Old school Cinema at the Kabuki-za

The Kabuki-za of Ginza

Let me start off by saying I'm not a big fan of the Ginza shopping district. It reminds me way too much of Orange County or Beverly Hills in terms of yuppiness, and I generally steered clear of the area unless I felt a little homesick. One positive thing about Ginza is its rich history as a major trade center dating back to the 1800s. Culturally, the area has a lot going for it too, and the Kabuki-za theater definitely gives Asakusa some competition in the entertainment department. I stopped by to catch a "Makumi", which means one act from full program that usually consists of three acts. Viewing a full show can take up almost the whole day (5-6 hours), but a nice makumi matinee can have you in and out in under two hours.

I was fortunate enough to see the story of Sakamoto Ryoma, a revolutionary of his time who helped bring the fall to the Tokugawa shogunate, and moved Japan toward the Meiji restoration era. Basically, he's kind of like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 2, without an annoying black sidekick or protruding nose hair.

You get to see intricate costumes, cascading mobile wooden scenery, and rotating floors that add to the depth of the theater. The acting was serious when it needed to be, yet threw in bits of comedy and a little cross-dressing humor that kept me entertained. The audience couldn't hide their sadness for Ryoma, and the ones who sat with me were crying after his tragic assassination. I found it simply adorable, and yes, I am a terrible person. The passion the audience had for the story made the price of admission a bargain. You can even rent an English language headset for a few hundred yen (with deposit) to add to the experience.

Getting there REALLY early is recommended to avoid the crowds.

We take our seats and I catch a shot of the stage before the act begins. Photos aren't allowed inside the theater.

The cast of the Za, with Somegoro starring as Sakamoto Ryoma

The line for the 1st program of the day. It actually wraps around the building just to purchase tickets for the show.

Tsukiji Fish Market

Um...yeah, can I...uh...get the steak?

There is a place in Tokyo where eating fresh sushi for breakfast is totally normal. A place where jet-lagged tourists can wander back-alleys at 4am and not get stabbed in the gut. A delicious, glorious place that is found by following your nose like Robert Downey Jr to a coke dealer. Some people might call a place like this Heaven, but with some detective work, I discovered the locals refer to it as Tsukiji: the largest wholesale fish market in Nippon.

I never really tried sushi this early in the morning before visiting the market, but I'm so glad I did. Watching a truck drive up to deliver their morning inventory of fish to the restaurant; while the chef quickly goes to work preparing your meal with said fish is really something to behold. I quickly found myself questioning the situation; then realizing this probably only happens in a few places in the world. This is also possible in a video game called Cooking Mama, but I digress.

Tourists gather around at 5am before the auctions begin.

Cheerful fishermen sing and whistle while they maintain some pretty expensive tank equipment.

One of the many sushi restaurants you will find in Tsukiji. I was ushered in after I saw the truck pull up around back with fresh fish.

The chef prepares my sushi (on the right), while the noisy crew continues to prep the fish. My plate was the tuna assortment platter. (from left to right): Fatty tuna, tuna, minced tuna, spicy tuna rolls, boiled tuna, seared tuna, and a glass of green tea. I was honored that the chef waited for my opinion after I finished eating, so I gave him a good, solid "sugoi!", followed by an "oishii desu", and finally a hearty "gochisusama" (meaning: Amazing, it's delicious, thanks for the meal). He then bowed deeply as I left, and I'm pretty sure we both shed a tear simultaneously.

Where's my fucking steak?

ZOMG!! Gimmi Teh Fishez!! I R GUNNAH GIT HIMZ!!!

A View to a Kill

The Tokyo Tower and it's reflection off of one of the four marble stabilizers.

Without shame, they built an exact replica of the hideous Eiffel Tower of Paris. One of the biggest draws in Tokyo being the Tokyo Tower; an analog TV broadcast tower that has been shouldering the burden since 1958. The new Tokyo Tower is currently being built in Odaiba for thier 2011 digital deadline (yes, we have them beat in TV tech with our 2009 date), and is both original and attractive in design. I think it's safe to say the towers days are numbered, and it's also safe to say there is a high probability of it transforming into a Gundam and just flying off.

I cannot dispute the view; however. It was amazing to see how much the horizon of Tokyo has changed in exactly 50 years (1958-2008). I took an entire panorama of the city and could even see as far as Yokohama. Some say that Mt. Fuji-san is even viewable on clear days; quite an unbelievable claim. The fee for observation is typically Japanese, as they fucking love to charge for anything that is "in the spirit of the moment". They DID take the time to create supa kawaii mascots for the tower named the Noppon brothers, complete with their very own back stories which are clearly awesome. The older brother appears to have a wily smirk on his face, which means he is obviously "up to no good" and could potentially be a badass due to his love of 80's style shades. They also like to befriend young children, and that is completely normal.

The Noppon Brothers
Date of Birth	December 23, 1998 (40th Anniversary of Tokyo Tower's Inauguration Day)
Age	10 years (male twins)
Height	2 m 23 cm
Character	Older brother (wearing blue overalls), a shy boy, cool and silent Younger brother (wearing red overalls), cheerful and lively, but often he feels lonely and misses people
Hobby	Meeting people, sunbathing
Special Ability	Posing for photos, parrying questions, and shaking hands
Wish	Being liked by children, and receiving a lot of chocolate bars from kids on St. Valentine's day
Goal	To become top stars
Favorite Spot	Near the main entrance to Tokyo Tower and around the roof garden of the Foot Town
Motto	Older brother: "Look at things with a hot heart with the cool touch" Younger brother: "Start with small things and keep going on steady"

Killer views of Roppongi and beyond...

Odaiba and Tokyo Harbor. The Rainbow Bridge is visible here.

Shibuya is off in the distance with Roppongi Hills.

Observing the observers from the main deck.

J-firemen holding an awareness event at the base of the tower.

I decided to walk down the tower by stairs (stupid). Behold, the guts of the structure.

The epic battle to reach the bottom of the tower.

Yabusame - Japanese Horseback Archery

A samurai archer moments before he fires his arrow

Kamakura is a town about an hour Southwest of Tokyo that holds the biggest Yabusame (horse archery) tournament in Japan. I was lucky enough to catch this event in September as part of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shuki Reitaisai Festival which lasts 4 days but has archery on the 16th. The rules are simple: Run your trusty steed down a narrow path and strike 3 wooden targets all in succession while keeping full speed. I dunno, there is just something about a Samurai who uses a bow instead of a sword that just never gets old; and the echo of broken wooden targets has everyone going "eeeeehhhhhh?" The traditional period clothing and the Shinto shrine setting only adds to the charm. If you can't make it here, Nikko has a large event in May.

For a place to stay while in Kamakura, check out these local hotels.

Kamakura holds the most well-known Yabusame event

The horses and their masters prepare for the show. The white one looks a little depressed.

Great imagery or lousy photography? You decide!

Charging at full speed while yelling something epic in Japanese. He later died.

The majestic beasts emerge, for a winner hath been declared

The Reitaisai Festival is actually a long 4 day event with many great ceremonies. But for me, if it's not horse archery, it's fail.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows Vs Hiroshima Carp

Meiji Jingu Stadium

One of the best experiences a foreigner can get in Japan is that of a good old fashioned American baseball game. The strange part is that the actual game of baseball is irrelevant. Knowing this, I headed out to Meiji Jingu Stadium, which is located in the Ginza district of Tokyo, home to one of the worst teams in J-ball, the Yakult Swallows. Don't get me wrong, they have a cute mascot who can break dance, but when it comes to anything non-mascot related, they suck.

Sucking is a good thing for us foreigners because it means a much cheaper ticket price then going to watch, say, the Giants or the Seibu Lions. I was able to get in line and somehow order a cheap seat in the cheering section for the Swallows for about $15 USD. After realizing the Japanese characters on my ticket wouldn't change into English no matter how hard I stared at them, I knew I was pretty much fucked. I managed to flag down one of the stadium ushers who awkwardly showed me to my seat.

I made a crack at the cute ticket lady to drive me personally around the stadium, and while she laughed, she got her revenge by placing me in the middle of the Hiroshima Carp's cheering section! I ended up getting a few beers and joined forces with the Carp and yelled "Konoyaro" (you bastard) at the umpire for bad calls against them. After awhile, every stupid broken Japanese phrase I would yell was approved by the fellow Carp fans and even one guy sitting next to me said, "I knew you were one of us!". Another interesting thing I noticed were the personalized chants for each individual player. Some had some pretty standard ones while others were very intricate and recognizable. The chanting was fun for the first few innings, but became annoying after hearing them so often (perhaps the point?).

In the end it was tons of fun and the level of passion for the game is much greater than it is here in the US. Yelling broken obscenities at foreigners in their own country has never been this amusing. I think I might have had sex with one of the hotdog girls too, I'm not sure, possibly not. But that's just how awesome it can be to sneak into events that aren't meant for tourists. Whether you love/hate baseball, put this up there on your list of things to do in Japan. NOW.

The kawaii mascot of the Swallows getting all crunk on us

Hiroshima drives in 4 runs

The chants of "banzai" are said 3 times after every run scores

Kanpai!

Random unpopular J-pop group. Everyone was asking "Dare desuka?" (who's that?). They all died horribly after the show.

Sadly many guys were wearing the pink.

No hotdogs here, just udon (soup) and yakitori (chicken or beef on a stick). um, PASS.