Big in Japan (Tokyo to be exact)

After 5 fun filled days in Kansai area with Akemi, Megan and I boarded the Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo. When they said that Superman was faster than a locomotive, I don't think they knew about the Shinkansen--damn it was fast! And the pride and joy of Japanese people.

Two sweet older Japanese ladies met us in Tokyo, thanks to Akemi's hyper planning skills. Exceedingly polite as Japanese tend to me, they were eager to please, and so were we. After some back and forth, we decided on a short itinerary that included the Imperial Palace, Kabuki Theater, Tokyo TV Tower, the Fish Market, Shibuya (Times Square/shopping), and Akihabara (electronics superstore). We were about to be inundated with kawaii-ness!

The Imperial Palace was massive but barely visible due to the greenery and the high gates, so it was rather disappointing. Kabuki Theater, on the other hand, was AWESOME! Who doesn't like watching a guy in drag, I mean seriously?! Hahaha Anyways this ancient theater prohibits female actors, so all the men dress in kimonos and the men dress as shoguns to put on quite a show. It's all very exaggerated, with a ton of makeup and hand gestures, ultimately making for hilarious entertainment.

Outside the theater


Just to give you a taste...


Tokyo TV Tower



Fish Market





Shibuya shopping area




I also had the pleasure of meeting up with an old Japanese friend from high school, who showed me around the funkier sides of Tokyo:





On my last morning, Satsuki surprised us by dressing us up in authentic kimonos--they were so beautiful, but definitely not made for tall women!! It took two hours to dress Megan and I up and do our hair, so of course we had to take a bijillion pictures. Here are a few: