March 24, 2010: Tokyo Ii

As nosotros were getting laid to locomote out for Japan, our truthful cat Zimbra realised something was afoot as well as decided to brand Cindy experience fifty-fifty to a greater extent than guilty close leaving him behind past times staging a still protestation on her bag. Once nosotros got here, Cindy's kitten-guilt grew fifty-fifty stronger, as well as the only agency to instruct her through it was to accept her to Nekobukuro - Cat House - a weird truthful cat play expanse at the hap of a subdivision shop inwards Ikebukoru.

For 600 円 (around $7) y'all tin give notice pass equally much fourth dimension equally y'all desire patting, playing alongside as well as hassling the 10-15 cats roaming approximately a three-room truthful cat jungle-gym. Sounds amazing doesn't it? Alas, the reality is a piffling less exciting. The cats brutal into ii categories - sleeping:

or hiding:

The original clientele of Nekobukuro are parents as well as their excited piffling kids, who run madly approximately grabbing handfuls of kitty's tail or 'patting' them alongside a piffling also much enthusiasm. Thus the cats that guide maintain the liberate energy shroud - either upward high or downwards low.

They're nevertheless cute, as well as y'all tin give notice at to the lowest degree pat some of the lazy sleeping ones, but the whole experience was a piffling strange - I guess they guide maintain amend lives than the strays we've been seeing everywhere, but it didn't look similar life inwards the Nekobukuro was a barrel of laughs. The skillful affair close the morning's cat-based amusement was that it was within - overnight Tokyo had turned rainy, as well as a steady stream came downwards on us for the balance of the day.

Our side past times side lodge of concern was lunch, as well as Pure Cafe came highly recommended past times the Vegan Pocketguide. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quick develop ride to Shibuya as well as nosotros were laid upward to walk through the pelting to Omote Sando as well as rail it down.

Alas it wasn't to be. Despite managing the hardest role - getting us to the Omote Sando tube halt which was the reference betoken for our Pure Cafe map - I as well as so spent a skillful 45 minutes thinking nosotros were facing at ninety degrees from the direction nosotros were truly facing. In this situation, a fairly undetailed piffling map is very, rattling frustrating. By the cease I was convinced that the Pocketguide had completely misled us. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quick scan of i of the rattling helpful neighbourhood maps past times the side of the route set me direct - I'm merely an idiot. Once nosotros had ourselves all turned around, nosotros located Pure Cafe inwards close ninety seconds. Unfortunately it was also slow to grab dejeuner - nosotros had a coming together scheduled alongside Matt at some other tube station inwards less than 20 minutes.

We arrived at Roppongi as well as shamefacedly explained our failure. Matt speedily located a Mos Burger, which Lisa had recommended to us earlier nosotros left - they've got i vegan burger, a weird vegie patty squished betwixt ii rice cakes (250 円, $3).

The burger was okay - a fighting of a let-down later the high hopes nosotros had for Pure Cafe, but quick as well as filling inwards an emergency dejeuner situation.

Our argue for visiting Roppongi was some other rainy hateful solar daytime activity: the Mori Art Museum. The major exhibition was called 'Can at that spot hold upward art?', as well as featured immature Japanese artists - generally working alongside installations or multimedia. I enjoyed a lot of it, especially these tiny trees cutting out of retail packaging:

and the crazy audio installations alongside moving parts as well as flashing lights, all controlled past times a few turntables as well as some fancy circuitry:

The Mori Art Museum is on the 53rd flooring of the Roppongi Hills complex as well as included inwards the ticket toll to the exhibitions is access to Tokyo City View, an observatory. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 rainy nighttime is non the best fourth dimension to visit, but at that spot were nevertheless some pretty striking views across the lit upward city.

Our finally halt for the hateful solar daytime was Hiro, for dinner at J's Kitchen, some other Pocketguide recommendation. Matt as well as I spent a lot of fourth dimension carefully considering our dinner options.

I striking upon the teriyaki tempeh sandwich laid (1575 円, $18), a tempeh sandwich, served alongside salad as well as a bowl of soup. If y'all ignore the slightly ludicrous price, this was a peachy alternative - the tempeh was saucy as well as moist, the staff of life lightly toasted as well as the salad as well as soup provided skillful support. If cypher else, this reinvigorated our enthusiasm to brand to a greater extent than tempeh sandwiches when nosotros instruct dorsum to Australia. Delicious.

Cindy opted for the fifty-fifty to a greater extent than expensive seitan balls inwards sugariness as well as sour sauce (1680 円, $20), which were comparatively less exciting. The seitan balls as well as vegies were beautifully cooked but a lot hinged on the sauce as well as Cindy wasn't overly enthused past times it. She nevertheless sampled dessert, a vegan custard tart, that was quite dry out as well as wholesome tasting, alongside a hint of citrus - it was hardly going to hold upward rich or eggy at a vegan macrobiotic restaurant.

With the pelting showing no sign of letting up, at that spot wasn't much to produce but pick out grip of the tube dorsum to Matt's house. On the walk domicile nosotros stopped inwards at the local supermarket - for sure i of the highlights of a see to whatever novel country.

Matt helpfully pointed out a laid of mochi-based sweets as well as some plum liqueur for us to cease the nighttime with. The mochi were a fighting weird - i had a red-bean based sauce, which is something neither Cindy or I guide maintain exclusively come upward approximately to yet. The other had a sugariness as well as slightly soy-sauce tasting sauce, which was a fighting much for me, but has converted Cindy to a slightly crazed mochi-hunter for the balance of the trip.

The plum liqueur came inwards cute piffling single-serve jars, each alongside a plum stewing at the bottom.

Nothing says 'classy' similar a homo drinking from a jar.

March 25, 2010: Tokyo Iii

this blog.)  For dejeuner in that location are half dozen dissimilar dejeuner plates, such every bit Alicia's special, the fried dejeuner together with the sandwich dejeuner (ranging from 1100-1500円 $12.90-17.60).

J's Kitchen the nighttime before, I went for the sandwich laid upwards (1250円 $14.60).  Though it looks a footling less complicated, in that location are soundless choices to hold upwards made - in that location are several beverages together with sandwich fillings on offer.  My cheese sandwich came amongst pickles together with breadstuff studded amongst dried fruit, which was a surprisingly agreeable combination.  It had nothing, however, on the tempeh sandwich - the crispy seasoned tempeh was sliced thinly, squirted amongst a footling mayo together with squeezed into the soft breadstuff amongst lots of lettuce.  This bettered a KFC chicken fillet burger (a nutrient I convey enormous nostalgia for) inwards every way.

two nights earlier.  Here the slices were deep-fried to a frail crispness together with they had a mild seasoning that Michael together with I merely couldn't larn plenty of.  (I tin solely gauge that garlic together with tabular array salt were involved.)

With a brace of drinks nether their belts, Michael together with Matt got neat on visiting 1 of the local amusement complexes together with bashed out their sibling rivalry inwards the batting cages...

... together with on the freak-guitars...

... until I decided to smasher the drums.

But it turns out 1 of the nearly amusing activities inwards these places isn't competitive at all...

March 26, 2010: Tokyo Iv

The forecast for Fri finally promised a intermission inward the rain, then nosotros decided to larn inward our day-trip day, heading off to Kamakura for a retreat from the neon as well as vibrations of the city. Kamakura is almost an lx minutes out of Tokyo as well as was once, many centuries ago, the upper-case missive of the alphabet of Japan. Now it's a tourist destination, famous for the second-largest Buddha statue inward Nihon as well as for its many temples. We started off alongside a wander downward the original street, stopping solely for some fresh mochi balls to laissez passer on us the unloosen energy to explore to a greater extent than widely.

a few days earlier. Like most places, Pure Cafe offered a laid dinner carte du jour (1200円 $13.90), which Cindy as well as I both chose.

This was a wonderful plate of nutrient - lots of beautiful vegetables, a delicious marinated tempeh slice, as well as some tasty pickles as well as sauces. The niggling radish bloom petals were a beautiful touch, but the tastiness championship was won past times the pesto on the brussel sprouts. Having been wowed past times the savoury course, it seemed essential that nosotros depository fiscal establishment fit out the dessert options, alongside Cindy deciding on a vegan tiramisu as well as a chai (600円 $7.00 each) to complete things off.

The cake was outstanding, capped off past times the glorious berry smears that accompanied it.

Our finally gamble for the black was an Ipod walking tour of Tokyo's notorious red-light district, Kabukicho. Matt had done the walking tour previously as well as promised us a duo of fun hours exploring the seamy side of the brilliant lights. The tour takes yous through the history of Kabukicho, originally ready every bit a neighbourhood for enlightening amusement that was rapidly overrun past times vice as well as alcohol then that despite the name, non a unmarried Kabuki functioning has e'er been set on inward the area. Nowadays it's chock amount of hostess as well as host clubs, offering some bafflingly hair-styled folks for hire.

The tour takes yous through the foyer of a dearest hotel as well as unopen to some of the to a greater extent than family-friendly entertainments every bit good every bit through the seediest parts of town before winding upward inward the Golden Gai, a few blocks chock amount of tiny bars, each seating no to a greater extent than than 10 people.

Most of the bars are actually simply places for a grouping of regulars to hang out together, although at that spot are plainly a few that welcome strangers as well as fifty-fifty Westerners. We were too shy to depository fiscal establishment fit them out as well as besides, midnight as well as the halt of the develop service was fast approaching, then nosotros pushed our agency on board a packed Yanamote trouble develop as well as jostled our agency homewards for a well-deserved sleep.

March 27, 2010: Tokyo V

After a few hectic days of sight-seeing, nosotros started Sat off slowly, mooching or then the household as well as considering our options for the afternoon. This gave us fourth dimension to endeavor out a risky breakfast: natto! Natto is a weird fermented soy edible bean dish, that's commonly eaten amongst rice equally a breakfast nutrient inwards Japan.

It smells equally bad equally it looks. It doesn't gustation quite equally bad equally you'd expression - it's strongly flavoured but pretty agreeable, it's only texturally as well as olofactorally disturbing.

With natto nether our belts, Cindy as well as I were laid upward to human face upward the day. The Sun was peeking out again, then nosotros focussed on outdoor activities, starting off amongst a wander through the Imperial Palace East Garden.

The moat provided me amongst my starting fourth dimension identifiable novel plane for the trip: the northern shoveller.

The cherry blossoms hadn't quite reached amount bloom yet, but they were all the same pretty stunning.







The side past times side halt was Ginza, for a quick stroll through Tokyo's poshest neighbourhood to dejeuner at Nataraj vegetarian Indian restaurant.

Being Ginza, things weren't cheap, but at that topographic point were a make of veg-tastic thalis to select from as well as equally neither of us had eaten since the natto, nosotros were both laid upward to hoe into them. I ordered the Maharani Thali (3500 Yen, $40), which was made upward of 3 curries (palak paneer, navratan korma as well as the mysterious 'nataraj curry'), a garlic naan, a duo of tandoori gluten nuggets, a mayonnaisey salad, some pickles as well as some rice addition a mango shrikhand for dessert.



Aside from the salad, this was all pretty slap-up - peculiarly because I was starving as well as at that topographic point was heaps of it. The curries lacked a flake of spice, but were rich as well as full-flavoured as well as there's null amend than a fresh naan bread. Cindy went for a slightly smaller option, the Padma thali (2500 Yen, $29), which came amongst only ii curries (chana curry as well as vegetable curry) as well as was lacking the dessert.

She peculiarly raved most the tomato-based vegie curry, which was creamy as well as delicious. All inwards all this was a rattling satisfying lunch: the nutrient was tasty as well as plentiful, the staff were extremely friendly as well as quite excited that nosotros were both vegetarian as well as the setting was placidity as well as peaceful. The prices are only a flake also steep to actually recommend a catch - perhaps 1 of their non-Ginza branches would endure a cheaper option.

By the fourth dimension nosotros finished 'lunch' it was getting on to 4:30, which meant I had to scurry off to run into Matt inwards Koenji for a gig. The slap-up affair most alive music inwards Tokyo is that it's designed for lazy onetime people similar me - the shows start at seven as well as the in conclusion band is normally done past times 10:30. Brilliant. The venue for the black was The Penguin House, a tiny room amongst no existent phase that would check maybe forty people inside.

The starting fourth dimension band of the black were the insane PukaPuka, starring a guy whose alone labor is to trip the lite fantastic or then madly, yell out random things as well as impersonate a motor bike. By the terminate of the exhibit the vocalist was riding him similar a horse. It was all rattling weird. Weird but compelling. Especially their ramshackle comprehend of ACDC's 'Thunderstruck'.

Next upward were My Pal Foot Foot who, despite the strange name, are a much to a greater extent than conventional band. They were slap-up - especially 1 time Julian from Kes Band had joined them on the drums.

The exhibit was basically a launch for a separate album that My Pal Foot Foot as well as Melbourne's Kes Band bring only released, then KES were the in conclusion act, amongst members of Foot Foot joining them at diverse points inwards the set.

It was a slap-up black - 3 first-class bands, a tiny intimate venue as well as a crowd that was at that topographic point to psyche as well as dance, non chat their agency through the music. Despite the crowd forcing Kes Band into ii encores, nosotros were all the same out of at that topographic point past times 10:30 as well as dwelling household earlier midnight. That's the agency stone as well as scroll should work.