I’m becoming much more aware of how many chimes and jingles there are for… everything. The elevator sings a song when it arrives. The train sings a song when it leaves. Microwaves sing to celebrate a job well done. I wonder if it will start to grate on me after a while.
Something that will become plainly apparent if it isn’t already is that I am not a foodie. Exactly the opposite: I kind of dislike food, in general, as a concept. If I could replace my meals with a flavorless nutrient-rich sludge I would. This puts me at a severe disadvantage to write about Japan because this country lives to eat.
Of the 12 or so TV channels I get in the hotel room, half of them at any time are airing cooking shows, or restaurant reviews, or variety shows that will somehow involve celebrities eating something and commenting on how tasty it is. Every other door on the street leads to a restaurant. Even if they can only fit three tables, one will be occupied. Food is at the center of life here.
But I really don’t have anything to say about it besides novelties like eating Waddle Dee’s balls.
I spent most of the morning gawking around Akihabara and not spending nearly as much as I expected (There are endless benefits to not being into anime!). One item I did buy: a copy of Touhou 7, because I figure if I’ve been playing the game for nearly 20 years the least I could do is actually purchase it. Among the goods I resisted the temptation to waste money on: a Famicom (maybe if it was in better condition), a sealed copy of Yu-No (located behind an 18+ Only curtain, where there’s a very… specific atmosphere), and the original ToHeart soundtrack on vinyl (a simply ridiculous item to exist, I might go back and get it). For the afternoon I shifted to Asakusa and the Tokyo Skytree area, which was so crowded with tourists that I nearly wasn’t in the ethnic minority.
It’s Friday night and as much as I’d like to see what the Tokyo nightlife is like, it’s an early day tomorrow. Gotta go look at a mountain. It better be worth it.
