At 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning I catch a train for Narita Airport where I will then fly to Seoul, South Korea. However, that is tomorrow, and seven hours into tomorrow at that! The point being: it does not yet concern me (although I did make sure to call a guest house and reserve a bed for two nights). What does concern me today are how I would fill the day, and as usual there is never a dull moment: After an hour-long run along the docks of Tokyo harbor, I met Maki-san at 1:00 p.m. and we went on a walking tour from Shinagawa, through Shirogane, and into the Ebisu area. These are some of the nicest parts of the city, as boutique shops and quiet residential areas keep out the massive development famous to Tokyo.

We ate lunch in Shirogane, which means "white gold" in Japanese, at a restaurant famous for its SOBA noodles (shown to the left) and TEMPURA (fried style of cooking). We probably looked like fish out of water considering we were dressed for a long walk, while the other diners were all wearing the kind of casual, up-scale fashion that I like so much in Tokyo.

Afterward, we continued onward to the Ebisu district, stopping only at a small bakery that is one of Maki-san's favorites. She ordered me a couple カーリパン (KA-RI PAN, or curry-stuffed croissants) that I would save for breakfast at the airport tomorrow morning.

We reached Ebisu Garden Place, an outdoor shopping area with European-styled shops and cafes, at 3:30 p.m. and sat down for a cup of coffee. People watching was the order of the day, and there was a never-ending supply passing by in front of us.

With our batteries re-charged, we walked over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. The museum was hosting a special exhibition for the famous Japanese photographer, Daido Moriyama. His jarring, often blurred work signified a drastic change from the static, sort of precise photos characteristic to most photographers of his generation.

The subjects of his work, coupled with the often dark lighting and slightly out-of-focus shots (an intentional technique), conveyed a sense of quiet reflection at the chaos associated with life in the rapidly-industrializing Japan. Indeed, in the time following World War II, when Japan averaged 8-10% annual growth over a 40 year period, there was an often-overlooked dark element taking shape (something that, in my opinion, no longer exists). Personally, the picture to the left stuck with me the most because it characterizes someone trying to "survive" during this turbulent period. The dog is dirtied, but of good breed; hungry, but still on its feet searching; scowling, but willing to be subservient if it will bring a better life.

Obviously, taking photographs inside the museum were forbidden, so I have searched the internet for a few more photographs (shown below.)

By the time we finished touring the museum, it was already 6:00 p.m., and I had to meet friends in a couple of hours for a night out. Maki-san and I hustled back to the house, where she prepared MABO-TOFU, a Chinese-inspired tofu dish that is a combination of bean curd and minced meat in a spicy chili sauce. I stuffed it in pieces of lettuce, along with a small portion of white rice, and ate it like a taco. Delicious!

I left the house at 8:30 p.m. and headed back to Ebisu station where I was meeting 20 or so friends at a place called the Liquid Room. With a live band playing downstairs, the place was more of a music venue than an out-and-out bar, but there was nevertheless plenty of room for our group to spread out. As the night wore on we decided to change venues, so I searched out an IZAKAYA that could seat such a large group (by this time, we had grown to around 30 people). This wasn't that difficult, and within 10 minutes I made a reservation at a nearby IZAKAYA. Since not everyone likes IZAKAYAs, which guarantees you get drunk because it is only 1000 yen (under $10USD) for all-you-can-drink alcohol for 2 hours, half the group went to a small place called Bar New York (where it was 1000 yen for a single drink).

...(What happens inside an IZAKAYA stays inside in IZAKAYA)...

When midnight rolled around everyone met back up at a massive club called CAMELOT. There was a 2000 yen foreigner's and ladies discount on the 3000 yen entry charge, so I was in good spirits - perhaps that had more to do with my blood-alcohol content, though. Regardless, I partied at the club until catching the first train back at 5:00 a.m. the following morning.