'Yeah, yeah, yeah!'......it's the Beatles Bar.

Just one night at the Beatles Bar in Shinagawa and you'll be addicted....... you'll be wanting to go back again and again.

In a tiny little room very near to the Shinagawa station you can find this very unobtrusive venue. There is nothing remarkable about the location at all and it would be very easy to overlook. Bek and Paul became addicted and Steve has returned often with various work and personal friends. To date I have only been a couple of times as I have either been the designated nanny or away.

You pay 2000 yen to get in with drinks on top. Patrons can purchase a bottle of whisky which the host, Oshima, clearly labels. The bottle is stored on a shelf over the bar and taken down upon return visits. Naturally once it's depleted you replace it. Due to a typical 'lost in translation' mistake the first bottle Steve had purchased was amusingly labelled 'Stephen and Lewis'. Somewhere along the line Paul and Canadian Steve finished off the 'Stephen and Lewis' bottle but duly replaced it for the next visit. It has now been replaced quite a few times. Even though whisky can be bought incredibly cheaply in Japan you do pay 'top yen' for it at the Beatles Bar.

The host of the bar is a very funny guy. He is very humourous and to prove it he proudly pokes his finger through his glasses to show there is no lens.......... 'Just for looks!'

You are never quite sure what sort of music you'll get but it's all good. One night Paul even did a song or two! People crowd around the musician and simply listen or converse with other patrons.

On one visit there were six in our group; Moses, Steve and Sandy, Marion and Steve and I. We started the evening with a meal in a Japanese restaurant. You should have heard the complaints when we had to sit cross legged. There isn't actually much room in the eating spaces and if you are tall it's hard to find a space for the extra leg length.

As the Beatles Bar occupies a very small space and up to forty people often squeeze in, it can be very squashy and 'up close and personal'. We make sure we get there early enough to secure a spot. By the end of the night the tables and seats have been constantly moved around to accommodate everyone. One very friendly Japanese gentleman had been staring from across the room and finally took up residence next to me. I was happy to move next to Moses as things got a bit close. It is fun though, and yelling over the music makes for even more 'Lost in Translation' experiences than normal. The music is fantastic and the general ambiance of the place is so friendly and Japanese. No loud, anti social displays just respectful, enjoyable appreciation of excellent talent/s.

You can be sure it won't be an early night after any visit to the Beatles Bar. We were lucky to catch the last trains. We couldn't physically fit on one train leaving from Shinagawa so had to wait for the next one, then we caught the absolutely last train from Sakuragicho. On an earlier visit (when I was home in Australia) Steve and Moses had to walk from Yokohama because there were no connecting trains till the morning and then Steve borrowed Mose's bike to get home from Sakuragicho to Ishikawacho. He arrived home at 4am. Shame!!

On our most recent visit we had a group of  eight, all team project people.  We once again started with a traditional Japanese meal in a nearby restaurant. The food was very nice, particularly the tempura prawns, and of course, there were plenty of beers and wines to go with the sashimi.

'What a lucky man!'......Steve had two lovely ladies entertaining him.

Recovering from an irritation Moses looks just a little bit 'too cool for school' in his sunnies.

After the meal we relocated to the Beatles Bar where the entertainment was brilliant. The guitarist and vocalist were excellent. They asked for requests and we kept a constant supply up to them. There was not one request they didn't play. It was a fantastic night and after lots of singing out loud, playing supplied percussion instruments and too much whisky we all travelled home on the last, overcrowded trains. As the trains were so tightly packed we didn't even need to worry about falling over!!

Be prepared to (maybe) have too many drinks, go home smelling of cigarette smoke and have ringing ears for the next few days!! You'll never know if you don't have a go....

Glitz...Glamour...It's Ginza!!

From Ishikawacho........to Yokohama.........to Yurakucho.......it's here we step off the train to take a relaxed stroll around the Oedo Antique Market before finding our way to the streets of Ginza.

The Oedo Antique Market is held on the first and third Sundays of every month. On my last visit I went home the proud owner of a little old stool, which resembled a builder's work horse but was very quaintly made and apparently seventy years old. Who knows...could be only two years old...it's still quaint!

This time I decided to look for an antique Japanese doll. I wandered around the very busy and expansive market which is held outside the Tokyo International Forum. It is difficult to know whether you are indeed purchasing an antique or not but in my view it doesn't really matter....if you like it then buy it! After having a good look around I had a bit of an idea of what I would like. I had spotted a pair of dolls quite early on but decided to continue my reconnoiter. Finally, I was still drawn to the pair I had seen initially. In the usual broken, 'part English part Japanese' dialogue I found that the dolls were 80 years old and, fortunately, were also affordable. Many things at the market are very expensive.....sometimes I must admit to wondering why?? After handing over my six thousand yen I walked away with my dolls in their little wooden box. They definitely look old and the Japanese lady was almost offended when I questioned her again about their age. My dolls are now comfortably ensconced on our sideboard in the dining room.

As you wander around the market you may decide you would like a kimono...or maybe some china..... fabric...a trinket or nick knack.....jewellery...a print....really the choices are many!!!

Paula came home with a print, an obi and a doll. Steve found an old cigarette lighter, a relic from the Vietnam War, with an interesting inscription on it.

After we left the market we moved on to Ginza with its brand name shops lining each side of the main street, Chuo-dori. Each Sunday this street is closed to traffic and becomes Pedestrian's Paradise.  Here you can catch street music (nothing too loud) and performances, hawkers selling magical puppets which dance without strings, and thousands of other people to bump into. I am sure the Thompson Clan would be intrigued to see the mention of the magical puppets!! Magical my foot...says Paul!

The heart of Ginza is the intersection of Chuo-dori and Harumi-dori, dominated by the glass cylinder of the San-ai Building. I believe Ginza is adequately described by photographs alone.....

 
Steve found himself a new toy...he wishes!! The silent guitar in the Yamaha shop was really quite fantastic.

 Maybe you would care for some tasty delights.....

It will be exciting to return at Christmas when the streets are lined with over 200 trees illuminated by over 100,000 lights. It should be a magnificent sight and will be well worth a visit one night, when normally just the street lighting is spectacular!

Going back.......it's easy in Asakusa!!!

Asakusa......why do I keep going back? The answer is simple.....

Asakusa is one of the places that I like showing to all my alien visitors. It is Tokyo's oldest geisha district and still has over forty actively working geishas. It has an appeal all of its own and on each visit I aim to see or do something new. The first time was to experience a piece of traditional Japan.....then to see the Senso-ji Temple and the bustling Nakamise Shopping Mall....another time to purchase a wood block print....then to visit the street selling kitchen paraphernalia and of course to share the experience with a different visitor or visitors.

This time was no exception when I once again returned with mother-in-law, Paula. Paula is enjoying four and a half weeks with us. She is very fortunate to be experiencing the mild days of a Japanese Autumn, as did Marion. Gone are the overwhelmingly hot and humid days that the Thompson Clan and Sarah endured during the hottest Summer in over 100 years!

As you leave the busy station you are instantly aware of a change in pace. There are lots of people...but that's the same anywhere in Tokyo. Rickshaws drawn by fit, young men race around town helping to create a traditional 'days of old' atmosphere. As you approach the main gate to the temple the rickshaws line the side of the road. The handsome young drivers stand along the street reeling in willing tourists. The highlight of this visit saw us taking the bait and succumbing to a ride in a rickshaw. Speaking in broken English our driver explained the route he would take and the costs involved. We opted for the 10 minute ride around downtown Asakusa costing 3,000 yen, rather than the alternative 8,000yen option. Ten minutes doesn't sound very long but it was amazing how much information Di , short for a name I couldn't possibly pronounce, passed on. Running along behind was another very handsome young guy who was training to be a rickshaw driver and aspires to be just like Di.

We passed along several back streets before entering the traditional street which leads to the temple and the shopping mall. As we passed along one street Di explained the meaning of the raccoon statues along the way.

He described how one certain temple can only be entered by dignitaries and we as common people could not visit. He stopped the rickshaw at one stage for the customary tourist photograph and then we disembarked at the entrance to the temple.

After the ride we visited the temple and I showed Paula how, for 100 yen, we could read our fortune. Fortunately, my future appears far more rosy than my previous prediction of doom and gloom.

Paula's was not so positive so she tied her fortune paper on the rack in the hope that her bad fortune will be blown away.

We enjoyed a lunch in the Himalayan Restaurant I visited last time then we headed home....but not before Paula purchased a kimono for lounging around in and a few other trinkets.

As this was very much a repeat visit for me I had subconsciously set a mission for the day. Rather than taking photographs of only landmark sites I decided to concentrate on other features which help to create the 'days of old' feel.

 Bolts of fabric, lanterns, street murals, people, sake bottles, colours, patterns......

....and how could I resist these eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously Asakusa is a perfect place to lie back and watch.