Tokyo 2016

Last week I took a much needed vacation to Tokyo. It was to get away from work, from Yamaguchi, from everything, for a short while. As with almost all vacations it was all too brief; I was there for only 3 full days and could have easily stayed another two weeks if I didn't have this nastiness called work that needs to be done.

I met a friend up there, a fellow author, and he showed me a nice section of Tokyo called Jimbocho that is famous for its bookstores. I found a place that sold a lot of American comics in English. I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I spent some money on mostly Image comic but also picked up a trade paperback of Frank Miller and Jim Lee's All Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder. I had heard good things about it and I love Lee's art.

I also spent time in Akihabara, meeting in person for the first time a fellow I had only chatted with online. We had fun geeking out and I bought a She-Hulk figure, much to my wife's dismay.

The highlight of my trip was spending the day in Odaiba. Although I had been there many times before, this was the first that I got to view the life-size Gundam and go into Fuji TV. Sadly, the tour section of Fuji TV was closed. The view from the spherical observation deck is fantastic. I never get tired of taking pictures of Odaiba.

I'm not a Gundam fan but it was a thrill seeing it. The thing is huge! The picture doesn't do it justice. The ankle joint itself comes to my head. It turns its head (and in the summer I think shoots out a mist of water). The projection mapping at night was a neat show. I really enjoyed it.

As always, my time in Tokyo was too short and I can't wait to go back.

I'd Live In Tokyo

If money & jobs weren’t a factor, what one place in the world would you live?That is easy.

Tokyo.

All my life I’ve lived in small towns. Cody, Wyoming had a population of about 8,000 people and West Blocton, Alabama has about 1,500. Iwakuni in Japan is the largest city I’ve ever lived in and it is small by Japanese standards. As I tell people, when it comes to living in Iwakuni, it has everything you need, not necessarily everything you want.

I love Tokyo. I have visited many times, although the longest I’ve stayed is three days. I’d love to spend an entire week there. It has everything and most of it is in easy reach. The public transportation is really convenient  Even the crowds don’t bother me very much, although it does some other people. I remember the first time I went there with Yoko. We arrived in Tokyo Station about 11pm. The place was dead, almost empty. Yoko said she was surprised so many people were there. Totally different impressions. That’s my country girl, lol.

There are major events going on all the time. Many lesser-known singers and artists have shows only in Tokyo. My favorite group, Morning Musume, always have concerts and handshake events in Tokyo, and I know I’d spend a lot of money going to them.

Don’t forget the import food stores, either. With probably the largest concentration of expats in Japan, I’m sure I could find restaurants and stores to satisfy my palette. There’s an Outback Steakhouse in Shibuya!

When I go to Tokyo, I almost always stay at the same hotel: Asia Center Of Japan. It’s a hotel that caters to foreigners. It is cheap, convenient, and located in the quiet district of Akasaka. I love it. It’s only a few stops from Shibuya, which is a major hub for changing to other train lines. I can travel to Shinjuku, Akihabara, and Ginza without too much trouble. Not to mention the trains run about every two - five minutes. Some trains here in Yamaguchi prefecture run every two hours.

Despite how many times I have been to Tokyo, there is still so much I haven’t seen. I’d love to go to the Fuji Television building in Odaiba, Tokyo Sky Tree, and many other places. It’s so full of interesting architecture and landscapes, like the Tsutaya in Daikanyama and the metropolitan building in Shinjuku, that I wish I was a photographer. So many interesting places. I could probably do photo blog posts for a year.

Without a doubt, my favorite place is Akihabara. But it also one of the noisiest places in Tokyo. Almost every electronics shop has a salesperson with a microphone hawking their discounts. There are the anime stores, discount shops, and my favorite: maid cafes.

There you have it. My dream city. As always, thanks for reading.