Day Eleven: I'm Going Japanese-Ah!

As would befit my luxury-loving lifestyle, I happened to plant my brother and my wallet in the Beverly Hills of Tokyo: the Ginza District. Filled with high-end shops like Gucci, Ferragamo, and of course, Louis, the area's been bustling with a flurry of activity since we landed Sunday evening. In addition, it's located right near the heart of the City, with major subway stations nearby, the fish market just a 15 minute stroll down the street, and some of the most sumptuous feasts money can imagine. Yes, we've just about begun to break our bank. But when did we ever expect not to?

On our first night, we strategically landed ourselves at Japan's oldest beer hall, Lion Sapporo Beer Hall. What we initially had thought to be a quick bite to eat and a taste of a mysterious Yebisu Black Beer turned out to be the discovery of one of the most lauded institutions in the area. Score for the win! The dumplings, tonkatsu (pork cutlet), and simmering beef stew quickly made me understand why Tokyo has become the culinary capital of the world. My brother and I are going to get futotta (fat) on this trip.

And it won't be very difficult with the vendor machine-like ordering at "fast food" restaurants. On our second day, we found ourselves stumbling into a tiny hole in the wall with a vending machine on the left side. With the American-loving chef coming out from the kitchen to show us how this miracle machine works, we learned that you pop in your 600 yen, and within five minutes, the chefs in the back churn out the gyukudon (pork & rice) and soba noodles for my afternoon delight...which lasted a long time. You might be wondering how much 600 yen is in dollars right now. It's actually about $6 so despite the reputation, Tokyo isn't necessarily as outrageous as some might say. I think real estate and the upper-end restaurants are the real wallet devourers. Tomorrow night, Ray and I are heading to Ohmatsuyah for a $200 hibachi meal (just the two of us). Thank kami (God) I have a brother who shares the same love of food and the same ability to spend serious cash as I do. I'm also thankful that Hong Kong will be compliments of Mama and Poppa, but in all likelihood, with the Jason and the Janice, I'll probably empty my wallet anyway.

Just like how I'm emptying my energy every day since I got here. Whereas Korea was more due to severe hangovers, Japan has become more of a walkathon of epic proportions. We've gotten lost all across central Tokyo, taken a tour from the Fish Market to the Asakusa Buddhist Temple, the oldest one in all of Tokyo, and experienced the thousand pedestrian march in Shibuya. We've witnessed the happenings of the seedy area of town where gobs and gobs of overworked Japanese businessmen go to read manga and er...other things. We've ridden the super efficient subway train that makes New York look like an amateur's act. We've done the touristy thing by watching a twice a year dragon dance march through Asakusa Temple. And we've cruised along Sumidagawa River admiring the amazing architecture and the thousands upon thousands of skyscrapers in this surprisingly young city. Tokyo has already lived up to its expectations, although what remains to be seen is the Korean-esque nightlife that I'm frankly hesitant to revisit.

So my brother's already bugged me. That buta (pig) of a brother altered the white balance on my camera without telling me, so a huge crapload of my pictures have turned up with washed out colors and dissatisfying quality. You, my friends, will never see them. So go on, send him hate mail. Or send it to me and I'll forward it to him. He deserves it. All I have to say is that tomorrow night's dinner is on his paycheck.

Aside from that though, it's been great hanging out with him in anime paradise. I don't know what I'd do other than touristy stuff if he wasn't here, and since we share interests, we find ourselves scouring the neighborhoods for good ramen shops (we found a great one tonight - and the chef spoke Chinese so we got some special treatment). We also look for Japanese CD's and DVD's at the Asian version of Virgin Megastore, make stupid faces in the camera that I'll only exploit at his expense, and enjoy towering over the locals like Arnold Schwartzeneggar in Twins. The locals are the Danny DeVitos.

The Japanese culture is pretty amazing, and it's even more interesting that, despite being just hours away from Korea and China, the traditions and customs can be so different. Cars drive on different sides of the road, Japan doesn't have anything like the ubiquitous soju in Seoul, and Korea actually seems to be more fashion conscious than Nihon.

What they do share, however, is an incredibly horrendous work ethic and the now understandable desire for binge drinking.

Every night, Ray and I look out the window and gawk at the businessmen and women still churning out reports at their desks and conducting torturously long meetings in the conference rooms. I wonder what America would be if we worked as long and as hard. Would the economy be saved? Would the Fed stop dropping the interest rate? Would I trade a girlfriend in for a geisha? Can I have them together at the same time?

Speaking of which, we decided not to go to Kyoto today. I'm not that disappointed, because that means I have a reason to come back to the Land of the Rising Sun. There's just so much to do in Tokyo, and since my friends Melissa and Patrick are here, we're going make sure we have a blast wherever we go.

And while we do so, we'll discover things more bizarre than the tv shows.

Like this guy, Jero: This foo is a Pittsburgh born American who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003. Growing up, his Japanese grandmother fueled a love for Japanese country music (or Enka) that has now translated to his success singing this un-hip music in Japan. When I first saw him on TV and expected a hip hop song to bust out of his vocals, I nearly changed the channel. But when he soulfully belted out a tune that loosened all my ear wax, I stayed on for another second before following through with the remote control. *click*

Tomorrow morning at 5am, Ray has the pleasure of waking my ass up from a blissful slumber. We're heading to the Tokyo Fish Market, the biggest and most famous wholesale fish market in the world. There, we'll watch the world-renowned fish auction, gawk at all the flopping fish, and devour more sashimi than, um, someone who really loves sashimi.

Oh, by the way, the photo to the left is the view from our hotel, the Park Hotel Tokyo in Shiadome. That shining tower is Japan's response to the Eiffel Tower. It's bigger. And better.

And so, I can say Tokyo's been great to us. Clearly, it's been an entirely different experience than the one in Korea, but that's what I needed. When my little brother said he wanted to party like a rockstar Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday, I slapped him upside the head, spat on his feet, punched him in the stomach, and said, "Daijobu." No problem.

Ato de aimasho! See you later.