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Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012 - 21:34 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Tokyo Drifting


16 Nov 2012



My last night at the Kenshu Center hostel [1] was spent commiserating with the soon-to-be-abandoned bottles and cans that had done so much for me [2] (I did save one), and then it was time to move out. Wheeling my luggage behind me to the conference center one last time while taking in the sights [3], I dumped it in a 100-yen locker and awaited the bus for the official Technical Tour, which had attracted a meaningful 42 participants.

It's not everyday that one gets to visit the University of Tsukuba and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST, which does bear some similarities to an outfit back home obtained by swapping the I out for an AR) in a day, and the first stop was the supercomputer center (one can't help but recognize the katakana for "Senta~" on sight after long exposure) at UT.

Apparently, they once had the honour of owning the world's fastest machine back in 1996 [4], a Hitachi CP-PACS/2048 going at 368.2 Gflop/s (to give a point of reference, a decent desktop circa 2011 achieves around 50 Gflop/s, and today's champion, a Cray with half a million cores, is about 30000 times the speed of the Hitachi)

[N.B. More on this, my current mid-range graphics card supposedly does over 900 Gflop/s in theory, though they are of course not quite general-purpose, but this only goes further to show that yesterday's behemoth is tomorrow's pocket calculator]

Some other prize projects were showcased too, such as Xcalable MP, which automatically generates parallel code and appears to be mostly OpenMP for distributed memory systems (and so a sort-of MapReduce generator?). Then there's Tightly Coupled Accelerators, to reduce latency between GPUs via direct PCI-express links, and a Global Distributed Filesystem (gfarm; see abstract and paper using Hadoop, though to be honest the first thing I thought of when I read the description was the Internet and Akamai)

We were let loose in the supercompter room [5], and then got to retrieve our shoes before being split into three groups for rotating visits to three labs. I first set foot in their Computer Vision Laboratory, home of the famous (justified by my recognizing it despite not quite being in the field) stereo/depth-map head-and-lamp dataset [6] (and now also the winner of the HEp-2 contest), which they have updated to a full 3D scene. Got handed a paper on subspace methods, again related to PCA, but will take some comprehension.

Next up was the Computer Vision and Image Media Laboratory, where we witnessed a live demonstration of how to manipulate camera angles on a soccer pitch with tagged flags [7] (a satisfying real-life implementation would probably require a lot of cameras, plus some restriction on viewing angles), and a presentation on sensing emotions through microexpressions and other cues.

Last but not least was the Computational Intelligence & Multimedia Laboratory, where the quadcopter made a reappearance, together with a quick superresolution algorithm (well, who doesn't like to play with quadcopters?), as a disaster management tool. Apparently, they can be built with off-the-shelf parts for less than a thousand bucks.



Lunch was very kindly provided, and then it was on to AIST. The first demonstration included an extremely detailed 3D reconstruction of the floor we were on, with tracking by smartphone signal, represented by a cloud-of-points hypothesis.

Then came Songle (demo song), which analyses the structure, chords, melody line and beats of songs, and also VocaWatcher and VocaListener, used in unison to simulate singing by robot. The uncanny valley hasn't quite been escaped, but the year-and-a-half toddler with us took it quite well. We then closed off with ArrayMark, a custom AR marker that offers better head-on stability, and some grid-based active stereo [8].

Final drop-off was at the Science Square Tsukuba, perhaps geared towards a slightly younger audience, where there was a voice-activated robot demo, as well as several Paro therapeutic baby seals (supposedly, seals were chosen since few would have come into contact with live examples, and would thus not be able to judge their realness, unlike say kittens)

My duties dispensed with, I had some personal business to settle. Without changing, I made full use of the complimentary round-trip tickets to Akihabara, thence on to Suidobashi, right outside the Tokyo Dome City, which had queues outside, even at this hour, for the rides (and which, for some reason, looped Christmassy English tunes). It was not my destination, though, and I inquired at the information office for the legendary (at least to fans of Ippo, anyhow) Korakuen Hall.

It turned out to be on the fifth floor of a side building, and slightly smaller than anticipated, with the corridor outside the hall proper packed with vendors selling memorabilia for the boxing event for the evening. Thinking back, I probably could have mixed in and watched it for free, but went back to picking up tickets for tomorrow at a not-straightforward-to-find side office, just in time as there were only a few dozen seats left in the price range.


The reach of hams extends long indeed


Task accomplished, it was dinner and back to Tsukuba to check-in with the Hotel New Takahashi Takezono, which was actually my first choice for the conference before vacancies were snapped up, being only very slightly more dear than the Kenshu Center. It was quite excellent, with carpeted floor, ensuite washroom, adjustable heater and in-room wifi - just that the hot water didn't work. Can't have it all.

Caught up on my SimCity Social, and also got wind of a long WhatsApp conversation about an interesting problem, which may yet make an appearance here.


17 Nov 2012



What better way to kick off a vacation than to climb a mountain? Mount Tsukuba was invitingly just a short bus-trip away from the city proper. I had planned to down a couple of cans of coffee, beat it straight up the Miyukigahara Course running roughly parallel to the cable car track (estimated completion in 90 minutes [1]), and be done in time for lunch. I mean, it's just maybe 700m vertically, how hard could it be?

Slightly harder than expected, with the first, unforeseen, difficulty being finding the start of the trail after bypassing the shrine at the foot. Spotted a small notice pointing to the start [2] only after a false start, and from there it was mostly alternating between rocky slopes and log-ended stairs, with occasional signs indicating distance [3] (and an about 20-degree slope on average)

Despite being a weekend, the route was much less crowded than was expected, and I kept myself before a large family group and a lone elderly guy with my surge-and-pant mode of climbing, with most of the encounters in the other direction being single or paired middle-aged hikers. By the time I was wondering what I had signed on for, I was already somewhere past the half-way spot, so there was nowhere to go but up.

And then it began to rain.

Wasn't that great? Thankfully, the final stretch consisted of long flights of proper stairs, and I emerged at the cradle between the actual peaks with sore feet (no canvas shoes next time)... to a huge gaggle of tourists, who had presumably taken the cable car. Not that there was much else to see, with the rapidly-descending mist [4] making it hard to make objects out past fifty metres, much less further sights.

Nothing for it but a good, hot bowl of beef noodles before catching the next car down (standing room only). Well, seems like the shrine's a popular spot for weddings [5]. Realised that I was rather behind schedule, with the climb itself taking a bit over two hours, added to the dallying about and trip down, and hauled ass out of Tsukuba for what would be the last time for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, the magnificently-reviewed Quality Hostel K's House Tokyo Oasis was only a short walk from the Asakusa Tsukuba Express station, where I was received by Nabe, an extremely friendly staff member (as were all the rest). But I had places to go - who cares if it's pouring? - and headed via the subway to Ueno Park...

Where I finally gave up. There was some King Tut exhibit there, and if there's something worse than an open park on a rainy day, it's an open park on a rainy day still filled with crowds milling about, and sectioned off by cords. At least my trusty new backpack proved largely impervious to water.

My body parts voted to sit in a cosy restaurant and drag out an early dinner [6] before the highlight of the day - All Japan Pro Wrestling's 40th Anniversary Real World Tag League 2012!


Puro!


It was no trouble finding the hall the second time round, and there were again plenty of vendors selling souvenirs (with the odd wrestler standing by), though I passed seeing as the cheapest T-shirt went for about 3000 Yen. While the arena [7], for lack of a better term, could best be described as "well-used", the view from my assigned seat was surprisingly good.

The seats began to fill, and the show started with a rather energetic introduction, two large trophies were brought out, the sashed stars were presented in the ring (which in a departure from the WWE, has only two sets of steps on opposite sides, instead of at the corners), and then a free-for-all erupted out of nowhere. Promising.

[N.B. In the following recounting, names are taken from the above link, since the intro videos generally didn't include English titles]


Match One

The opening card was masked luchador SUSHI (ok, couldn't miss that with him having a plate of sushi stuck to the top of his head to make it easy) against Shuji Kondo ("big guy with golden hair" in my notes). Now, it would be tough for SUSHI not to be a comedy character, which he was, and he had a genuinely funny spot begging his opponent not to approach when stranded atop a turnbuckle.

There may be something about luchadors that makes selling to them awkward - Kondo flying out between the ropes wasn't completely convincing in an otherwise uproarious match (but if I had a dollar for each time some poor sap has had to try and disguise a crawl to the middle rope and then drape himself over it as inconspicuously as possible to set up Mysterio's 619...). Some fine spears though, including a post-spear-part-lift variation I hadn't seen previously.


Match Two

Well, the light relief guy doesn't usually win, and Kondo pinned after a combination counter, but the next matchup wasn't too serious either. On one side, three averagely-proportioned guys (with streamers and a bola). On the other, three freakin' big (if not uniformly shaped) dudes. The usual big guy vs. small guy drill followed, with the big guys basically (and quite realistically) no-selling most of their opponents' offence.

The KENSO fella, despite winding on the losing side, seemed extremely popular, with his own Kensomania banner on display, and was persuaded with a lot of chanting to work the mic (dramatically, I might add). AJPW's Zach Ryder (though given that they may be having a tie-up, it might not be that far-fetched a comparism)?

The ringside fellas showed their full repertoire here, not only gathering up the streamers thrown into the ring with an efficiency beling long experience, but also always being present to support the ringside freestanding barriers at the right time to prevent accidents to the paying customers.


Match Three

Starting to heat up now, the next contest had two heels, the Tumeric Storm, enter first - or that's what I assumed, given that there was no clapping, and even scattered booing. Saying that, playing a baddie in Japan is not the same as in the USA - audiences tend to applaud them for good moves or fighting spirit anyhow, regardless of whether they're the uber-charismatic likeable asshole type.

It's exactly the same in other ways, with the Storm attacking their opponents as they were still making their way to the ring, before exhibiting the full gamut of bad behaviour and classic cheats - raging on the railings, whacking with chairs and poles, choking with the ropes, biting the forehead, etc.

There were some light-hearted moments too, such as nonchalent kick to the face to break up a count (instead of the usual frantic rush - and on this note, the whole switching to partner bit is far more believable in puroresu than the WWE, where competitors routinely execute a perfect flying kick before finding they can't even crawl to the corner)

It ended after a clever spot that had the heels slide a chair over to the out-of-play good guy to draw the referee, which while not completely original is still a departure in that it's generally the bad guys who get presented as the less-clever butt monkeys. Tumeric Storm won with interference at the end, and continued attacking with steel chairs after that, until good guy got hold of one, at which they cut and ran.


Match Four

Shifted a few rows down to a mostly-free section during the interval, and then it was another tag team - Junior Stars vs. Strong BJ (I'm clueless as to the acronym too, don't ask), who came down in black robes and with (presumably title) belts.

Well, this took a long time, though not for lack of ideas. These big guys were surprisingly athletic, with backflip escapes in their movesets, along with tons of other maneuvers (I would have contrasted against the WWE's big men, especially *cough* The Great Khali, but it turns out that Strong BJ are like five-feet-nine. They sure appeared larger than that)

Junior Stars attacked the thighs, but Strong BJ had power moves to spare, including a Ryback-like arm lift and slam. Submission moves were on show too, with Junior Stars trying an ankle lock, and Strong BJ going for both the Walls of Jericho and the Sharpshooter in quick succession, seldom seen in the WWE with its Five Moves of Doom addiction (recent example: hey, let's see who can eat more Brogue Kicks/Weapons of Mass Destruction before collapsing!)

The resemblances didn't end there, as the fighters channeled Daniel Bryan's reverse kick (admittedly not unique) and Ryder's Broski Boot among others, coming to a crescendo with Strong BJ doubling up on fireman carries and suplexes and Junior Stars refusing to submit by wagging fingers... and then the bell rang, and they were all back-slapping each other as respected opponents (something very, very rare in the WWE) before crumbling, exhausted. I had no idea what the finish was at the time, but apparently it's a time-limit draw.


Match Five

Sounded like some betrayal angle going on here from the pre-match video, and the atmosphere got heavier than previously. It was popular belt-holder Hiroshi Yamato against veteran Kaz Hayashi, with Hayashi going for the neck with lariats and suffocation locks. And what the... Yamato can do Sin Cara's backflip-off-the-ropes too (though he did get hit after that)

Well, the champ defended his belt after taking some punishment and in some style, exhibiting the ability to roll on after slamming, as well as a beautiful high back kick to the face that echoed, ending it with a cover followed by a suplex pin. The referee was more convincing with his two-and-a-half counts this time (there were some disquieting delays on the last count previously, an area in which WWE officials have generally been excellent), but I would have appreciated more struggling while pinned.

Yamato had several supporters yelling his name when he was in trouble (or about to thrown down a big move), as did some of the more popular stars before him, though of course given the business it's hard to tell if they were plants. The crowd was rather more middle-aged than those at WWE shows (though WWE has gone famously PG-13), with rather few kids, and next to no homemade signs. Still, they were all happy enough to clap rhythmically when called upon.


Match Six

Now, two guys whose brandings I could make out - "Evil Weapon on Earth" and "Runaway Truck" (Joe Doering, a Canadian; they don't seem to be official nicknames, however). Facing them were two foreigners, and let's face it, it's hard to go over with the fans with a ring name like Bambikiller.

Another jump start before the streamers were cleared (the referee was caught up in them), and they soon did some fanservice by taking the brawl to the stands, which had the commentator (usually silent) yelling "audience get to the side" on repeat, punctuated with a few hearty headbangs into the metal sign proclaiming "East Side".

Otherwise, it was perhaps one of the less-inspired matches technically, with far too many elbow drops for my liking, but at least the diving headbutt made a comeback. That said, you've got to give it to Japan for intra-team spirit being emphasized, even among heels (ok, Team Hell No is fresh)


Match Seven

What should be the main draw, GET WILD vs. STACK OF ARMS (in capitals). Everybody gets loads of streamers! There appears to be a long-running feud between these two tag teams, and one has to admit that GET WILD has one catchy theme song. As if that wasn't enough, they came out in caveman furs, and one of them had neat legwarmers.

Let's see - rare flying knee to face, fierce kicks (though using the free leg to attack when the other is held doesn't seem popular here), lots of slaps, rolling kick to head. And is that Undertaker's chokeslam? GET WILD won after a mishap on STACK OF ARMS' part, with a pin after a huge clothesline.


I didn't realise that this was the last match (not having forked out for the programme either), but it was already about nine, and a good time to get back to the hostel. Found that my roommate in the four-person bunk [8] was a German named Benjamin, who had been zipping around Japan for nearly a month. Couldn't help but notice he had a copy of Gladwell's Tipping Point lying about.

Had enough space left inside for a late ramen snack [9] at the establishment down the road, where the chef asked if I was Chinese after my pointing attempts (as it turns out, he probably was too). The noodles weren't exactly cheap, as I would have thought, but boy were they filling - a wooden ladle was included to help fish for those last scraps. It was needed.


18 Nov 2012



Spent some time in the splendid shower once again, before venturing out to another corner of Tokyo - so many areas, so little time. The other two lodgers had returned sometime during the night, and were both bunked down in the other double-decker bed.


This attraction didn't pass the Mr. Ham veto
[N.B. He's thinking about a Hamcafe concept, where diners pay for the right to feed hamsters. He already rejects four of five sunflower seeds]


As it was a Sunday, the obvious destination was Harajuku, for the Meiji shrine as well as the famed cosplayers. Didn't spot any of the latter at the bridge [1], but the shrine and its surrounding gardens were easy enough to find, and certainly very peaceful, with some mammoth torii [2] and barrels of sake [3] and wine for consecration purposes on display (and perhaps aging nicely in the open air)

Harajuku itself was bustling and had about anything anyone would want to wear on sale (Laforet was rather more commercial and less niche than I had expected), ranging from used kimonos to black T-shirts featuring basically any rock or metal band that has made it in recent decades. I never knew I had a need of so many things until I popped into their Daiso (wall thermometer and humidity meter, each for just 100 Yen? Yes please). Yet, zero cosplayers.

Either way, one still has to eat, and the snazzy 50 Things To Do In Harajuku guide I got from the hostel informed me that there was a Singaporean chicken rice shop, Mr. Chicken, in the vicinity. And just to be sure no-one missed the connection, there was a Singapore flag on their poster, the main dishes were Singapore Chicken Rice White/Brown [5], and there were sketches of Clarke Quay [4] on the wall.

Full again, I decided to inquire of the waitress/cashier, who fortuitously spoke some English, on a couple of matters, beginning with wheether she knew where to get those T-shirts in cans (ok, plastic canisters, but it don't matter - I demand my shirts to come in cans!). No luck there.

Fair enough, so did she know about the cosplayers? She wasn't familiar with the term, so I did my best at dissecting the concept, together with the hand signals I have come to rely so much upon. I was getting rather proud of my ability to converse beyond the language barrier when:

"You want to... look at girls wearing... special clothes?"

This wasn't going where I had expected it to. Frankly, I wasn't sure where the gender designation had slipped in, though truth be told a majority of cosplayers (at least the better ones) do happen to be female. Sensing a misunderstanding, I collected myself and tried again, with more hand signals.

"...and photograph them?" (slightly concerned now)

I knew when I was sinking without a trace, and bailed with as much residual dignity as I could muster. Scratch that one off the list.

Central Tokyo was a good place to escape, and it never fails to amaze me how quiet an inner city can be on Sundays - there were almost no pedestrians, but a long string of runners once I hit the perimeter of the Imperial Gardens [6]. Not much I can say about the Gardens that I haven't about those around the Meiji shrine - tranquil, immaculate, quickly routine. Impressive moats [7] though.

Another of my plans went awry as I became aware at the Ginza Tourist Information office (tucked away in a department store) that the temporary Kabuki theater (the original is under reconstruction) no longer issued single-act tickets, and I was certainly not that big of a fan to sit through a whole show [8]. Back to wandering the streets then (or actually roads, with Ginza's major throughfares closed to vehicles to cater to the many shoppers on foot)

Finally, it was time to settle in for the next day, of which foremost on the list was a 5 a.m. tuna auction and guided tour of the Tsukiji Fish Market, limited to the first 120 visitors to arrive. As the metro would not have begun at that hour, this called for a strategic response, which was to overnight far closer to the market (i.e. in Ginza itself)

There were several ways this could be achieved, and the method I chose was to become a member of a 24-hour Internet cafe [9]. All in all, it was an excellent deal - for about thirty bucks, one gets a cubicle with privacy door-curtain, recliner and all the Internet access one can handle for the night. And that's without mentioning the shelves of comics (unfortunately, all in Japanese), free flow of coffee and supply of cheap instant noodles. In short, graduate student paradise.


19 Nov 2012



Perhaps too much of a paradise after all. I had turned in near twelve, after having cup noodles how I like them as well as settling the slightly-complex billing procedure (communication by Excite translate on a tablet), and after setting my smartphone's alarm for 3:40, woke near five. Turned out the phone was on silent mode.

I debated not going, but had come too far to just walk away, and hotfooted it down [1] just in time to see the first tour group complete their observation of the tuna auction [2]. That did provide an opportunity to mingle in with them for the next part of the tour, and despite not having a green vest I made it about halfway before being discovered and asked to make my way back - which naturally meant a bit more poking about.

Keeping alert is a must with workers zipping about on their distinctive and nimble "turret" trucks, and when I got to the Outer Market, some of the restaurants [3] had a waiting list. I was having none of this, possessing an unrefined palate anyway, and settled for the first place where I could be served immediately - and it wasn't bad.

Souvenirs picked up, it was all the way to the hostel to bathe (yes, the shower is that good), then on to Sugamo, the Harajuku of the elderly, just to take the northwest of Tokyo in. Its title was no exaggeration, with plenty of older folk on the main shopping street, which was thankfully easy to navigate.

Next stop was Shimbashi and the Tamiya Plamodel Factory. This took longer than it should have, as I attempted to follow landmarks, only to realise after some fruitless circling that there may have been multiple 7-Elevens in the area.

The searching didn't stop at the Factory, as I explored the first floor only to find next to no Mini 4WD goods, then the second which basically was a racing area, before happening on the treasure trove that was the basement - stacks upon stacks of most of the Mini 4WD cars that had seen production [4], accompanied by a comprehensive collection of tune-up parts [5] ranging from motors to rollers and bumpers, and all reasonably-priced. What could I do but pick up another Big Bang Ghost, as well as a Ray Stinger for about seven bucks (more next time)?

Made a special detour to the Nagakin Capsule Tower [6], and while it won't be on many tourist maps, it still stands out for its imagination; the idea was to construct a high-rise scaffolding, and then populate it with upgradeable capsule rooms - replaceable prefabrication, in summary. The concept never quite took off and the structure itself has seen better days, but it's still worth a peek if you're into this sort of thing.

Another detour at Exit C6 of the Ginza subway station took me to an unprepossessing door, and thence to the domain of the mythical Jiro Ono, owner-chef of the triple-Michelin-starred Sukiyabashi Jiro [7]. As it was between lunch and dinner, the restaurant was empty, with what I believe was the man himself sitting at the counter overseeing his two assistants, in front of a Jiro Dreams of Sushi poster. It would probably have been rude to just snap away like that, so I moved on. Clearly, actually eating there was somewhat out of my budget (and might not be possible anyway)

Whiled away the evening at Odaiba [8], a reclaimed islet in Tokyo Bay, before it was time to return to the hostel and, you guessed it, take a long shower [9].

Roommate for the night was Krishna, an Indian engineer from Cape Town, South Africa (a rare combination, as he candidly admitted) on Rotary Club exchange. As it turns out, he had heard from a German guy (Benjamin?) about "an Asian guy" in the top bunk (that's me!), and also revealed that this or another German guy in the room had planned to cycle to the fish market at 3 a.m.; okay, it's maybe ten kilometres, but still. In any case, he overslept too and gave up the idea.

Decided to update my inventory, and could not account for a green ballpoint pen and the 2GB thumbdrive from the conference. Oh well. Back to the ramen shop, where the owner confirmed my suspicions about the Aoyama name whist chatting to his countrymen - 留得青山在， 不怕没柴烧。


20 Nov 2012



It was time to bid the delightful K's House goodbye, but not before picking up a couple of postcards to send to Mr. Ham. Laid about in bed for half an hour after waking, but was off at about eight. They nicely allowed me to stash my luggage on the ground floor for the morning, so I was free to walk around without having to secure a locker. Bought a copy of How To Solve It to have something to pull out when waiting.

Dropped by the Asakusa Kannon temple, which I had passed briefly on my very first day in Japan, and decided to try the kau cim (求簽) telling of fortunes. The process itself is quite simple - one gets a container filled with a load of sticks, each inscribed with a number corresponding to a fortune, and shakes it such that exactly one stick drops out.

Being a rather high-traffic area, the container in this case was a metallic cylinder, with a single hole of diameter barely larger than the sticks at one end. The official guide mentioned to "shake the box politely a few times", but it wasn't happening. Well, I had donated my 100 Yen and I was entitled to my fortune, darn it, even if I had no specific wish. A couple of minutes of energetic shaking in all directions followed, but it was not until I resorted to swirling the container around upside-down that the spirits deigned to give an answer [1].

Alright, Stick Number Two (which happens to be the third number two I've received in Japan, the other two being queue counters). Therefore, I opened the Number Two drawer [2], and extracted my postulated fate [3]:

第二小吉

月被浮雲陰
立事自混迷
幸乞陰公佑
何慮不開眉

With considerately-supplied English translation:

No.2 BETTER FORTUNE

The moon is covered by floating clouds. You will have difficulties in making plans. Do your best and ask for help of others. Then you will be able to catch good fortune. You don't have to worry; open your eyes and look into the future.


Not too bad, I suppose, even if all the advice is kind of general. Unfortunately for my ballpoint pen and thumbdrive, it adds that "The lost article will not be found"

[N.B. 小吉 seems to be third best of about twelve general ratings, though they are loaded towards the auspicious readings, and the worst ranks may not even be used]

Took the metro to the Tokyo Skytree after that (could probably have walked, as it basically towered over the skyline), but didn't access the observatories proper due to the cost, especially as shall soon be seen, there were other options. Changed some Singapore dollars to Yen just in case, as my paper money supply was running dry - most fairly-large stores do accept credit cards, though.

From there, the Ryogoku Kokugikan [4], home of sumo, wasn't far away, right beside the Edo-Tokyo Museum (not visited). While no photos were allowed within the Kokugikan museum, it more or less had a portrait of every Yokozuna to the present (recent champs appear... bigger, some of the earlier ones were simply stout), some woodcuts, and a television playing past bouts. Picked up my been-here T-shirt at the shop at the other end, and then tucked into some (chicken) chankonabe [5], the stew that sumo wrestlers gorge themselves on to gain the necessary weight.

Passed up the Japanese Sword Museum as I was again behind schedule, and took a long metro ride to Shibuya, retrieving my main luggage and storing it with the Rail-Go office at Tokyo station along the way - leave by Yaesu South Exit, down a lift in a narrow corridor, then down another lift, where one will be greeted by several elderly employees, who will take good care of it for 410 Yen a day.

Filmed the Shibuya Crossing, reputedly one of the busiest scramble crossings in the world:



Didn't miss giving Hachiko [6] a pet too. I know that feel, bro.

Made a trip down to the Tokyu Honten department store just for Mr. Ham, as it was known to host a pet shop on its topmost floor [7]. Turns out they sold supplies only for dogs and cats, along with the cutest puppies and kittens, in the range of three thousand bucks each. Too bad for Mr. Ham, but it was a nice place to put my feet up. Had come across a banana vending machine and passed through the notorious Love Hotel Hill on the way, but it was frankly not much unlike any normal neighbourhood.

Swung by Roppongi Hills [8] for a bit before going on to Shinjuku, my final destination for the day. Walked to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building mostly by an underground route, and there up to the North Observatory, which while not as high up as the Skytree, was completely free and granted a great night view of Tokyo (supposedly, skyscrapers are concentrated in Shinjuku as it is the most stable part of the city)

Being ravenous, I had forsaken donor kebab for a tuna & cheddar sandwich, and unfortunately encountered no kebab vans on the way to the Green Plaza Shinjuku Capsule Hotel. Took the opportunity to stroll through Kabukicho, which was kind of unremarkable if one doesn't give in to the touts.

And the capsule hotel experience - they were evidently used to first-timers, with the friendly counter staff handing me a stack of directions and how-tos upon learning that I was one, which persuaded me to upgrade to a capsule with wi-fi. To check-in, I had to first remove my footwear (the entire place is carpeted), lock it in a specialized cabinet, and hand the key to the counter staff. In exchange, he gave me a surprisingly comfortable wrist-strap with a pouch for the locker key [9].


Home for the night.


The capsule itself didn't have a lock, just a roll-down screen, so all valuables were supposed to be either left at the front desk, or in the locker. Other than that, it was cosy, if a bit warm (no individual temperature controls)

Since the capsule hotel was geared primarily towards local businessmen (who did in fact make up most of the clientele), it assumed little of the way in preparedness, and supplied a basic pajama set to all guests. Most other necessities, such as collared shirts, could be very conveniently bought.

The entire sixth floor was given over to sento facilities, which while not quite an onsen, was close enough for me. Once inside, naked guys of all shapes and sizes will be milling about, making it hard to be self-conscious after awhile. Avoiding eye-contact and keeping competitive spirits in check is advisable, of course.

The first stage is inevitably a thorough shower by the side of the main bathing pool, with plenty of soap, shampoo, etc available at a low bench, with stool equipped. That done, it is allowed to soak in the heated communal bath. Conversation was rare, with most attention fixated on the television. Had supper after that, conveniently charged direct to my account.


21 Nov 2012



The built-in alarm was well loud enough, and I avoided the ten a.m. check-out rush handily. Final destination: Akihabara, geek mecca. [N.B. For those hankering after the capsule experience, it's available in Singapore nowadays]

Not much was open at this early hour, although Yodobashi Camera was, and I picked up a G-Shock for myself from there. Next in line was the Tokyo Anime Center, which unfortunately was much, much more limited in scope than I had expected. Some nice decorations [2] though.

It was mostly a free-for-all after that. I sifted through some of the electronic wares at the Radio Market, but didn't see too much there that I couldn't get at, say, Sim Lim Tower.

Eventually, I wound up at Mandarake, where I snapped up the collected 45 Opening Works of Doraemon for about ten bucks. Yes, so I can't read Japanese yet, but if my childhood is any indication, comics are a great way to ease into a new language (and I even remember most of those 45 stories)

The next floor up was devoted to dojinshi for men. Nice, I have nothing against giving amateur artists a leg up if it doesn't cost too much. And then I swiftly discovered what the male doujinshi market is all about. Well, come on, it's not like we fantasize about ladies wearing very little to that extent. I briefly considered fulfilling the "special order" requests of friends-who-shall-not-be-named, but figured I didn't know squat of their tastes, and would like to keep it that way.

About the only comics I could safely take home from that floor looked to be set in some alternate Second World/Korean/ Vietnam War reality, reminding me of the Victor annuals of long ago. Wasn't that eager, though, and I went up one floor for the ladies' doujinshi.

It has to be said that there were few if any built men swinging their gear from the covers, in parallel to the mainstream male doujinshi style, but there was a disturbingly large selection of pretty boys who are... very close friends. Plenty of good old-fashioned bodice rippers, and yes, vampires. No shortage of customers on this floor, either.

Still empty-handed but for my Doraemon, I ascended to the top floor, which thankfully was dedicated to uncontroversial collectibles [3] and models. Spotted a Tamiya Thunder Shot Mk. II, which wouldn't have been all that had it not also been the Momoi-Halko Special in bright pink, proving again that cute girls are the universal saleswomen. Couldn't resist a huge deck of Pocket Monsters cards for two bucks plus change, just because I could.

Next visit was Don Quixote, which some might know as the home base of AKB48. They're a bit too mass-produced for my taste, with strong cheerleader effect in play, but whatever; there's a pretty ok manga centered around the group. The stores were certainly quirky - grenade coin cases [4], anyone? Got a furry football [5], probably the best buy of the trip.

I certainly didn't want to be late for the return flight, and therefore got to Tokyo station early, where I retrieved my main luggage and waited an hour for my designated Narita Express train to arrive. Astoundingly, despite my purchases requiring me to allow the suitcase to expand another layer, it was only about three kilos heavier than its original weight.

Enjoyed some sumo in the departure lounge while waiting for the gate to open [6], and I happily discovered that the neighbouring seat was empty. Tried watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Madagascar 3, Clash of the Titans and Batman Begins but for some reason they all hung towards the end.


On the bright side, it was discovered that Delta's in-flight entertainment systems are Linux-based




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