Gropezilla hits Japan: Toyota Auto Salon and a Trip to Shibuya

After the adventures in Roppongi everyone was feeling slightly worse for wear so decided that a day of rest was in order (Roppongi Jesus decreed it to be so) so we didn’t end up emerging from our room until about 3 in the afternoon (although I did walk to the Seven11 in my Pyjamas to get food just because I could). On my visit to Sunshine city yesterday I saw that there was a Toyota Autosalon and I thought it looked like something the boys would like so we headed over to check it. If you like anything car related (and even if you don’t) I recommend that you go over and check this place out.

The first thing that you see when you walk in the door is Gran Turismo simulators, I would like to point out that my driving in games is in no way related to the way that I drive on the street (this is code for I suck at car racing games, or games in general) and I possibly didn’t place very well and possibly crashed, but hey, what evs. There are all sorts of simulator games that you can play on around the building but my favourite would be the crash simulator. It shows you how your car will react in a crash (see being good at crashing does come in hand some days). The highlight of the Toyota Auto Salon for me was the show rooms up stairs and the little girls that go along with this to clean the car of finger prints. Think of a group of synchronised swimmers on land and that explains these girls, As they walk up to ever car they do a little routine, swish their brushes over the cars and move on to the next one. Pretty Impressive if you ask me.

Driving the Simulator, not crashing at this point

I am a firm believer that travelling is about the people that you meet more than the things that you do, and because of this I don’t like to sit around in the hotel room and instead want to hit the pavements (and bars)*cough* and get amongst it. This is what propelled me towards Shibuya. On a tip off from Marc, I decided to go to Gas Panic in Shibuya and check out the scene. I think possibly because Gas Panic in Roppongi is so amazing I went with unrealistic expectations. The one in Shibuya is an unground smoke filled hovel filled with Nigerians who kept trying to make me go places with them, no thanks mate. The gaijin talent was not to my liking so I decided to call the night quits and head home, or so I thought.The trains in Tokyo stop running about 12.30ish but the JR Lines go until 1, and after a while of aimless wandering I found a way into the station to catch the last train. By golly, I have never seen so many people on a train in my life. It was worse than the North line in Perth in peak hour!!! (Without a word of a lie) I got into the train and the bodies just kept piling on top of me. I remarked to the young man standing in front of me how crazy it was and a friendship was born…

View of the train Platform for the last train

Meet my new friend, 31, from Chile, living in Tokyo for 11 years, knowns Japanese, Spanish and English fluenty and is learning German (show off). I remarked to him that I was disappointed in the night life in Shibuya and he was shocked, he said that I just didn’t know where to go, and I guess he was right. I was some how convinced to get off the train at the next stop so he could show me some proper night life (I must admit that it didn’t take much convincing),and after all its just one night in Tokyo after all. We got off the train at Takadanobaba, which is home to some of the big universities in Tokyo, we headed off down some back alley and kept going until we came across a place called Garlic Chips. Garlic Chips is a warm homely bar with spirits bottles lining the walls to the roof and wood everywhere, I guess I felt at ease being there. Having not eaten since lunch time I decided I wanted food, well the menu was only in Japanese so I asked for some chips, and what I got was some Garlic chips, not chips covered in Garlic salt, but actually slices of garlic that were turned into crisps. Needless to say I didn’t eat to many of them. The best thing about the bar was the trashy 90s sound track that was playing in the background. Spice Girls, Maccarena and yep you guessed it, Hanson (this was a request from me, I remarked that it was the only thing that was missing and when I was in the toilet he asked the bar staff to turn it on for me) How can anyone not be happy when Hanson is playing!!!! Next stop was a Mexican dart bar in Shinjuku, very brightly lit and loud with dart games on every TV, who would have known darts is a serious sport. We hung out, we chatted about life, we drank Hoegaarden and when it was time for the first train we went our separate ways. Life is what you make it and random people on the train could turn out to be amazing nights and amazing friends.

Hoegaarden and Garlic Chips - made from Garlic

Love and Mmm Bops

Miss K

P.S Something that struck me today was a conversation I had in Gas Panic with some Japanese guys, it was really loud and I couldn’t hear what they were saying so they were writing me notes, one of the questions that I was asked was “Are you happy?” without hesitation I answered Yes. Because life is what you make it, and I have made it amazing.