It was getting dark and I was still a long way away from home (in this case, home was my hotel back in Shinjuku). I decided to have dinner in this town before heading back.
This alley in Takahatafudo is lined with bars and eateries.
Tiny bars such as these were pretty common. It was so cramped and small that there was only standing room available to customers!
Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant. I had a ladies’ set meal that was supposed to include strawberries. But what I got was just kiwi.
Yummy breaded prawn and chicken.
My miso soup had shells in it that resembled tiny clams. They aren’t clams, are they? Anyone knows what they are?
Then, it was another long trip back to Shinjuku where I had drinks with Beni at hub, a popular chain of English pubs in Japan. Life is good!
This also marks the end of my two-day solo travel in Japan. Over the two days, I realised that Japanese are not as shy as we make them out to be. I lost count of the number of Japanese men who tried to chat me up on the streets; there were at least 5 a day. For such a polite people, they sure are outspoken!
The sleaziest of the lot:
- In Shibuya: An elderly man walked right past and whispered “kawaiiiiiiiiii” in a low and creepy voice. It spooked me for about half the day.
- In Shinjuku: A fella named “takashi” (who’s half Turkish, half Japanese) openly asked if I would sleep with him. The nerve!
- In Ueno: A nerdy-looking Japanese dude opened with “can I eat?” I asked, huh? After much difficulty finding the right words, he asked again “can I eat with you?” (I was so glad he didn’t say something else!) Then he proceeded to tell me (with much difficulty) that he came from England and could speak English. Ha!
Okay, according to my friend Beni, there was the possibility that they were really trying to recruit me into their porn business. Whatever!
Aug 28, 2007
16
i want to gooooo! i want to go i want to go i want to go!! and i want to live in the hello kitty house and have the hello kitty car!!!!!!!!
btw. that cat picture u did, it’s charmy kitty. she is hello kitty’s pet cat… hahahaha…
Aug 28, 2007
27
Wow wow wow!!! I want to go to Sanrioland too!! Haha.
Great pictures btw! :D
Aug 28, 2007
8
hey, i happened to chance upon your blog. :)
i think your blog is really informative and interesting! keep blogging! =)
Aug 28, 2007
29
Oh my goodness! Seeing all these makes me really tempted to visit Japan! How much did you spend?? :)
Aug 28, 2007
11
hello hello kitty!!so cute!!aH!!!!!kill me!!i want them alll!!!ah!!
so like my cute kiki..too bad she not white…
i want all the hello kitty!how do you feel when eating the hello kitty meal?so cute and yummy!!
the camera is so cute too!!japan really a colourful world!!
Aug 28, 2007
80
I’m a guy, and I absolutely love the cute Hello Kitties!
But then again, this coming from somebody with a life-sized Pikachu in his own room…
I’m really glad that you went to Japan; It’ll be quite some time before I can afford to fly over there!
Aug 28, 2007
1
i love hello kitty too!!! those merchandise are so cute!
Aug 29, 2007
3472
Daphne Maia: lol Hello Kitty has a pet that’s also a kitty? That’s too cute!
Jasmine: I wanna live there!
sandy: Thanks for the encouragement!
Jacelyn: Quite a few grands. Japan sure is an expensive place to stay in!
wenniee: The meal looked cute and pretty, but it didn’t taste as good as it looked! It still made me happy anyway.
pkchukiss: Wow! This is the first time I’ve ever heard a guy confess that he loves Hello Kitty! *claps* I have a larger-than-life-sized Mashimaro in my room too!
Goh: Too cute!
Aug 29, 2007
44
oh dear …
i’m so overwhelmed by all the cuteness, it’s making me dizzy …
nonetheless, as mentioned in your earlier post,
japan sure has full of colours and surprises!
i wonder what’s your next post gonna be about …
can’t wait!
Aug 29, 2007
12
It sure seems like fun heading out on your own. I have been doing that for almost all my holidays and each one brings new experiences. Read your blog on your solo trip to Bangkok and I am glad that you enjoyed it. I will be flying there this Saturday to stay there for 9D8N. Looking forward to exploring more places including the outlying provinces as it will be my 3rd trip there each getting longer in duration haha
Aug 29, 2007
4
Harlow Veron!!!
I am looking forward to your update on your trip to Japan EVERYDAY!!!
SanrioTown!!! This is one place I wanna go if I get to visit Japan again.
Will be waiting patiently for your update on Day 7 :P.
Aug 29, 2007
29
Wow…Da Niu still in your room….I thought u would have throw it away
Aug 29, 2007
1
I really want to go to Sanrio Puroland now… and I want that camera too! But the best part of your day has to be the creeps. Wacky Japs. Muahahahahaha.
Aug 29, 2007
3472
Jayson: My next post would be less of cuteness, more of sights. Nonetheless, it would reaffirm the fact that Japan is a place full of colours and surprises!
Dennis: Glad to know you’re a fan of Thailand too! Hope you get to visit all the obscure and less known places.
Shire: Wow!!! Day 7 is coming right up!
neo: I can’t bear to dump him! He’s too cute!
Strawberry Milk Mama: lol it’s great that you had a good laugh!
Aug 29, 2007
20
Wow, good thing I missed Sanrio Puroland! Just kidding, my gf would have loved it. We went to a small store in Shinjuku.
I’m addicted to your blog and look forward to your postings! I think there were a few days where you didn’t blog and I was going through a withdrawal. :)
Aug 29, 2007
27
Enough kawaiiness to last a lifetime :P
Porn business? Did I really say that? Either my sense of humor, or my memory is going to the dogs…
Aug 29, 2007
3472
Ken: Yeah dude, your gf would have loved it! Actually, any girl would have loved it. I wasn’t even a Hello Kitty fan before, but after visiting Japan I was a total convert! That cat has a strange hold on ya. I ended up buying a lot of kitty merchandise back to Singapore!
Beni: Dude you said it! I totally remember lol!
Aug 31, 2007
4
Love your post! chanced upon it by accident. looking forward to your daily updates!
been to japan couple of time, love it totally. why not travel to Hokkaido next on a self drive tour? the scenery there is awsome!
Aug 31, 2007
3472
Yes! Hokkaido is definitely one of the destinations I’m looking forward to. It seems very different from Tokyo and Kyoto!
Aug 31, 2007
14
omg your pictures are so fantastic. I cant take my eyes off the kitties. Being a kitty fan….your pictures really very very well taken!!! Can I use them as wallpapers for my desktop?