Woke up around nine, constantly fell back asleep until noon, managed to get up, and headed off for Asakusa. I’ve been there one before by bike, but that time i didn’t really have time for sightseeing, just bought souvenirs for home people and hurried home. This time i got there in a normal time, and what’s a big difference, by train (after having a good sandwich and a very 薄い (weak?) coffee in a coffee shop the name of which i always read “Outdoor”). I had a bit of trouble finding Kaminarimon, thanks to totally clear road signs, but i got there, rushed past the souvenir stands before i get tempted to buy some useless junk, and headed for the temple. Made a bunch of photos, managed to scare a japanese family by asking them how to read the name of a saint or god or however those things are called, and was asked by a spanish(speaking) family to let the kids take a photo with me. I’ve seen and heard a monk chant a mantra, one that i actually know from a japanese traditional music collection i got from someone.

After that i met up with the others at Shibuya, had thai “lunch”, and went for karaoke until ten. That’s my today. Maybe after shower i’ll play a dota in my room against the computer. Or just go to sleep early and actually go to the Tsukiji fish market tomorrow morning…

Earlier i hardly came to Shinjuku, reason for which is that Shibuya was (is) much more friendly, everything is easy to find there, and it has a y in its name, which is cool. I had no idea what kind of place my hotel will be in for this three days, but it turned out to be quite nice. It’s a bit difficult to navigate in the tiny streets surrounding it, but i managed to find it thanks to online maps.

I arrived, dropped my stuff, went for an atm, because you have to pay in advance, had a bit tasteless curry lunch at a nearby indian restaurant watching the Osaka sumo championship (i think Osaka, i guess championship), turned on music and had a “little nap”. That was around four pm, and i got up at around ten. Not the best thing, because though i have slept four hours altogether in the past few days, now i’m sure i won’t be sleeping anytime soon, although it’s already over midnight. And i went for a walk.

Already when i arrived it was apparent that this is some kind of korean district. All the shops have signs in korean as well, every restaurant is either korean or yakiniku (with the exception of three thai restaurants), which is probably also for koreans, and even the hotel has all the information and signs in korean too. I found a Don Quijote department store as well, i’ll finally have the opportunity to check it out (never been to the one near the university). Then had a turn, and forgetting where i am, headed straight towards Shinjuku.

It was at first strange that after one or two dark and quiet streets suddenly restaurants and bars (most having guys instead of girls on their advertisements, if you get what i mean) started popping up. Wondering just a second i realised that i know where i am, though not necessarily happy about it: the middle of Kabuki-cho, often named the red light district of Tokyo. Until i got out on the Shinjuku side (where there were visibly more girls on the adverts), i was invited pretty enthusiastically to a “massage” salon, a black guy tried to shake my hand (“hey yo Babylon soldier”, first time someone called me that, and though in spite of my hair, i’m not a rastafarian believer, i know what that means and to be honest, it filled me with pride, being called that) all the way to a “good bar”, soon after another offered a place with “really good japanese girls”.

At Shinjuku station the Starbucks’ were already closed, though i’dve liked to have a cocoa-like something. Ended up in a McDonalds, cheap dinner and headed back–this time for security’s sake (it was already almost midnight) by train. Found the hotel and here i am.