Japan - Day Seven

We decided to get out Tokyo for a bit and see something a bit less urban. We hopped on a train and went out to Kamakura, which used to be the capital of Japan.






Kamakura is mostly known for its temples, shrines and the beach. It’s a popular daytrip for Japanese folks. We went and saw Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, which is considered the most important shrine in Kamakura (by our English guide books, so take that for what you will). It was quite beautiful, and a nice relaxing break from the madness of Tokyo.
















We walked down the road to smaller shrine, stopping in a little café (which was basically a woman’s house) along the way.














Chris and I decided to go see the Daibutsu, which is basically a giant statue of Buddha. It was awe-inspiring. You can actually go inside the statue, which inspired my awe even more.








Derek and Jon went to the beach. While they were there they found a pretty hilarious sand sculpture.














After a day in the country, we were excited to go see our label-mates Lillies and Remains play at Shibuya Plug. Another awesome venue, and the band was rad too.






We met a nice young woman (who was carrying around a stuffed animal) at the show who liked our band, but had missed us at O-Nest. Our fan base includes plushies I guess.


As was becoming tradition, we went for a late night meal with Ricky. Again, the food was great.

Japan - Day Six

We’re not just a noisy rock band, we’re also lovers of culture and stuff. Se we decided to head out to Roppongi Hills in the morning. Roppongi Hills is one developer’s vision of utopia. While I wouldn’t call it utopia, it’s really nice there.








We had lunch at a great open air café. It’s hard to have a bad meal in Japan.






After that, it was up to the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower. 360 degrees of windows with a great view of Tokyo.








From there we went up a floor to the Mori Museum of Modern Art. The exhibit was amazing. It was a retrospective of the Turner Prize. Pretty much every piece that’s won the prize, ever. It was a dream come true for me. The Damian Hirst cows are as upsetting as you imagine.


After that, we went out to roof for more impressive cityscapes. Chris and I were happy to find the Lovers' Sanctuary!


Having had our fill of culture (and stuff), we decided to act like true North American Scum and buy lots of things, so it was back to Harajuku (and the infamous, not to mention hilariously named, Takeshita Alley) and Shibuya. We experienced the madness that is Tokyu Hands all over again (they sell everything from lumber to bicycles to costumes to luggage to camping supplies to lab equipment ... and more) and tried out Mos Burgers’ main competition, Freshness Burger. It sucked.






After a quick recharge at the hotel, we decided to do what we do best ... drink at a bar. We’d been hearing about how awesome Garage Land was, so decided to check it out. On our way upstairs to the bar, we could hear The Only Ones and started to get excited. That excitement tapered a bit when we realized that there was only one other paying customer in there and that the place was about twenty square feet. Our waitress was really nice though and put on some Sonic Youth in our honour. We behaved with dignity.