Represent’s on the way to TOKYO
MOSHIMOSHI! “Tokyo has more vending machines than any other city in the world, with over 2.5 million selling drinks, and hundreds of thousands more selling cigarettes, batteries, rice, eggs, fishing equipment, flower bouquets, and of course, pornography.” Lonely Planet.
You know that we go to the ‘nth’ degree to bring you the Good Life and the most fabulous news of all is that our very own SJ aka the original Editorista will be jetting off to her most favourite fantasy destination TOKYO, JAPAN (thanks to Brutal Fruit!). It’s probably the furthest one can go from South Africa and we cannot wait to find out all about it… She will be blogging from there next week and sending us loads of photos and video’s introducing us to one of the most fascinating cities and cultures on earth.
In her quest to fill her itinerary with only the most incredible things to do, SJ came across all kinds of wild and wonderful websites that she wanted to share with you – thanks to Aquoibon for the love, support and info!
*SO you know all about 43things.com already – well how about http://www.43places.com/ – it’s a bit like LonelyPLanet’s Thorntree or VirtualTourist where you can post questions about the place that you are visiting and members mail you back. The biggest difference is the rate at which it happens… super fast! Next time you travel just post a question on the place you’re heading to and the answers will appear in your inbox. Oh ja, and if you’re very into South Africa, you can give people answers to their questions on Jozi or Slaapies or wherever….
*The Japanese are reknowned for their incredible sense of aesthetics and their design gurus – some of you will recognise the fashion icons Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons and Hanae Mori … We’ll definitely be swinging by at least one of their fabulous headquarters.
On the subject of design, check out this bare and sparse hairdressing salon in Tokyo designed by the Isolation Unit – quite a change from our over-the-top bokkie hives. Thanks to Dezeen:
*Sushi anyone? From Weird Asia news:
“Japan as a country never stops amazing us. I am sure you have heard of, or seen the “Nyotaimori” (literally means female body plate), where the restaurant serves sushi and sashimi on a naked woman’s body. If that is not weird enough , Japan has just invented another way of eating, where a “body” is made from food and placed on an operating table, much as though in a hospital. You can operate anyway and anywhere you want by cutting open the body and eating what you find inside. The body will actually bleed as you cut it and the intestines and organs inside are completely editable. It’s a banquet of Cannibalism.
We’ll more than likely be skipping that one. See the pics and read more here.
* We can’t wait to go to the suburb of Akhibara never mind Harajuku, Shibuya, Shibuku and the rest… Hows this for an interesting twist to eating out – “Maid Cafe’s”, targetted at men who need to feel treated and imported, the cafe’s feature gorgeous young women in Maid’s outfits who bow to their masters needs… TokyoMango, that features “everything you ever wanted to know about the birth city of Godzilla, Gundam, all-you-can-eat shabu shabu, panty vending machines, and me” gives us their List of Top 5 Maid Cafe’s in Tokyo here. We’ll see if we can get there…
“Maid cafes are a popular, totally geeked-out phenomenon centered in the back alleys of Akihabara’s electric town. Their specialty? Girls dressed like French maid who say, “welcome back, master!” when you enter, delicate cakes and dainty dishes that make you feel like you’re in a fairytale, and walls lined with comic books, video games, and figurines that’s like chicken soup for the the otaku’s soul. Overall, these cafes provide superb subservient service to even the nerdiest, loneliest man in the neighborhood. “
*Then there’s the capsule or pod hotels… They’re these coffin-like rooms that mainly men rent for the night for about R200. There’s a strong culture of drinking after work amongst the ‘salarymen’ of Tokyo which is probably our equivalent of ‘suits’ or ‘bankers’. For those of them that can’t get home on time or are way too inebriated to walk, they simply check into a capsule hotel. Your coffin-like capsule has a tv, a radio and there’s sometimes free PJ’s, a sauna, massages and of course vending machines with beer which apparently are found all over Tokyo.
Here’s a list of Capsule hotels from About.com here. And you can read all about them from YesICanUseChopsticks right here – he also has free pics.
Ok… feeling kind of Tokyo mindblown…. Here are a whole lot more links for you to cruise through right here – thanks again to Aquoibon!
We’d like to hear from any South African’s living or who have lived in Tokyo – let us know the absolute must-sees and must do’s why don’t ya!
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/02/absolut-icebar-opens-in-tokyo/
http://www.subwaynavigator.com/subway_site/php/city_ri.php?pays=Japan&ville=Tokyo&langue=eng&id_ville=114&id_categorie=15
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyofeaturestoriesarchive249/244/tokyofeaturestoriesinc.htm
http://lostbiro.com/blog/?p=453
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/tokyoshopping/a/shoppingintokyo.htm
http://www.cyberjapan.tv/contents/tokyoclubguide/indexE.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/events/japan/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/1xtra/F1866165?thread=477357
