Tokyo by night

December 10, 2008 by rockportrait

OK – what day is it? What city am I in? What haven’t I told you about yet? Hmmm – I don’t know the answer to any of those questions, but I’m going to tell you a little about one of the best places to be at night – Tokyo. You saw Bladerunner, right? Me too. And Tokyo really isn’t like that. But it is full of bright lights and amazing signage that just draws the eye in. It’s full of people all night long.

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

It’s full of homeless as well. But the homeless in Tokyo still show pride in themselves. They are organised and clean, keeping their belongings well maintained and compact within their chosen transportation cart. They sleep on the streets under umbrellas, but they seem to be left alone and they seem to leave others alone. It’s a bit sad, but nowhere near as sad as how the poor and homeless live in every other country I’ve been to, including my own.

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

I was always looking for rock venues. I rarely found them, but when I did I stayed all night. Shibuya is home to the coolest, all-English rock karaoke venue. Great stage, awesome sound, a lot of fun. But it always closed early, so I would head into Roppongi to find the only real rock venues around. A tiny little bar (might have been called Ruby Red?) run by an Australian or an American – can’t remember which – holds open mic nights each week. That got me closer to the real Japanese musician, barfly or someone else less easy to label.

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

Once that placed shut (still before 1am) I headed back to Shinjuku for an all-night dose of “dial your own” metal. In a bar that was two levels below the street, held about 7 people, and was almost completely black, you would use a pen torch to pick out artists you wanted to hear,

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

be given CDs to choose from, then ask the barmaid to play the tracks of your choice.

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

You would then sit on your stool drinking your choice of Japanese beer, loving your musical choice being played at a clean and punchy 2000 decibels whilst trying to communicate with Japanese metalheads. So much fun, and just what I’d love to do more of at home. Any local metalheads want to come over on a regular basis and do just that?

From Asia II – Tokyo by night

The metal bar is open 24/7 but you have to get sleep eventually, so off I trudge back through the early dawn, hoping I can find my way back to the hotel. Along the way I see that McDonalds has become more than just a fast-food outlet, doubling as accommodation for weary travelers.