Tokyo Birthday Weekend Extravaganza 06

The Birthday Weekend by Jhenn.
Starring: Guitar Wolf, Steven, Ed, Marissa,& Ryan
Appearances by: The bullet train, Tokyo Game Show, the Big Amida Buddha

Day 1- Sept 22
Friday I dashed off from school, jumped a train or 4 and made my way to Kawasaki.
I saw that bullet train coming and I got giddy. Good things were starting to happen.
The hotel I stayed at and its location were a bit dingy, but nothing terrible by far. The club I was going to was just a couple blocks away.

I went to Kawasaki that night to see the band Guitar Wolf. I saw them last year in Cleveland, and it was probably the best show I’ve ever seen. I had to relive it for my birthday. It was an all night show (until 5:30am) and they didn’t play until 1:20 so I went around 12:30 not knowing how exactly this club was going to be and if I was just going to stand in a corner all night. I paid 3500 at the door, I thought this included a drink (most cover prices like that do), but I had to pay an EXTRA 500 yen for a FREE DRINK ticket. Yea, that makes sense. It was actually like a 100 yen off coupon as most drinks were 600.

I get in there, its big and dark, so I can blend. I scoped the scene out, thought about finding the tallest Japanese boys and standing by them, but they were all unattractive, and the 3 foreigners whom I waved to could also be lumped in that category. I tried to look as cool as possibly with my one of two shirts, and I couldn’t get my hair in a bouffant, but I managed something as I heard different words for “cool” as I walked by (only a few times, it was dark!). Haha. So I watch a band that wasn’t too great, check out the merch booth that no one was at, and get my “free drink” and head to the front to assure a good spot.

Ug, the new bassist comes out with this cocky attitude walk, then drum wolf, then guitar wolf. Guitar Wolf just stares at everyone. He turns around, guitar slung around his back, and chugs a beer while Ug and Drum Wolf comb their greaser-hair. Insert more giddiness. I really couldn’t contain myself.

They play, and everyone’s rockin’ out. Ug kicks over his mic stand, sends the mic flying into the floor and dents it. “Tech Wolf”, as I call him, puts the stand back up, which Ug kicks over again for a second time. Guitar Wolf accidentally knocks over his stand, it gets fixed, Ug sees this decides to kick his over again. As his was getting fixed, he walked over to Guitar Wolfs and kicked his over. I laughed and laughed at this wonderful stage attitude.

I had a camera, but a bouncer was right in front of me. I wasn’t sure if I were allowed or not. There were 3 people filming GW (with nice cameras) for what I assume will be a on video one day. Then, Guitar Wolf starts grabbing people out of the audience, the bouncer leaves to assist them, and I see other people with cameras. Ok! I whip mine out. Guitar Wolf then makes these people a human pyramid, on whom he stands upon and sings.




I take some more pictures and even a video, and finally the bouncer saw me and told me NO. Then Guitar Wolf puts his guitar on top of two full stacks and begins to climb them. He stands on top of them and plays guitar (probably 12 ft up?) and then jumps off at a crucial moment in the song! Of course I had to sneak my camera out for that! Awesome!




(Guitar Wolf pulling a random dude form the audience to play guitar)

They end, and I stick around for the other bands because, hey, I paid 3500 yen for this. People were already passed out in the back. They were not ready to be power rockers! I bought an I <3 Guitar Wolf tote bag that’s nice and big and has pockets, and a pin for my traveling book bag. The guy also gave me a free poster as a “present”. It’s now displayed above my bed, as it should be. The other bands were crowd favorites, the played a tight set, but it was nothing special. As I began my stroll to the hotel at 5am (when it finished) , I pass the back of the club and I see Drum Wolf. He was with someone and I didn’t want to bother him so I said “sugokatta!” (that was cool!) as I passed by and clapped at him. Stunned for a half second, he replies “Thaaaaaannnnkkss” in almost a Jersey accent. It was great. I went to bed and got up 2.5 hours later.


I'm mad that this is sideways.. but look at that sweat!!!!


Day 2- Sept 23
Running late because of a shower, and forgetting my poster, I began my journey to Tokyo Game Show, a very large video game convention where I would eventually meet up with other JETs, Marissa, Ed, and Ryan (all from Mie) and Steven, whom I met in America before we left. But before that, I was in a mass of people, it was about 10 minutes after the show had opened and I honestly walked 50 minutes non stop (def over a mile, maybe 2), to reach the back of the line and then turn the corner and start my way back. It was really really crazy. People who came around 11 though, had no line problem. I guess this is what I remembered from 4 years ago. I also remembered getting a lot more free things, and cool free things at that. TGS gets bigger every year, probably cant afford it.
So, lots of demo-playing, getting flyers, and dvd-roms, seeing previews for new games and systems, etc. Nerdom ensued. Here are some pictures.


(160 min wait for XBOX 360 theater)


(some game)


(hahaha, sounds like thats gonna be a funny game)


(my uncontainable love of mascots coupled with liking cats and loving cute things.. it was a match in heaven)


(lots people like to dress up)


(lots of people in between the exhibition halls)


(that cat! so cute! those girls are honestly wearing about 80% more clothes than most of the hired models there. it was a perv paradise)


After the show, we battled the insane train station where everyone was leaving, and made our way to a nice little hostel in Asakusa (famous for the temple). We dropped our bags of crap off, and went out for food and a nice little Chinese restaurant and had wonderful little conversations with no meaning. Then we went to all-you-can-drink karaoke. Much singing and dancing and jumping ensued. Then came midnight and they sang me The Beatles birthday song, and a random Japanese woman in the next room sang me the regular birthday song while we all clapped along. We were there for probably 4 hours, and ended it with Guns N Roses and all was right in the world that night. We went to bed around 3:30am.


In the midst of singing me the Birthday song


this is probably the funniest face i've ever made. I have no idea what I could have been singing to do that.

I proclaimed, "This is the best brithday in Tokyo doing nomihoudai karaoke with a bunch of people I just met that I've ever had!" (nomihoudai= all you can drink)


Day 3- Sept 24. Birthday Sunday.
We left the hostel at 11 and at breakfast from a convenience store, and went to Kamakura, home of a very large bronze statue of Amida Buddha. I went inside it for 20 yen. When you touched it, it was very hot from absorbing the sun! I bought some nerdy Buddhism books and gifts. Amida is one of my two favorite Buddhas (the other being Kannon). In the western Zodiac you are ruled by planets and in the Chinese zodiac you are an animal. It's not common knowledge, but there is also ones for Buddhas. Amida-sama happens to be my ruler, so I think thats pretty neat.


the Entrance










One of the leaves behind the statue


Inside


His slippers


I then saw SOYMILK SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM. I knew this day would come! I even had a dream that my friend invented it four years ago while I was in Japan! Not wanting to risk it, I ask if it had any real milk in it. It did. Of course. Only a flavor I guess. One day my day will come! (A lot of the soy milk here has some sort of milk product in it. Weird/stupid).
Not wanting Marissa to miss her train home, we went to Yokohama where Ryan also left and Team DrinkDrankDrunk bid our farwells to eachother. Ed and I walked around a bit, found an anime store, then had a bite to eat (our only real food of the day) before catching our bullet train to Nagoya. I got home, and still, I was not tired!


A neat statue outside of Yokohama station

What a great great birthday weekend!!!

(there are more pictures fromt he weekend in the photo account on the right)