Japanese Yukata Cruise

Yukata is a traditional Japanese clothing. The Yukata Cruise (or Noryousen in Japanese) goes on board everyday from Tokyo Bay, goes through and beyond Odaiba and ends back in Tokyo Bay; it goes on from July till September, and is only 1500Yen on working days (2500 yen on weekends) if you  wear a Yukata; this price includes an All You Can Drink package (Nomihodai) in which you can drink as much beer and Sours (Japanese cocktails) as you want, and you get to see traditional Japanese live performances! When I went there with my friends, the first thing I was surprised about was the amount of people; there were more than 1750 people (I asked!), most of them wearing Yukatas, and almost all having a great time, drinking, dancing, flirting, singing and what not! It was probably one of the best experiences in the past 4 years that I have been in Japan.

After drinking a Lot of beer, we all went to see the performances, and were simply amazed by the dancers, who were dancing in Yukatas and sometimes slippers but other times astonishingly high heels, while still finding a way to do some intensely technical and coordinated moves! After talking to one of the performers I got to know that they are a group of dancers who perform on this cruise every year and practice for about 5-6 months prior to the event, every single day, in order to get their moves up to the mark. Talk about perfection!

After the performance, some dance music played and people went berserk dancing, jumping, spilling drinks, shouting out into the sea... it was truly a wondrous sight seeing SOO many bright red faces which would be stressed out and working extremely hard during the day, but just letting everything out at night! Work hard, party harder!

Graffiti-zed Tokyo

as it started!

I had gone to Koenji for dinner last Sunday, and on the way back I decided to walk all the way to Waseda because I had missed the last train. While following the directions my iPhone provided me, I started noticing that since the very first few hundred meters that I had started walking, there had been graffiti all over the walls besides which I was walking. I haven't seen much graffiti in Japan so I was pretty surprised, but what was even more surprising was that it was continuous and continued to go on for about 2-3 kilometers. After walking for about half a kilometer I realized that there was some kind of story going on as the graffiti progressed, but the story eventually ended after another half a kilometer. Sensing this was the end of the graffiti I started focusing on other things around me, but after a hundred meters or so, the graffiti re-emerged and this time I noticed that all the drawings done had something written on top or near them, after walking for a bit I realized that the drawings on the wall were all related to a word game (Shiritori in Japanese and something like ATLAS in English). This got me even more interested and I kept trying to figure out the next word., all the while walking really slow so as to not see what the next picture would be. This went on for almost one and a half kilometers and I was about to reach my destination when eventually there was a drawing of a Giraffe (Kirin in Japanese) and the graffiti on the wall, along with the game, ended there (Since in Shiritori when someone says a word ending with the 'n' sound, they lose!). I recommend everyone to take that walk and be amazed by the innovate and amazing graffiti skills Tokyo has to provide!!

Mind = Blown

Recently I saw a Japanese movie which simply speaking blew my mind; It was like NOTHING I had ever seen before, and I being a movie buff have seen a LOT of movies. The name of this stupefying movie is Symbol (Shinboru in Japanese). Now why this movie is so incredible is because it challenges your whole concept of god, existence, parallel universe, heaven, and hell. The imagery is what makes this movie so special, it ranges from African tribal culture to Mexican Wrestling, and the symbols of Japanese culture can be seen from the very start of the movie, all the way till the end. The crazy part is that there isn't really any comprehensive story, as this film works more on a metaphorical level with symbols, images, clues and ideas without much explanation. It's a movie made to let your imagination run wild. It's basically about a man in his pajamas stuck in a white room where he can have anything a man wishes, but he cannot choose what he wishes, while at the same time in Mexico there is a Mexican Luchador ready to fight his final fight! Watch the trailer below and enjoy the wild ride!

Japan... and its trippy architecture! Part 2

Recently I went to play futsal at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. It was my first time visiting this gymnasium, and the moment we reached, I was astonished to find such a beautiful and "curvy" building in the middle of a robotic, "rectangular" Tokyo. After researching more about it I got to know that Yoyogi National Gymnasium is a structure built by one of the most famous modern Japanese architects, Kenzo Tange (the man behind the spectacular Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building). Built in 1964 for the Summer Olympics, the structure is an architectural icon for its extraordinary design.



When I saw it for the first time, it looked like an exceptional mix of western and Japanese traditional style! Its dynamically suspended roof and "flowing" curves are what makes it an iconic building. Back in 1964 it was the largest suspended roof span in the whole world, and even now in 2012 it doesn't fail to impress!

It is extremely near one of the largest parks in Tokyo, the Yoyogi park, which is a great place for picnics, festivals, hanabi, etc, so if you are at the park, do try and check the Yoyogi National Gymnasium out!

FOOD + MUSEUMS -- WIN

Japan has one of the world's largest food culture; so much so that they have food museums for some of their most famous food items; for example, Ramen museum, Cup Noodle Museum and Meat Museum.


Ramen Museum-- Japan, a country OBSESSED with Ramen, has its own museum for the ubiquitous Chinese noodle dish. The museum is mind blowingly well set up, full with a souvenir shop, various museum exhibits, a mini historical theme park and of course a few of the best ramen shops from throughout the country. The theme park is set in 1958 and provides for a good reminiscence of the good old Japanese Edo era.

If one is there to try the best ramen Japan has to offer, it is a hard task to judge since all the shops use their own unique technique with ramen soups ranging from miso to soy sauce based to plain old salt, and their own exclusive toppings from the traditional roast pork (cha shuu) to the not so traditional garlic chips!

Ramen with roasted garlic chips on top!

This museum, located in Shin Yokohama, is about 45 minutes away from central Tokyo, not very far if you consider the fact that you will get to eat the best ramen from all over Japan, and get to experience the Edo period Japan.

Ryushanhai- Yamagata Ramen!

Toride Ramen!

Japan -- and its trippy architecture!

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

The Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower is an educational facility with an unparalleled inspirational design. It is also the world's second tallest educational building in the world, and the seventeenth tallest building in Tokyo. It is located in Tokyo's distinctive Shinjuku high-rise district. In Tokyo's complex maze of buildings, the Cocoon Tower provides for an exquisite and magnificent view. The building has an elliptic shape which is wrapped in an intertwined web of diagonal lines, forming a "cocoon" for the students to grow, create and innovate in, in order to prepared for the "real world" out there. The low rise, intriguing egg-shaped structure comprises of the fashion school Tokyo Mode Gakuen; HAL Tokyo, an information and technology school; and Shuto Iko, a medical welfare school.
Some people however, consider this building's structure and design to be more influenced by a woman's "private area"

Another building which the Cocoon Tower is often compared to, is the Torre Agbar in Barcelona, Spain, since it uses a limited amount of space to create an enigmatic high rise structure.
Another reason the building is compared to the Cocoon Tower is because it resembles a man's "private part" and is a good complement to its Tokyo counterpart!

you decide!!