Archive for the Events Category


Yuri Revolution, Day 5

April 13th, 2005

Finally! A full day of walking around to see *stuff*.

Today (Day 6) I have a business meeting mid-day, so my day is pretty much shot for fun. P and the gang will be shrine-hunting in the sunshine, and maybe with luck, we’ll manage Mandarake tonight.

But back to yesterday….

It was super cold and rainy, so Tokyo Tower was right out. We decided to head to Asakusa to the Senso-ji, because there’s so much to see there. And I took, for me, alot of pictures, which will probably bore you to death, so here’s just a few:

This is the Nakamisedori – its the road that runs upt to the main Temple, and has a bazillion little overpriced knicknack shops:

Here is a picture of a shrine to Benten, the goddess of fortune and wisdom:

And here’s a cool waterfall set-up, crossed by a tidy little bridge, with a koi pond on the other side:

P and Wing and I ended up in an udon place for lunch- it was good, but a little heavy. A bit miraculously, we managed to find everyone else again (for the second time – bizarrely, we all ended up at the bathroom at the same time….) and we took a long, long, looong walk out to Kappabashi, the restaurant supply and plastic food district.

I want to digress here for a sec. Apparently the only “in” color for school uniforms this year is navy blue. I have seen a handful of green, grey or beige uniforms – but scores of navy blue. I have no particular interest in school uniforms…I just noticed the preponderance of navy blue.

Anyway, at the Kappabashi, we learned that plastic food is very expensive. Vicky, if you read this, we got you your gyoza. You’re welcome.

Expensive plastic crabs:

Shiny colorful expensive plastic food:

Two utterly random things we saw while walking:

We ended up on the Inarichou, which has alot of stores that sell religious goods. We split up here, because we were all tired and cold and needed a break.

P and I went back to the hotel, I napped, she read. At 5 we decided to walk out for dinner, so we called everyone in the hotel and met at 6. We wandered Ikebukuro, spent more money at Toranoana, then wandered behind P who wanted curry and for all of us to sit together. We ended up at Sunshine 60 in the food court, where they all had curry and I ate a salad.

About 9 I crashed again and we went back to the room where I was asleep by 10. I’m really annoyed about how badly I’m handling this trip. I was so good about not having caffeine before I left and eating right and exercising, and I’m falling apart worse this time than last. I wish I had some energy! I feel like I’m half ready to sleep *all* the time here and it’s been almost a week already. I really didn’t count on feeling this way for so long.

Anyway, enough whining. Today I meet with the new editor of Yuri Shimai and Rica to see if we can develop some sort of relationship. It will certainly be interesting, if nothing else!





Yuri Revolution, Day 4

April 12th, 2005

Sorry for the delayed update – yesterday was awfully busy. All that sitting and grinning and being happy wore me out…but I digress.

The morning began with meeting the gang in the lobby. We had a fair crowd: Bruce, Zeyl, Wing, Erin, Laura, Kelli, Donna and Serge.

We hit the streets of Ikebukuro for a short walk, and then, like the good host I am, I had to bail. Donna, Serge, Bruce and I had a date with Death.

Takarazuka is an all-female musical revue troop (for the geeks out there, it’s the kind of thing Sakura Taisen is based on) that has been in existence since the 1920s. Getting tickets is hard, but Rica got us a few and the show was SO good, I forgive her for killing me the other day!

I recommend you click the above link for the story and pictures (because I couldn’t of course take pictures during the show….) but you HAVE to read the story! Who *knew* that the fall of the Hapsburgs was because Death had the hots for a woman??? I sure didn’t! I’m going to track down my history teacher and complain, because that’s a damn site better a story than boring old socio-politcal forces and changing economics!

I did manage to take a picture of the nice policeman who gave us directions at Hibiya Park:

And the outside of the Theater (all the ladies loitering are probably scalpers):

And this statue at the corner of the building:

But it will take me several separate entries to truly gush about the show. It was perfect! It was everything I’d ever hoped a Takarazuka show would be. Nao Ayaki as Death was great – she moved so cool that Donna and I kept trying to mimic it unsuccessfully – and the music and songs were brilliant. Even Luigi, the stereotypical Italian cum Greek Chorus was fantastic.

Really – my toes wiggled through the whole show it was so good.

And everywhere Death went, “he” was accompanied by a dozen Deathlings (which Donna called the “Deathkateers”. I kept singing, “He’s Mister Death Miser” tunes when they came out – and if you know the reference, you’ll understand what they looked like.

When I get home, I’ll scan in some pictures, just to show you some good bits.

In any case, it was brilliant. It was also 3 hours long. By the time we got back to Ikebukuro, I was wiped but, as it happens, almost everyone had fled. So Donna, Serge, Bruce, P and I went for Italian at the Italian Tomato (I had a spinach pasta dish which was pretty good) we crashed in our room for Doctor Who and Live Action Sailor Moon, then I kicked everyone out and was asleep by ten.

Today (Day 5) was supposed to have been sunny, but is once again rainy, so I think we won’t bother with Tokyo Tower. I’m going to start at Akasakusa and try to get to Kappabashi…and then we’ll see. :-)





Day 2, Part 2 – Day 3, Part1

April 11th, 2005

Well…all I can say is that Rica Tashima is evil. No rest for me, as I found out after the early morning stroll around Ikebukro.

We talked business for a few hours, then she had me come with her to pick a friend up at Shinjuku. Only…I thought I’d be gone for half an hour – I was gone for four. I didn’t have my bag, so no camera, so no pictures of any of the things I saw yesterday, including the bar in Suginami city with the random Gundam statues in the window.

I was supposed to meet someone last night, but I couldn’t do it. I had warned her that my second night and third day is when I crash from jet lag. She didn’t care. I begged off the metting and she took us out to a manjuyaki restaruant for really good food that I only tasted, because I was too tired to eat.

I was asleep by 9PM, and awoken at 7AM by an earthquake – or, more accurately, the wife waking me and pointing out that there was an earthquake. 6.1 at the origin, felt like 3 or so here. Mostly it felt like a boat rocking…a very strange feeling on the 16th floor of a hotel.

We all gathered together for breakfast at a local cafe and a stroll through the rain.

Donna, Serge, P, and Sparkle on “Romance Street”.

This little guy is gesturing for you to come into the restaurant.

We wandered among the closed pachinko parlors and soaplands and nudie bars, and now I have to pack the computer up – I’m off to the A|Z Cafe to meet the owner and do a sound/video check.

The rest of the folks will be wandering about for the day, while I do business. Lucky dogs.





Yuri Revolution, Day 1, part 2

April 9th, 2005

Day 1, Tuscany

Oddly enough, Tuscany was the cover article of the National Geographic available at the airport.

I am sitting at the desk in my room, looking over my shoulder at Ikebukuro at night, drinking Pocari Sweat (it functions similarly to Gatorade and when it is 4AM one’s normal time and one has hours of stuff to do before sleep, one needs all the electrolytes one can get.)

Our plane was named the Robert F. Six. I commented that it sounded like a good name, one that would not plummet out of the sky – and so it didn’t. I honor the memory of Robert F. and the five others who came before our fine vehicle.

For our last meal in the US, we chose to eat at a local Indian restaurant that we like. After parking the car, we found that we had time already on the meter. I stepped out of the car and found money on the ground and P. (my wife) found a nail. I interpreted the signs to mean that we would have good fortune, good timing and good luck. So far, my prediction has been solid.

As I type this, Tsubasa Chronicle is on. TV. None of the original voice actors are being used…damn shame.

This trip has been a little scary so far, because everything has been perfect. That never happens. P and I have the *worst* travel karma in the whole world, bar none. If there’s a way for the airline or hotel reservation to be screwed up, then screwed up it shall be!

And yet, with the exception of the teeny-weeny little side trip I took at security, where they singled me out for special screening, all has been creepily smooth. The plane boarded early, the plane was almost empty, so we had plenty of room, and the food wasn’t nearly as abysmal as we expected based on past experience. (But we expect that that is as much because we packed food for ourselves. If we hadn’t been able to pack food, the food would have been inedible, I’m sure.

The trip to the hotel was smooth, the reservation was (gasp!) correct, thus breaking a 20-year tradition of no hotel ever having my reservation listed.

And, while we were leaving a message for Donna and Serge to call us, they walked in the door.

Now P, D and S are out buying food, and I, Sparkle and Gideon will be following shortly. Room party!


From the left, Sparkle, P, Donna and Serge. Expect to see  alot of pictures of these folks…

Rica came over as we sat, bringing copies of the Yuricon ’05 program book – it looks great!

As people started to wilt, they left. But, even though all I wanted to do was sleep, no! It was off to the WANA Trap! Ladies event.. Yay.

So Rica and I left the wife to sleep, and trundled through the overcrowded streets of Shinjuku, as thousands of young people went out to have “fun.”

We met Takami (a Yuricon staffer and Rica’s good friend) at the Hanazono Jinja.

(A Jinja is a Shinto shrine. This one is notable for being a cute shrine in the middle of a vey busy part of town. Throughout the night, they kept trying to explain jinja-related things to me, but I kept saying that I knew and when asked how, laughed and said that I was a fan of Hana no Asuka-gumi. LOL But seriously, I like the Hanazono shrine and I’ve promised it 500yen, so when we go back on Friday, I’ll give it to the kami (resident god) then.)

WANA was being held in a teeny little bar/club – there seemed to be 25 people or so. I was told that there had been another ladies event the night before which is why it was empty. So I drank my lemon squash and watch all the kiddies dance, and felt very old and tired. We gave the organizer some chocolate as a gift, and a signed copy of Rica ‘tte Kanji!? and she was so happy she tried to pick up Rica. (Who had already fended off advances from a lovely, yet, young, lady early that evening. I felt like a fifth wheel.) I don’t remember having that kind of energy even when I was 20.

Eventually the caffeine wore of and we all left. I made my way back on the one of the last trains to Ikebukuro, in a crowd that would have been terrifying if I cared about such things. I can see how groping is such a problem in these cases. There was one little beady-eyed guy near me and I kept an eye on him in case he tried anything funny on the girl who stood near him, but then I forgot. lol

Went to bed, tossed and turned for a few hours and took Ambien.

And so, day one endeth after 39 hours or so.





Yuri Revolution, Day 1

April 9th, 2005

Well, we made it with zero difficulties. A first for travel for us!

Note the empty row of the airplane…there were like 30 people on the plane with us.

The view from the hotel room. Doesn’t look like much, but it’s gazing over downtown Ikebukuro, where all the cool stuff is.

More later after we crash!