- apologies for the stream of consciousness title, but it's 2am monday morning here in tokyo. and i just got home from a killer birthday party that featured lots of tasty sake (more deets below).
- before the list, must comment on the best laugh i've had in a long time
- before the list, must comment on the best laugh i've had in a long time
- during intermission of the saturday matinee, eric (the birthday boy - happy birfday!) played us a song from sex and the city 2
- yes, bear with me
- it's worth it
- liza singing beyonce's single ladies
- to be in a room of black theatre nerds who could appreciate both sides of that dichotomy was priceless
- we laughed hysterically, as i begged eric to put that link on my facebook page for me to play repeatedly and laugh later in the comfort of my own hotel room
- he obliged =)
- without further ado
- in shibuya, where the bunkamura theatre is, there are several intersections where all traffic stops and mass hysteria ensues. there are SIX crosswalks painted on the street. SIX!!!!!! if this ever happened in times square, mass hysteria would soon turn into multiple injuries or worse.
- i've heard two honks of a car horn since i've been here. and one was quite warranted - some dude was totally blocking the entrance/exit of a parking garage. regardless of circumstance, the drivers here are much more respectful of one another, which is much more than i can say of the big apple.
- the crowds here have absolutely adored us. now, are they as vocal throughout the show as a crowd in harlem would be? of course not. but they truly show their appreciation at the end.
- we were stunned that, on opening night, the entire crowd stood and cheered wildly long after we finished playing the exit music. by this time, many of the cast members were already in their robes and de-wigged. it's part of the culture to applaud for an enjoyable show until the cast returns for a second curtain call.
- they clapped for 5 minutes. i shit you not. they would not stop until they were literally told that the cast was already out of costume and would not be coming back out.
- once that announcement was made, martin (our head carpenter) came out on show and began his post-show process. dejected but not deterred, the crowd saw this white man, who clearly was not in our show, walk out on the stage and gave him a much-deserved round of applause. martin, being the stand-up guy that he is, graciously walked down center and took his bow.
- upon witnessing all of this, ray (our stage manager) put together a second curtain call for the next show, and we have been doing so (to thunderous applause) ever since.
- moving on, residents still hang their laundry out to dry
- their inclusion of english and american products into their everyday way of living far supersedes anything we do in any chinatown or similar neighborhood in the states.
- in the hotel, once you press the up or down button (and you don't actually depress it - a simple touch illuminates it and calls the elevator), the appropriate light (up or down) of the elevator that will come lights up and beeps once. upon arrival, that light flashes and beeps three times to let you know it's here.
- when you step out of the shower, there is a sizable rectangle of the mirror that is not steamed up, allowing you to perfectly see yourself in the event you want a close-up to shave or whatever
- did i mention the bidet?
- no tipping in restaurants, hotels, anywhere. totally frowned upon. they will hunt you down (i kid you not) in the street to return the extra money that you left for a tip or miscounted. there's already a 5% consumer tax added to goods anyway.
- cabs here are fairly expensive yet efficient. i must admit that though our bus from the airport to the hotel also drove on the wrong side of the street, it became a lot more personable on ground level in a cab. i couldn't ride a bike or drive a rental in tokyo for a long time to come. in fact, i'm still a little uneasy to cross the street, for fear that i've looked the wrong way and will summarily be flattened.
- walking down the street consuming food and/or beverages is also highly frowned upon.
- this is evidenced by the fact that there are not even trash cans on the street! no one litters, and if you're not eating or drinking outside, what's the point of having trash cans, right?
- in fact, even the concept of "to go" is unrealized without using the word "takeout."
- but when you do get the message across that you want to take something to go, be prepared for bags.
- i went to the grocery store and bought two separately packaged items, a sushi roll with rice wraps and a potato-y kugel-y kind of thing that looked amazing and tasted even better. the cashier proceeded to wrap each container in its own bag before putting them both in a larger bag.
- they're very neat here. even if you buy the smallest thing...i don't know, a pencil. they will insist on putting it in a bag. refusing the bag and merely taking the pencil and putting it in your own pocket/purse/bag is met with instantaneous discomfort and confused gazes.
- that's the point. they have a way of living. and they respect it. nothing gets half-assed. politeness is king.
- that is, except on the subway during rush hour. where they will push your ass into or off that train like you're a roll of sashimi.
- speaking of the subway. CLEAN. efficient. smells great. no trash. no homeless. no rancid pee smells. CLEAN! this entire city is like new york but better. more efficient. cleaner. better run. more effective at life.
- wonderful nightlife. went out to celebrate sam's birthday on thursday. area called roppongi, which i was highly recommended to see. specifically went to hobgoblin (an english sports bar) but overall, there was a very bustling bar scene, bright lights, great view of the tokyo tower. definitely going back.
- super visual culture. pictures on all the menus so that even if it's an only-japanese menu, you can have a rough idea of what you're gonna be eating.
- amorous about color. so much of america is drab with blacks, beiges, whites, browns. here, bold is the norm. orange purses and flip flops. purple appliances in department stores. lush greens dotting the landscape. neon lights seemingly everywhere. bright red hairdos.
- seven-story electronic stores that have everything under the sun imaginable. and then some.
- when you walk up to the front of a store/restaurant while it's raining, there are nifty little apparatuses that dispense bags onto your wet umbrellas. that way, whilst you walk through the store, the rainwater collects in the bag and not all over the floors. and there are trash cans in which to throw away the bags upon your exit.
- delicious crepe carts.
- ice and fruit are considered commodities. they must not like super-cold drinks, because ice is something like 3,000 yen for a few pounds. walk in the supermarket, and grapes are like 7,000 yen. cherries? let's not go there.
- because 3,000 yen sounds like a lot of money, but it's roughly $30 (the current conversion is roughly 95 yen to one usd). and carrying around 50,000 yen in your wallet or seeing prices like 143,050 yen for a watch makes you do a double-take.
- stories-long vertical banners illustrating store names and features inside on almost every building. many of said buildings have vastly differing shops on their respective floors.
- wall-to-wall people in tiny spaces. cabs meandering through narrow alleys around crazy bicyclists and unbeknowst pedestrians.
- 4'11" girls rocking 6" heels and becoming 5'5". unique styles. platforms. skinny heels. you name it, it's being worn here. and the girls, despite their average small stature, are owning them. which is kinda hot, if you ask me.
- environmentally savvy. at the theatre, we are reprimanded if we use more than one bottle/cup a day for beverages. you get one at the beginning of the day then reuse. mandatory. no questions asked. if you grab a second bottle, saori is waiting with a hattori hanzo sword.
- kudos to those of you who got that reference.
- no, there is not actually a sword involved. saori's much too sweet to harm even a fly.
- bathrooms in the theatre don't have towels or excelsior xl hand dryers. there's a communal rag. why waste paper and/or energy?
- so i've heard from the ladies, the toilet in the basement next to wardrobe is heated. super heated. hot as balls. good thing girls don't have any.
- denny's must be good here. that's the only thing that could explain the hordes of people inside and in line at seemingly the world's largest denny's in shibuya.
- can be expensive, but only if you choose so. on sunday, i split a 15,660 meal 4 ways. the following saturday, split a 20,000 meal 5 ways. so sure, i spent 40 bucks on dinner twice at chic places in akasaka, but all of my other meals have been at, say, mom-'n-pop holes in the wall on robust noodle shops and trips to kinokuniya, aka the supermarket.
- ok, maybe that's not true. tonight (sun night), i just got back from a wonderful dinner that celebrated eric (sat) and moya's (mon) birthdays. we went to gonpachi, on the 14th floor of a building only a couple minutes from the theatre. amazing view. and there were a lot of us. we did things family-style and split an 79,370 yen bill 24 ways. yep, that's roughly 3,300 a pop. but the food was so good. i had three different kinds of sake, asparagus wrapped in bacon, 5 different kinds of tempura and foie gras that was topped with strawberries. omg, that was the best daffy duck i've ever had.
- in the same vein (hmmm, i said vein...so now i'm thinking about that juicy, plump foie gras again), i'm shopping for sunglasses but don't want to buy them until toward the end of the trip. oftentimes, i buy something then see something better the minute after. so, i saw some really cool glasses. put them on. felt good. took them off to discover that the inside design was parts of the nyc subway system. i know, right? how awesome is that?!? then i saw they were 16,000 yen. looks like i'll be buying something closer to the non-special-designed yet better-fit glasses for 3,150.
- one of those chic 4,000 yen for dinner places was traditional by japanese standards. took off our shoes, put them in lockers and kept the keys until we left. our table had a button that instantly called the waiter. yes, a button. man, we americans sure are stupid compared to the japanese.
- and i've only been here one week.
- and i'm going to cirque du soleil's ZED and tokyo disney tomorrow on my day off.
- commence jealousy now.
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