Andrew Currie Online

(My one and only issue with not traveling alone is that I’ve less free time to post to this site from the road. So kindly allow me to fill you in on some more notable details and pics from my recent Tokyo trip…)

Being the second Monday of the first month of the year, January 9th marked Seijin no hi or “Coming of Age Day” for all of Japan, and to celebrate I took LinLyn to Sensoji to see the throngs of kimono-clad girls. And we weren’t disappointed—these three were posing for photos right outside the Asakusa subway station.

To get to the temple we first had to pass through Kaminarimon or “Thunder Gate”, then make it to the other end of this busy souvenir shopping arcade. Yeah, we bought a thing or two along the way…

Here’s me making like a local while LinLyn looks on in disdain. The deal is you buy some incense in front of the temple, light it then add it to a huge smoldering urn and let the smoke waft over you for good luck. And good luck is what that backwards swastika stands for in Japan, even after Nazi misappropriation.

After taking in the good luck fumes we joined the throngs entering the temple and found out that all the hubbub was solely for throwing change through the grates of a giant donation box. Some people couldn’t wait until they got to the front of the crowd and tossed the contents of their pockets over the heads of those in front of them.

Escape from the flying shrapnel was difficult with another big crowd boxing us in from behind. It wasn’t really an issue, though—lots of people ducked, but nobody seemed to get hit.

Just as popular as the young ladies in kimonos were these corn-eating kids. Their mother was having a good laugh while everyone stopped for a photo, including yours truly—hey, when in Rome… And all the while the kids kept at their cobs like old pros.

My buddy Sean and I had discovered during our 2003 visit that Ginza-dori Avenue was closed to vehicular traffic on special occasions. I took LinLyn to check it out, and found the Ginza Apple Store, where I posted my holiday hello.

(My one and only issue with not traveling alone is that I’ve less free time to post to this site from the road. So kindly allow me to fill you in on some more notable details and pics from my recent Tokyo trip…)

Day three in Tokyo brought the first real subway ride of our trip. LinLyn picked the best spot to be seen…

… While I second-guessed each step of our route. You try navigating a system with no transfers and few English signs!

Fortunately we reached Tokyo Big Sight without incident. The city’s convention centre is located on Odaiba, a tract of reclaimed land in the middle of Tokyo Bay.

I brought LinLyn there to wander through the aisles of a big annual antique jamboree. But an hour later I had seen everything and she was still looking, so I wandered upstairs to check up on my blog via this handy, coin-operated public computer.

As previously stated, I did not bring LinLyn to Japan to propose to her, but I did fall in love all over again—with this Japan-only bB, on display at the Toyota theme park just down the road.

There are no less than three shopping malls on Odaiba; last time I was at Decks they had, er—“decked” out the top level as a recreation of pre-WWII Japan. This time the top floor was all done up like Hong Kong, a strange coincidence considering my buddy Kevin was vacationing there with his wife that very same week…

LinLyn and I resisted the urge for Chinese food, and instead chose a Japanese restaurant with this commanding view of Rainbow Bridge.

(My one and only issue with not traveling alone is that I’ve less free time to post to this site from the road. So kindly allow me to fill you in on some more notable details and pics from my recent Tokyo trip…)

On our second full day in Tokyo I made the executive decision that LinLyn and I should nix the hotel breakfast and eat on the road. Of course I had something in mind, specifically the Denny’s in Harajuku. Sean and I had dined there three years ago, so I figured it’d be easy to find. Only after searching for almost an hour on empty stomachs did we find out it had moved down the block.

Once we found it and had eaten we were ready for another of Tokyo’s big attractions—the Harajuku Kiddyland. Visiting the store’s five floors is like riding the central nervous system of Japan’s popular culture. Here’s what we found:

These “root men” are manufactured by Takara toys. If you can find anything specific about them on the company site please let me know!

I still can’t conclusively say whether these are toy versions of Japanese raccoons, foxes or bears. But they sure are cute…

Stuffed bears as furniture and appliances..? All completely possible, thanks to the good folks at Wanroom.

After Kiddyland we weaved our way through the Saturday crowds on Takeshita Street. This bustling walkway is where many a fashion trend is born, but I didn’t see as many western photographers there to document it as I have in the past.

Having about a half-hour of sunlight left we joined more crowds pouring into the grounds of the Meiji Jingu shrine.

I had thought that Seijin no hi was only a one-day affair, but there were already young ladies in kimonos walking the grounds, which were also dressed up for the occasion.

Did I mention how fricking cold it was during our stay in Tokyo? Northern Japan was under many feet of snow; I was merely freezing my ass off…

But soon enough after a short subway ride we were being warmed by the neon lights of Shinjuku, inspiration for the look of Blade Runner if ya didn’t already know. Of course, I don’t remember seeing the sign for Yodobashi Camera in the movie…

And somewhere in the maze of alleys we found a basement-level restaurant that served up this yummy prime rib, with a mountain of horse radish on top just the ways I likes it!