happy new year!

i've been in tokyo for just over 48 hours now. of that i've slept maybe 6, and can't say that i've actually eaten a proper meal. sounds like true rock star styling huh? well, a little bit of that and the fact that my body is still adjusting to the time zone, and the vegetarian options in japan are few and extremely far between. there is decent coffee here however, and i'm enjoying that. yesterday was 12\31 - my first full day here and my first venture was to go out and get some food. i found some tokyo veggie restaurants on the web and set out for a little mission to find one. one of the first lessons learned here is that addresses and street signs are pretty much not happening. i can read maps pretty good, but ended up wandering for over an hour looking for the pure cafe. i found it:

its certainly an adventure setting out for a particular destination, but after this happened again, i decided to not be so specific. as i had read about, 12/31-1/3 is a holiday time here and many things are closed. ce la vis - the journey is the prize. i ended up near harujuku - THE trend setting district for all those crazy youngsters in japan

as you can see - they would fit in perfectly at some of the parties we attend...

and you'll have to excuse the crassness that follows, but i just can't resist ---

after a nice strong cup of coffee and a big breakfast, i like to do as the sign for this uber chic district suggests....

thank you, thank you. i'll be here all week ; )

anyway, so i connected up with an international traveler forum and met up with some euro girls for sushi snack in the afternoon. following a few drinks we met up with a larger group of these peeps and celebrated in shibuya - a really happening area. imagine times square times 100:

oh look, there's me at the dinner:

and there i am again a few hours later at shibuya crossing:

new years was fun. can't say it was the biggest spectacle i've ever seen, but it was memorable for sure. after the dinner the idea of giving out free hugs was proposed by our japanese hostess. we made a sign and got some really warm responses, and many confused looks. there is no word for hug in japanese. the concept doesn't really exist. nevertheless, hugs were doled out, some unexpected debauchery ensued, and the party went on...

a rare scene of an empty subway platform. this is around 3 am, right after a train left...

1.1

new years day is traditionally spent with family here in japan. everyone goes to the temples to wish for a prosperous year. when i say everyone, i mean everyone. so i set out for one of the biggest temples in tokyo, naturally. en route, i did have one subway transfer. i stepped out of the building, saw some activity, and went with the flow into a massive shopping arcade in ueno. this was more of the asian shopping/market style that i had seen before. where i'm staying it is department store after department store. i do believe that shopping is the national sport of japan. anyway, it was a fun little detour complete with barkers, gambling, shoes, hats, hello kitty, you name it...

international.so i finally made it to the temple, and as i would have expected there were some people there. lots of them...

and it truly was a beautiful temple...

following my temple visit, i stopped in at a traditional onsen, or hot spring. the onsen was a stones throw from the temple, but a world away. inside was a super old school setup, as was the clientele. a public bath with me and a dozen 70 year old men - pretty nice to be able to soak after two days of non stop wandering though...

this is representative of shinjuku, the area i'm staying in. everything is like this, its crazy!

tokyo is a living and breathing organism, pulsing with life! but i'm ready to move on after what presumably will be an insane experience tomorrow when the emperor opens his home to the public for one of two days of the year to give a speech...

to be continued...