Tokyo Day 1: Off to Neverland!

A long time ago, in a place far, far away... No, but really, in America was where we first decided to do this...

-Katie on how this blog should start.

Mad Hatter: And now, my dear, something seems to be troubling you. Uh, won’t you tell us all about it?
March Hare: Start at the beginning.
Mad Hatter: Yes, yes! And when you come to the end, hehehe, stop! See?

-The Mad Hatter and March Hare on how to start any tale.

The night before their departure (the 27th of May, their Night Bus left at midnight that night/around 12:05 am on the 28th) was spent in jittery anticipation. She perused the internet for distractions, but she and her also excited roommate ended up just jamming to Disney/Thumbelina/Anastasia music for hours before leaving for the station. It looked like they were running away: three kids with at-capacity backpacks and satchel bags (Rory didn't have a purse...) slung over their shoulders spilling into a cab at 10:45 at night to go to the train station in the rain. But hey, the Lost Boys seem to have a good time, so why not sneak off? (Disclaimer: we /did/ talk to Iga-san, our student coordinator about our plans and where we were staying and how we were getting back etc. so we were safe) The Three Run-aways met up with their Otsu companion at the station, and boarded the Night Bus bound for Tokyo

(It was pitch black inside when they turned the lights off
and had the curtains shut)

....It was less than comfortable... and around six hours long...BUT! They arrived safely in Tokyo at 6:30 am on the 28th. They wandered around Shinjuku and found some interesting things:

And a Denny's, of all things (oh, Denny's... there are darker days ahead because of you...). So after a soggy breakfast (even in Tokyo, Denny's is still not a quality establishment) they headed over to Starbucks to kill some time. At this point, it's around 8:30am, they've been up since the morning before (she only managed to doze on the cramped bus) and they couldn't check into the hostel until 1pm. Things were looking grim. and then a magical thing happened: Australia by the Shins came on. In a Starbucks. In Tokyo. On a dreary rain soaked and sleep deprived morning.

(For those of you who have the misfortune not to know this lovely song or awesome band:)

This was the catalyst to turn the tables. We left the Starbucks (only Japan could make Maccha Lattes this good XD ), traveled the trains to Shin-Okubo and on a whim, decided to try checking into their hostel almost 3 hours early. Success! The Okaasan (Mother) running the delightful little place was so sweet and really seemed to care about the then weary travelers. And so, they napped. They had a concert that night, and their last companion's arrival, but until 6 they could sleep...

(The name of our Hostel)

(The sign says "Irashaimase" or "Welcome")

(Tale as old as time...)

(View of the Hostel (and Okaasan!) from our room- photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

After waking up and Rory bringing Jenny back, they set off to Shibuya on the trains for a basement rock concert (stopping at "Seven and Holdings" (7/11) for a quick dinner~). Shibuya is the place they ended up aimlessly wandering around in the rain during their class's trip to Tokyo... and it seems that theme decided to repeat itself. When they finally arrived at Tokyo: Cyclone located in 2B (or the second basement to all of you that didn't play Zelda), they pressed through the bodies, choked through the smoke, declined the alcohol, and eventually made their way into the main audience in front of the stage. The band they were there to see (at her 2nd concert, ever) was Your Favorite Enemies, a Canadian rock band with an eerie quality to their sound and a drastic difference from Eisley (the 1st and only other concert she's ever attended).

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

(We Glow! -Photo by Katie)

What better way to truly lose yourself down the rabbit hole than to attend an underground rock concert in Tokyo your first night in the city?

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

(Photo by Katie)

Even though Our Travelers were a little late and missed most of the previous bands, the two hour show that followed wasn't your Golden Afternoon "garden variety" concert. Three of the five guys in the band had longer hair than the one girl in the band (longer and thicker than mine, too...) and used it to their full advantage during their show. What a show... Between the screaming, the crying, the singing, and the dancing, the crowd seemed swept up in "The Power of the Music" as the lead singer referred to it. All in all, it was a great experience and she really wants to tell Aniki (her big brother) about it to earn more "street-cred" from the concert going champ.