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My First Trip To Japan 02

I spent a few days in Yokohama and then popped into Toyko for a long day…

I hung around Shinjuku and met with an artist called Tomoko. She took us to a restaurant where we ate for a few hours. It was very busy and this is where I think I lost all my business cards. I was showing them off in the restaurant. Note to self: showing off leads to trouble.

In the evening in Shibuya I hooked up with my friend from Singapore, Celeste, who was orgainising a hip hop night in a club there. She wore a nice hat. I have no photos of this. A couple of hours of sleep later I was on a train to Kyoto and a little after that I was snoozing around some temples and their lovely gardens. I’ve become a big fan of moss. Moss is boss.

The dry gardens aren’t as I imagined but a few minutes in their company and they become strangely compelling. I think I spent over an hour staring at this one. Was it the magical qualities of the stones and their delicate composition that transfixed me, or the Red Eye beer cocktail I’d mistakenly ordered the night before? I spoke to a Japanese man dressed head to toe in American baseball gear. He told me he supported Manchester United, I wasn’t surprised really.

In one of the temples there was a vegetarian resturant, with low tables and cushions. I found it pretty uncomfortable really, but looking at the locals also dining, so did they. It didn’t matter though as the dishes came coming…

...and coming… each was beautifully presented and tasted great. The variety of textures and tastes was impressive. I had no idea what anything was.

The best thing was this hot plum, both sour and tangy, it was oooishiieee!

Later that night I met up with another artist who took us to a place full of smoking Japanese business men. The chef decided to make me a baked potato as a gift. It was a bit like the ones I get from the Potato Man in Nottingham, except, you know, much nicer.