July 23, 2007

• Tickets anyone?

  If you REALLY support your troops, not only should you throw your over-18-years-of-age daughters at me, but possibly donate a plane ticket for me to go back to Japan.  I'm starving right now, and I'm about to crack open a can of Chef Boyardee-- but then I thought, I need to eat me some of these:

  
  

  

  
  

  They're looking mighty delicious right now, even if they're just plastic static displays.  Japanese style Izakaya-- think of it as a cheaper and more substantial version of tapas or mezze.  Generally, you want to order tons of food, whether it be grilled skewered yakitori or one of those awesome donburi bowls, and drink tons of beer.  Its good times rolled up into a decent check at the end of the night.

  
  

  I remember a few years ago in Ikebukuro (part of Tokyo), my friends Kat, Mike Y., and Taku went out and got pretty wasted one time at an Izakaya.  I was staying with Kat's relatives back then (her mom's side is Japanese), so we had a place to stay in Ikebukuro and there were plenty of places there to get drunk.  Before we got to the restaurant, we already drank quite a bit, and Kat was pretty wasted already.  As we were waiting for our food to arrive, Kat went over to the plastic displays and began attempting to devour one of the nearby plastic food bowls.  It was kind of embarrasing for her, trying to spit out all the wax and plastic chunks while everyone else is laughing and the owner is about ready to slice our noses off with a veggie knife.

  
  

  

  
  

  This awesome motherfucker is Kohji, the chef at an Izakaya joint out in Daikanyama that we frequented alot (took this pic from Capsul's page).  His place is a bit "upscale" for all its worth, meaning that people had to behave themselves at his place.  But his food tastes the best.

  
  

  

  
  

  Most of the time, we get to meet all kinds of crazy people, whether it be locals or gaijins.  I remember this group of people that we started talking to and toasting at a joint in Ueno-- I can't remember their names, but I remember the whiteys are an Australian couple and the dude on the right could actually speak decent English (thus I didn't need to embarrass myself any further with my substandard Japanese speaking abilities).  And that's Taku poking his head in on the left.  There were others there too, but I couldn't find any more pictures from that night. 

  
  

  We had a great time-- we ate alot, we drank a lot.... I mean ALOT.  I don't even remember how we got home that night....... oh wait, I didn't.  I passed out on a park bench a block away from Kat's apartment, and one of the locals that we drank with was on the ground next to the bushes.  The other three somehow "lost" me on the way home, and Kat passed out on my couch where I usually slept in, and Mike and Taku somehow ended up in Kat's bed next to each other.

  
  

  Wierd.

  
  

  .................

  
  

  Like Harold and Kumar goes to White Castle, I need to make my "Chris Goes to J-Pan" adventure again.  Anyone up for funding my trip?

  
  

   

  
  

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  EDIT

  
  

  I just got back from NY.  I told you I was going on an adventure.  Unfortunately it was with the 'rents, so I couldn't drink.  Well, not as much as I usually do anyway.

  • 9:26 am
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