Yoyogi-Koen + Irezumi + Manga Cafe
On Sunday morning I walked Megumi to work and begun to venture towards Yoyogi Park for a massive Thai festival that Anthony told me about. I took my time enjoying the European-city feel of Kawaguchi before heading into the JR Station. Just before I bought the ticket Megumi came running up to me and explained that they changed the schedule and today is her day off.
We took the Yoyogi exit of the JR line and were surprised to find that it was three stops away from the park. It actually provided us with a pleasant stroll through the city streets and a serene grove of trees leading up to the park through the less frequently visited North entrance. After the brief encounter with nature away from the concrete of Toyko we emerged into Harajuku. It was Sunday and the streets were filled with kids in Cosplay outfits. I’ve heard about Harajuku Girls before, and saw quite a few while I saw there. I was a bit disenchanted to notice that the majority of them were actually boys… dressed as Harajuku girls.
Further on through the park we arrived at the Thai Festival. We encountered music and dancers before standing in a 1 hour long line to order the most delicious green curry, Thai ramen, and tapioca drink. After meeting up with Kanako, we made our way out of the horde of people and found a chill spot to relax in the grass of Yoyogi-koen. Megumi and I wandered around, checking out people’s various hobbies and the activities people came out to do on this most beautiful Sunday.
Before long it was time to say goodbye and head to my tattoo appointment. Excitement unparalleled! Kanako came along to hang out for the first couple hours of the five hour session and take a few photos. Horiyou was an absolute pleasure to work with; gentle with the needle, and completely accommodating during the whole process. His high caliber of artistic skill ad friendly nature made the experience and result a totally satisfying experience! If you are in Tokyo and itching for some ink, he is definitely the man to see: http://www.boilin-point.com.
After five hours of continuous tattooing we were both ready to call it quits. We said our goodbyes and made the final appointment for 2 weeks. I took the rail to an all night internet café I found on Friday, stopping to take a few pictures of the famous Shibuya crossing.
This Manga Café was a unique experience in itself; palatial in comparison to any other internet shop I’ve ever seen. Two stories of shelves containing every imaginable type of DVD, graphic novel, magazine, video game, and probably more that I couldn’t see at first glance. Up the escalator and past the vending machines spouting out free coffee, tea, and juice I found my cubicle for the night. Inside was the most luxurious reclining chair which I would call my bed for the night. I did some computer work to start uploading the hundreds of photos I’ve been snapping before passed out.
I awoke about seven hours later, bathed in one of the café’s showers, paid my ¥3,000 tab (about $25; not bad for a nights sleep, shower, and 10 hours with one of the fastest computers known to man), and started towards Ryogoku to meet Kanako and Yuri for the Grand Sumo Tournament…
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Tags: - Photography, Asia, Internet, Japan, Japan: Toyko, Tattoo, Yoyogi
Adam Shane
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