Japan Day 3.2: Tokyo

This was yet another day where I forgot to plan the rest of my night. I had booked the Robot Restaurant for dinner and show that morning as I wandered outside the Imperial Palace. The problem I ran into is even after resting back at my hotel, I still had about 3 or 4 hours to kill before the show started.

I had plowed my way through most of what I wanted to do for the whole day that morning. My big idea was to go on a bit of a journey in the Shinjuku area and look around!

It was an excellent night, and I wish I had spent more time there!

Ah, Symmetry

This is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It is very tall, pleasing to the eye, and a good place to take some skyline pictures.

Play It Again, Sam

I ended up spending a lot more time here than I expected because there was a piano in the observation deck. People were lining up to play it, so I listened to the music and watched the city move below me.

Hello Neighbours!

There are actually two observation decks, and I found it funny to take a picture of the opposite one. It was so cloudy you couldn’t see Mt. Fuji, so I settled for this mundane picture only I may find entertaining.

Hungry and Resisting Food

I made the mild mistake of ordering food from the Robot Restaurant. While the food ended up being tasty, I had so much time to kill it would have been nice to sit down to an early dinner and have a drink. I would have gladly wandered down an alley like this one looking for something delicious.

Godzilla!

I came down to this area to scope out where my evening’s festivites would be. Turns out there were a ton of shops and interesting things to peruse. Namely, the enormous Godzilla head that I went up to visit.

Drums and Music

The show can only be described as ‘wild’. I honestly don’t know what the story was, and I don’t think it would make much more sense if it were in English. This one was a drum battle, so that was fun!

Froggy Sword Lady

In this tableau we see a lady in a frog costume drawing her sword against a unseen monster. In this case, it’s safe to assume it’s some sort of robot man.

Ride the Frog

She’s now riding a giant frog, which is the idea battle vehicle. I’m pretty sure she’s winning though, she looks super pleased about her situation.

Dragon Battle

In this one, I think it was a pair of dragons that were fighting each other. This was the hero of the story, and she too wields a big sword.

Death By Teeth

She got ate. There’s not much more to it, but the bad lady lost and that’s all we could ever hope for as the audience.

Enter Robot Man

We now came to the climax of the show, where humans rebel against their robot overlords. Or at least I think that’s what happened. It was all very confusing and there were lasers everywhere.

Confusion is a Good Thing

What I should mention, is that the confusion really adds to the experience. Not even a joke. I was so confused that I just had to accept the odd scenes playing out in front of me and enjoy them for what they are. Fun!

The Big Finale

Of course the big finale had fish people dancing while they waved flags from all over the world. Clearly it’s all connected!

Visiting My Good Pal Godzilla

Getting a selfie with Godzilla from the public viewing area was nigh impossible. So I came back at night to get a good shot of the lights down below. Shinjuku felt like the inspiration for Blade Runner.

Golden Gai

Since the night was still young and I had some energy to burn, I went for a walk over to the Golden Gai. It’s a series of tiny local bars that as I understand it is generally reserved for the locals.

Still Just a Tourist

While it was intended for locals, it seems that tourists have started to flock here for drinks. While I would have liked to go in, I didn’t want to contribute to the tourist traffic in the area any more than I had to. So I pressed on, content to take pictures.

Contrasting Looks

I loved how the orange lights contrasted against the grey tones of the alley. I found the high amounts of detail in this wide shot absolutely fascinating.

Come A Little Closer

While I loved the wide shot, I personally wanted a closer look at the orange lanterns. I suspect you do too, so here you are!

Walk Crosswalk Photography

This was a picture I forgot I had taken because I took it quickly as I walked over a crosswalk. I remember liking how the lights on the trees blended into the shop signage lining the trees. Since I took it while walking, it’s a bit blurry from the motion, but remains one of my favorites.