the plane was half-empty but everything from the curtains to the seat covers was bedecked with pokemon and his furry friends (wait, are they fur or fibreglass?) so there was really little want for company. funny but when i landed, the train that picked me up was drenched in pokemon as well. guess the yellow thing's got a chokehold on all means of transportation in tokyo.
this time, i made it a point to see stuff that i havent yet seen on all of my other trips to the metropolis. i visited kamakura (renamed "kane-kure" 金くれ henceforth, which means "more money please" because everything there comes with a pricetag. even trying to view flowers on the temple grounds will cost you.), went to shimo-kitazawa and kichijouji, two bustling towns for tokyo youth, took in all three major museums and finally ate a krispy kreme donut.
everything was done on me-time so i rested whenever i wanted, met with whomever i liked and ate everything i fancied. but you know a place has crossed the line separating "holiday destination" from "just another town" when you dont stop to admire the rainbow bridge or the tokyo tower, or even bother with taking pictures. the shopping's great, the people are beautiful and the air still crackles with electric tension, but when everything was done i just really wanted to head back home to sleepy okinawa.
my lack of tourist sentiments notwithstanding, i still managed to make some (important) observations during my trip.
1. want to be fashionable the tokyo way? stick a huge bow on your head. a ribbon from an hermes scarf says you have money, a bow made of fake hair says you listen to lady gaga. any other bow and you have only just met the minimum requirement for keeping in touch with the trends.
2. we're all familiar with the term "ikemen" イケメン (shortened from "iketeru menzu" イケてるメンズ), a title bestowed upon good-looking members of the male species. personally, i find that the term translates beautifully into the singlish phrase "can-make-it". lately however, the lack of a precise definition has caused the term to suffer from gross misuse. seems to me that the "cannot-make-it" men of the city have been passing themselves off as better-looking people by hiding behind painstakingly teased and styled locks, goatees and beards, not to mention sharp suits and shoes. take off all that hair (facial or otherwise), render them naked and tokyo might actually be bereft of good-looking men.
3. they dont kiss or hold hands in public because yes, they are japanese that way. but if their boyfriend is ang moh, they instantly get a free pass to public displays of affection. like, they cant possibly be japanese if their boyfriends arent.
by the way, i lied when i said i didnt take any pictures.
Air Pokemon
Krispy Kreme, Shinjuku (did i mention that they were giving out free original sugar-glazed donuts?)
The Great Bronze Buddha in Kane-kure
Sunset at Eno-shima 江ノ島, Kane-kure
Grow a heart and body of cold metal and you'd be freezing too.
Plum and sakura blossoms at Hase-dera 長谷寺, Kane-kure
Sunset from Zampa: