Wed
Oct
26
darren is back. well, actually he was never really gone, people just stopped caring after he released a non-commercial album in 2004, consequently got dropped by his record label and last blessed the world with a self-released and self-indulgent double album in 2007. for his ‘comeback’ darren went back to his easy listening romantic pop (savage garden) roots and tries very hard to recreate the magic. the result is surprisingly solid (though rather generic) songwriting, but the dull and sometimes downright ridiculous lyrics and a production that is mediocre at best ensure that this album will not be a worldwide chart-topper and his days signed to his new record label are most likely numbered.
stand out tracks: ‘black out the sun’, ‘taken by the sea’, ‘nearly love’, ‘the sirens call’
stand out lyrics: ‘you hit me like a subway train’, ‘coz i am an island, you are the ocean’, ‘every time we kiss is like god walking into the room’, ‘i was better lost before i was found, ive got a history of misery, so baby listen to me, put me back on the shelf, and give this pain to somebody else, yeah…’
Sun
Jul
24
i finally make it to the lovely ‘jal’ lounge where the showers wont be operational until 6am, so i feel a bit sorry for the people who will be sitting around me on the plane.
especially since these people must have spent quite a lot of money on their tickets as i get upgraded to premium economy class for free (again!) at the gate!
all’s well that ends well. time for some well deserved sleep…
Sat
Jul
23
this time i really have to wake up early as my flight will be leaving at 6.35am tomorrow morning and i have to check in 24 hours before departure to once again secure an emergency row seat. unfortunately the japanese beat me to it and i end up with a really bad seat and an offer from british airways to buy an upgrade to premium economy for ‘only’ 921.50 pounds. no thanks.
after a few more hours of sleep i check out of the hotel and start my last day in tokyo. and what better way to end this trip than with another rollercoaster ride and another visit to a japanese spa? interestingly enough you are not allowed to enter the spa if you have any (!) tattoos. once inside i’m just in time to grab a ticket (!) to their ‘finnish style’ sauna where at 68 degrees (!) i’m the only one left after little more than 10 minutes.
a few more hours of relaxation and then its time to head to the airport where my original plan was to check in my luggage and then spend the rest of the night relaxing in the lounge. however check-in is closed until 4am and the lounge doesn’t open until 4.30am so i spend my last night in japan in the least glamourous way possible with a few cans of beers and stale sandwiches from the convenient store trying and failing to get some sleep on a bench in front of the check-in hall…
Fri
Jul
22
after planning and failing to wake up really early to have a sushi breakfast at the ‘tsukiji’ fish market for almost a week i finally manage to get there. at 2pm. its not quite the same but at least i arrive just in time for the lunch-special.
after exploring the posh ‘ropongi’ neighbourhood and the mori arts center (with its rather intriguing contemporary art exhibition ‘french window’) i also buy myself a ticket to the sky aquarium and discover what my lunch used to look like.
dinner is another japanese-style ripoff disguised as a bargain as most dishes and drinks are only 270 yen, however there is a hidden seating charge and a mandatory starter charge and of course all of these exclude taxes. gotta love their creativity.
Thu
Jul
21
its pretty cloudy and the day starts with a visit to the enormous ‘meiji’ shrine in harajuku and a bit of obligatory shopping and visiting some of the well known tourist traps including the oriental market. at 6pm its time to get excited at tokyo disneyland which is pretty much deserted due to the impending typhoon which is supposed to hit the coast tonight. half the rides are closed but there are hardly any queues and all the warning signs of ‘what not to do’ in the park and on the rides are in japanese so i suppose they don’t concern me.
Wed
Jul
20
even though many japanese understand english they seem to generally refuse to speak it. this makes daily life as a tourist a bit more tricky and difficult but also quite exciting. its like living in a secret society where most of the time you just have to pretend to know what the hell is going on in order to fit in.
today its finally hotspring time and i even get to wear a traditional ‘yukata’. there is also more young fit japanese guys but this time around they are fully naked. which interestingly enough is a bit better for my ego…
Tue
Jul
19
yesterday was not all bad news as i also finally found a working rollercoaster (directly behind the temple), a karaoke bar and even played a few rounds of some traditional japanese marble game / ancient pinball machine variation.
today i left tokyo to explore the countryside, was inside a giant buddha in ‘kamakura’ and finally found myself a beach. that particular ‘enoshima’ beach turned out to be a local hotspot for young fit japanese which sadly left me feeling neither. however after a quick swim it was also only a short walk to ‘enoshima island’ which was a really interesting fascinating cultural distration.
the day ended in style with yet another rollercoaster ride in downtown tokyo at 10pm surrounded by skyscrapers. breathtaking.
Mon
Jul
18
time for asakusa, one of tokyos most traditional neighborhoods and home of the famous sensoji temple. 100 yen will buy you an ‘omikuji’ (your fortune written on a small piece of paper) which in my case contained a number of rather pessimistic predictions including ‘you will be completely at loss with your empty heart’, ‘your wish will be hard to be realized’ and ‘the person you are waiting for will not come’. how fitting.
Sun
Jul
17
its not until 1pm when i finally wake up in the hotel bed (which is pretty much all that this tiny room consists of). downtown to the impressive tokyo dome (where the roller coaster is sadly out of order, most probably due to the country-wide power shortage), then up the metropolitan government building viewing platform which is free of charge but there is a hidden 500 yen cover charge when you order a drink which pretty much doubles the price. sneaky prices seems to be a japanese speciality as many places also promote prices that exclude taxes. oh well, have to learn to be more careful.
finally time for electronics shopping bliss at akihabara and hours wasted having fun at the local arcade halls.
Sat
Jul
16
a really early start to the day as my flight lands at tokyo haneda airport at 5am. already 26 degrees outside and i somehow manage to find my way to the hotel where i realise that i am more jet-lagged than i thought (or was willing to admit to myself) and my body is aching for a real bed. as the temperature crawls up to 34 degrees a quick trip down the the supermarket confirms that i will indeed love it here in japan as this really seems to be the dream destination for my obsession with exotic and wicked drinks. i’m also not shy to admit that i’ve discovered the pleasure of japanese high tech toilets…
