Battle of Roppongi Hills

Wow, so much has gone down since my last entry that I don’t even know where to begin! I guess I’ll begin with where I left off in my last entry!

So, The Kap’n came out to Tokyo for a visit. This really represented a turning point in my experience here, because showing him around was my first experience with trying to be really self reliant in this country. I pulled it off quite well indeed, if I do say so myself. My ability to speak Japanese is still no where near conversational, but it does seem to be adequate for survival. I can order food (not so easy, being vegetarian in this country), get directions, shop, ride the subway (also quite complex), etc.

What did we do with my amazing travel guide skills? Mostly we hung out in bars every night until the sun came up. Good times! We did also manage to squeeze in a visit to Meiji Jingu, which is a fabulous Shinto shrine dedicated to the 19th century emperor Meiji, who is considered the father of the modern era of Japan (and unfairly villainized in the movie The Last Samurai). We also strolled the grounds of the Imperial Palace (where the current emperor lives), which I must admit was more than a little underwhelming. It seems that the best - and presumably only interesting - part is closed off this time of year. We tried to go to the top of the Tokyo Government Building, which has an observation deck with a supposedly spectacular view. I asked how we could get to the top and I was told that it’s not possible. Huh? Oh, closed. When is it possible? Huh? What’s that word? Suiyobi… that sounds familiar… hmm. 10 minutes later - oh … WEDNESDAY! They’re closed on Wednesdays… of course! Sheesh. Anyway, no matter, because we also went to a museum in Roppongi, followed by a trip to the top of Roppongi Hill (see picture), which is another incredibly tall building with an observation deck and a stunning view. We were also pleased to discover a great modern art museum and a really swank bar at the top. More good times! We finished up by hitting the main strip in Roppongi. Let me just say that if you ever visit Tokyo, don’t go to see the nightlife in Roppongi. Holy geez, what a jarringly unpleasant experience compared to the rest of the city. FYI, it’s considered a ’gaijin’ district. That is, it is filled with foreigners, hence being the only part of town filled with rude, pushy, obnoxious, dirt bags, and signs that say “beware of pickpockets”!

At this point, I have to share a really unusual phenomenon. Japanese people are generally very courteous and polite and mild mannered. Apparently there is a need for pushy con-artists that cannot be fulfilled by their culture. Thus, African migrant workers to the rescue! In any of the areas of ultra-heavy foot traffic there are African immigrants posted at various corners and doorways that randomly engage passersby and try to solicit them. The solicitation varies depending on the neighborhood, but generally ranges from going to some particular strip club, to getting a “massage”, to “hey, come with me if you like to have a good time” (I don’t know if this is for prostitutes for drugs, or just to go get robbed in an alley). My understanding is that these migrant workers are actually more like indentured servants, employed either by more successful African or Russian “businessmen”. They are annoying, but generally tolerable in most of the places I’ve been. But, in Roppongi it was a nightmare. We were literally accosted by about six different guys in the span of about ½ block. And, each one of them was determined not to take “no” for an answer (even though they seemed equally determined to make the question totally unclear).

Anyway, the bulk of our adventures took place in the wide selection of small bars that populate my neighborhood. But, I’ll save that for my next installment!

In the mean time, I had a special request to discuss any experiences I may have had with “eastern style” toilets. Okay, so for those of you that don’t know, these are basically a hole in the floor. They are a minority, but not totally uncommon in public restrooms. I really don’t understand the concept at all. They essentially require the user to squat down, but they don’t provide any hand rails or anything. In theory they are supposed to be more sanitary, because the user doesn’t actually make contact with the commode. But that theory fails in practice because a.) there are aim issues that make the surrounding floor less sanitary; and b.) the hover technique has been providing a no contact solution in the western world for thousands of years (that’s an estimate). Anyway, I personally have not had any experience with these, aside from seeing them in some public restrooms. While I’m on the subject, however, I’ll add that the western style toilets here are actually more clever than those in America. First, the handle flushes both directions - one way is “big”, and the other is “small”, thus enabling water economy where possible. The second difference is that when flushed, the water that fills the tank actually pours first from a faucet, into a small sink, and then into the tank via the drain in the sink. The value of this is that the user can wash their hands with the water that is used to fill the tank. Unfortunately, this too fails in practice, because it has never occurred to the Japanese to place a soap dispenser/dish or towel rack anywhere near this little sink. Instead those things are placed next to the “real” sink, which is usually just outside the room that the toilet is in (the toilet has its own room, as opposed to the multi-purpose “bathrooms” we’re used to).

I hope that answers your question Ambular.

Anyway, I have a LOT more to write about, and only three weeks left in my trip. So, I’m quite sure I’ll be a much busier blogger over the next few weeks. I hope I still have a few readers left to look forward to the next exciting installment, when I wrap up the details of my week long fiesta with The Kap’n.