some great people. It was as if all these years being online became reality. I saw things I had only seen in pictures. When I met my colleagues from The Japan Times, it was the first time I interacted with them in person. I went to gay bars in Tokyo and my Japanese music knowledge shocked the locals into letting me play DJ. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to go back soon! You can see it all here: https://www.instagram.com/ronald.t_sb/ When it comes to music, I did hear DA PUMP's "U.S.A." a lot. I also heard MISIA's "Ai no Katachi" and King & Prince's "Cinderella Girl" a number of times. I heard a number of Yonezu Kenshi songs. I went to this one gay bar in Tokyo two nights in a row, and each night they had karaoke, with 5 Kenshi songs each night. That bar had a lot of dad rock karaoke, like B'z, Mr.Children, and WANDS. That bar also played Tomomi Kahara's "I BELIEVE", which then led to a TK binge, because the patrons were shocked that I knew TK's songs. They were most shocked when I requested Mizuki Alisa's "TOO SHY SHY BOY." At another gay bar in Tokyo, I actually met an off duty Tomomi Kahara drag queen, which led to a drunken rendition of "I'm proud", and more TK songs, including globe's "DEPARTURES." When they found out I came to Japan to see Ringo and Sakanaction, they played some of their songs. That bar also played Spitz, Utada Hikaru, Chisato Moritaka, and Akina Nakamori. I met an off duty Akina drag queen at another bar. I went to Ginza Six, so I did hear Ringo and Tortoise Matsumoto's "Menukidori" a few times. I heard Shonentai's "ABC" during my last dinner. As far as KPop, there was a big ad campaign for BTS's new single in Osaka Station, but then it was taken down after the shirt scandal. I did see BLACKPINK on TV late at night a few times. I saw an EXO billboard over a travel agency about trips to Korea. I did end up in Shin-Okubo in Tokyo, and the area just looked a bit sad. As far as my concerts, Ringo's was my favorite. It was like a true show, which I know will piss some of the fandom off. There was a lot of Gucci, but no guitar playing by her. There were more dancers than usual, and she even danced some. It every much reminded of something Ayu should be doing at her age, rather than a woman who has her roots in punk would be doing, but you have to grow up, and Ringo has. After going to the concert, I do see how people can say they look like right wing rallies. Imagine 15,000 people in unison waving rising sun flags and chanting. I liked the Sakanaction concert a lot. Ichiro said there is going to be a new album maybe next year, but I'll believe that when I'm actually listening to it. And they did have a foreigner section. Some of them even knew Arama! I went to a one day festival consisting of Ame no Parade, Mukai Taichi, bonobos, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, and SPECIAL OTHERS ACOUSTIC. I went for the first two. Ame no Parade annoyed me by doing an acoustic set and not doing their biggest song, "stage." I really liked Taichi's performance. He got the biggest response of the whole event. He was great vocally. And his movements on stage were very sensual. And I did end up going to Nakano Broadway and buying a bunch of Tahara Toshihiko photobooks, including a Tanokin Trio one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maho 37 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 I have no idea what 80% of this actually means but it feels really exciting. lol Congratulations. I'd love to feed a deer and have it chase me afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Repeat 1,397 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Sounds like you had a fantastic trip! Welcome back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abra 40,910 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Tell me about the food, please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JihyoStoleMyHeartAYAYAY 22,189 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Congrats and Welcome back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starsocks 7,986 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Welcome back, that sounds fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Tell me about the food, please I had a lot of it. The convenience store food really is good. And it's cheap! I got to go to Tsuta in Tokyo, which is the first Michelin-starred ramen restaurant. The flavors were quite unlike other ramen due to the truffle accents. Eater recommended this omakase sushi restaurant called Manten in Ginza in Tokyo. It was amazing, and only like $55 for 15 - 20 courses. That's where I had the shirako. I knew what it was when I saw it. The taste is very rich and creamy, almost to the point of gag-inducing. The uni, the lightly flamed-seared pieces, it was all great! Kushikatsu! I went to Kushikatsu Daruma in Osaka and it was great. I loved their doteyaki too. I had a crab kaiseki at Kani Doraku in Dotombori in Osaka. It was the first time I had ever had raw crab. It was cold and slimey. Ohh, I also had raw horse sushi in Tokyo. And I have a new fave: kani miso. It's basically crab guts mixed with sake and then broiled in the shell. The last is so rich and flavorful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bom 2,161 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Sounds like you had an amazing time, I am envious! Welcome back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abra 40,910 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 I had a lot of it. The convenience store food really is good. And it's cheap! I got to go to Tsuta in Tokyo, which is the first Michelin-starred ramen restaurant. The flavors were quite unlike other ramen due to the truffle accents. Eater recommended this omakase sushi restaurant called Manten in Ginza in Tokyo. It was amazing, and only like $55 for 15 - 20 courses. That's where I had the shirako. I knew what it was when I saw it. The taste is very rich and creamy, almost to the point of gag-inducing. The uni, the lightly flamed-seared pieces, it was all great! Kushikatsu! I went to Kushikatsu Daruma in Osaka and it was great. I loved their doteyaki too. I had a crab kaiseki at Kani Doraku in Dotombori in Osaka. It was the first time I had ever had raw crab. It was cold and slimey. Ohh, I also had raw horse sushi in Tokyo. And I have a new fave: kani miso. It's basically crab guts mixed with sake and then broiled in the shell. The last is so rich and flavorful. You really weren't afraid to try out everything, I'm impressed! It was a pleasure reading your descriptions and I'm glad you enjoy the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 You really weren't afraid to try out everything, I'm impressed! It was a pleasure reading your descriptions and I'm glad you enjoy the trip! I'm an adventurous eater, LOL. Now that I know how much it all costs and how to do it all, I'm trying to think of when to go back. I loved my first hotel, the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, in part because they gave me a free iPhone, so I was connected at all times and had a local number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-masayume- 3,749 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Nice, I'm happy you had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abra 40,910 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 I'm an adventurous eater, LOL. Now that I know how much it all costs and how to do it all, I'm trying to think of when to go back. I loved my first hotel, the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, in part because they gave me a free iPhone, so I was connected at all times and had a local number. They borrowed it to you, right? Or did you actually get it? I'd like to go to Japan one day but it would have to be for atleast a couple of weeks and I can't afford that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 They borrowed it to you, right? Or did you actually get it? I'd like to go to Japan one day but it would have to be for atleast a couple of weeks and I can't afford that. They lent it to me. It was on the desk in the room, next to the regular phone. It was included in the price of the hotel, which was cheaper than hotels in New York or Paris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tousle 1,178 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 You went to Ginza? How were the women dressed there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocumentaLy 6,033 Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 You went to Ginza? How were the women dressed there? Very nicely. I got back to the US, I was shocked at how poorly the people dressed. In general, it made me think of how bad this country is. The broken things, the unsightly things, how things are always late. Just how generally inefficient the country is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
________________ 1,779 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 It's been a long, but very exciting, 16 days there, and nearly 3 weeks since I've really been active on here. During that time, I got to see two of my faves, Shiina Ringo and Sakanaction, on their 20th anniversary and best album tours, respectively. I went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji. Saw many things, ate many things (including shirako), and met some great people. It was as if all these years being online became reality. I saw things I had only seen in pictures. When I met my colleagues from The Japan Times, it was the first time I interacted with them in person. I went to gay bars in Tokyo and my Japanese music knowledge shocked the locals into letting me play DJ. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to go back soon! You can see it all here: https://www.instagram.com/ronald.t_sb/ When it comes to music, I did hear DA PUMP's "U.S.A." a lot. I also heard MISIA's "Ai no Katachi" and King & Prince's "Cinderella Girl" a number of times. I heard a number of Yonezu Kenshi songs. I went to this one gay bar in Tokyo two nights in a row, and each night they had karaoke, with 5 Kenshi songs each night. That bar had a lot of dad rock karaoke, like B'z, Mr.Children, and WANDS. That bar also played Tomomi Kahara's "I BELIEVE", which then led to a TK binge, because the patrons were shocked that I knew TK's songs. They were most shocked when I requested Mizuki Alisa's "TOO SHY SHY BOY." At another gay bar in Tokyo, I actually met an off duty Tomomi Kahara drag queen, which led to a drunken rendition of "I'm proud", and more TK songs, including globe's "DEPARTURES." When they found out I came to Japan to see Ringo and Sakanaction, they played some of their songs. That bar also played Spitz, Utada Hikaru, Chisato Moritaka, and Akina Nakamori. I met an off duty Akina drag queen at another bar. I went to Ginza Six, so I did hear Ringo and Tortoise Matsumoto's "Menukidori" a few times. I heard Shonentai's "ABC" during my last dinner. As far as KPop, there was a big ad campaign for BTS's new single in Osaka Station, but then it was taken down after the shirt scandal. I did see BLACKPINK on TV late at night a few times. I saw an EXO billboard over a travel agency about trips to Korea. I did end up in Shin-Okubo in Tokyo, and the area just looked a bit sad. As far as my concerts, Ringo's was my favorite. It was like a true show, which I know will piss some of the fandom off. There was a lot of Gucci, but no guitar playing by her. There were more dancers than usual, and she even danced some. It every much reminded of something Ayu should be doing at her age, rather than a woman who has her roots in punk would be doing, but you have to grow up, and Ringo has. After going to the concert, I do see how people can say they look like right wing rallies. Imagine 15,000 people in unison waving rising sun flags and chanting. I liked the Sakanaction concert a lot. Ichiro said there is going to be a new album maybe next year, but I'll believe that when I'm actually listening to it. And they did have a foreigner section. Some of them even knew Arama! I went to a one day festival consisting of Ame no Parade, Mukai Taichi, bonobos, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, and SPECIAL OTHERS ACOUSTIC. I went for the first two. Ame no Parade annoyed me by doing an acoustic set and not doing their biggest song, "stage." I really liked Taichi's performance. He got the biggest response of the whole event. He was great vocally. And his movements on stage were very sensual. And I did end up going to Nakano Broadway and buying a bunch of Tahara Toshihiko photobooks, including a Tanokin Trio one. One of the best recent mainstream idol songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM5CORXOJro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partaymaker 530 Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Welcome back! Sounded like an awesome experience! ... I heard Shonentai's "ABC" during my last dinner. ..... .... I went to a one day festival consisting of Ame no Parade, Mukai Taichi, bonobos, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, and SPECIAL OTHERS ACOUSTIC. I went for the first two. Ame no Parade annoyed me by doing an acoustic set and not doing their biggest song, "stage." I really liked Taichi's performance. He got the biggest response of the whole event. He was great vocally. And his movements on stage were very sensual. .... "ABC" is eternal! Yes! Go, Taichi! Ugh Sakanaction. Give us something. We're starving </3 Very nicely. I got back to the US, I was shocked at how poorly the people dressed. In general, it made me think of how bad this country is. The broken things, the unsightly things, how things are always late. Just how generally inefficient the country is. My friend said the same thing when she came from Japan. She said everyone dressed up no matter the occasion. No pajama pants or yoga pants in sight lmao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gudetama 1,463 Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Very nicely. I got back to the US, I was shocked at how poorly the people dressed. In general, it made me think of how bad this country is. The broken things, the unsightly things, how things are always late. Just how generally inefficient the country is. Having all the trains and buses run on time is like paradise compared to here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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