da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 So I just got back from 2 weeks in Tokyo. Went over on my own to get away from work, see a different part of the world. Get lost, take a lot of photos. All that stuff. Work on a photo book... This thread is just a load of touristy snaps, some food and Tokyo bombing snaps. A couple were Instagramed but most are just normal shots. There's a few photos and they're not the smallest... Waited for my flight Got some duty free Landed at Narita and took this into Tokyo Hotel room Hotel view It was late so I grabbed some convenience store sushi and vending machine beer. $6 dinner, can't complain Went to drop off a camera for repairs in Ginza and got mad lost in the rain for a few hours. Stumbled upon Freshness Burger. Not really Japanese but it was pretty good, and good to be inside Went and checked out Map Camera in Shinjuku, dudes here are real cool. If you like cameras at all… Picked up a new lens for the trip Relaxed before heading out again Saw this guy Checked out the Place M gallery in Shinjuku, if you like photography check them out. A lot of dope Japanese photographers have work there. They have a 24hr darkroom too. Mad films, which actually isn't even that much cheaper then Aus now… Want No idea what this stuff was Heard it's common to take a hot bath in Japan before bed so I had a soak Ass washing heated toilet seat And every thread needs some of these right? Checked out the Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 It was Golden Week which is a combination of a few public holidays, so a lot of places were crazy with people for the first week Throwing stars and swords The Sky Tree which isn't open yet And some rap letters under it Wandered around Asakusa some more then hopped on the subway Got some foods, you can get such good meals for like $12. So stoked Walked around the Marunouchi area and it started to rain. That place sucks, it's just offices and streets with Cartier and Tiffany's. Kinda like Ginza. White tourist/business area. But there's some rap letters around Picked up an umbrella and went to Shibuya, couldn't get the umbrella to work and met a girl who I went to dinner with a few days later. Some sneaky Utah/Ether bombing around Shibuya, and others Shibuya crossing Street my hotel was on, in Ueno Outside the station/markets Moon came out Checked out Akihabara, electronics district and the place for real nerdy white guys who want to go to maid cafes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 They've got female only train carriages, I think it's only at night but I guess there's some mad creeping going on JR Line from Ueno Park Got some roast pork meal, so good These dogs everyone has are rad Shibuya bombing Went to this club near Roppongi I think, had our own little section and the staff were way too helpful, bringing over drinks and cleaning up vomit without a question At some point I looked around and they were playing Style Wars projected on the wall, haha. No idea why Waited for the first service Next day before I went to take this girl to dinner I went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, free and probably the best view of the city. Was up there as the tail end of the cyclone that hit Japan came through Went to check out Tokyo Tower, passed the Zojoji temple on the way Some of the parks in the city are awesome, you walk in and forget you're even in Tokyo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Tokyo Tower is nothing special, went and got some ramen There was this little aquarium, and this fish seemed to like me Blue jellyfish Went to meet a mate in Yoyogi park but got way too lost on the wrong train. Finally got to the park Harajuku bombing Checked out the National Museum in Ueno Toilet instructions More bombing, mostly in Ebisu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Went to check this out, Robert Doisneau - Retrospective show was great. Then got some eats Some more Harajuku/Shibuya streets Decided to head to Kyoto for a couple of days. Took the Shinkansen (bullet train) Checked out the Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park Stopped for some Sake Heaps of cats hanging around parks in Japan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Not many rap words in Kyoto, but some sneaky names around Visited some more temples and parks, Kyoto is really nice in some parts but way too touristy in the main areas. It'd be awesome to visit if you could speak fluent Japanese and head outside the main city area Headed back to Tokyo and got to see Mt Fuji from the train Sunset going through Yokohama Went to pick up my camera from repairs Customer service in Japan is great. Where else could you turn up, say that your camera is broken and within 10 minutes you have an exact quote for the repair and a date to collect it, within 2 weeks. Mad respect for Ricoh. Working in camera sales and dealing with repair agents I've never had such a good experience. Took a look at the Imperial Palace Japan is great for eating solo, there's a bunch of stand-up noodle bars in small alleys, and joints like this where you pick your meal from a machine and get a ticket. Good to grab a quick meal, and well priced too. Maybe $5 for a meal with a side of miso soup. JR looks very different when it's empty Found this in a supermarket, they've got heaps of 'sake cups', I don't usually buy souvenirs or anything, but I got to drink some sake and now I've got a glass for home Girl I met said cup noodle is what's up so I grabbed some, she was right. Cup noodle is legit. Heard a bunch of noise and saw this going on. They were preparing for some festival which happened the next day. Carrying these statue things in teams back to the shrine. Went through Shibuya again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Went back to the Place M gallery to check out the latest exhibition they had, and went through the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Crows in Tokyo are awesome, they're huge and some are pretty down with humans. Although I saw one swoop on a picnic and everyone ran while the crow jacked all their crackers More from Shinjuku/Shibuya Rockabillies in Yoyogi park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 I think everyone has a photo of this… Back in Ueno for these Last day shooting around Shinjuku again Some Bonsai in the Metropolitan offices lobby Yoyogi Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Ended up in the sex district, Tokyo isn't laid out in a grid format so when you think you can take one street to get to the same place as another… Well, you can't. Had mad Nigerians hustling me to go watch Thai girls. Probably the best one was some friendly little old lady who grabbed me and started leading me away, thought she must be selling some souvenirs until she started rubbing my arm and making wanking motions. Wanted Wanto… Waited to get on the airport line Nice weather to fly out Hung out using the JAL lounge WiFi from here Got on this and spent 10 hours trying to sleep in the most uncomfortable positions, unable to put my seat back because the guy behind me was so fat he blocked everything. I've got to go back to work for the next 6 days but next Tuesday I'll be dropping off all of my colour rolls to get processed, and hopefully this week I can start to develop some of the black and white stuff I shot. All of that will go in the Photography thread over in Untitled. There's a few more graff flicks on the rolls though so anything like that or just stupid photos I'll post in here. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUDI 5k Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 nice. how'd you cope with the language barrier and what'd it set you back in the long run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipod90 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Great thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 The language barrier was pretty overwhelming at some points. When I got there, it was raining non-stop, I was lost and doing circles and asking for help got me nowhere. The most important things I had to talk to people about like the camera repairs was pretty easy though, they spoke some English and we worked it out. After the first week I'd kind of settled in, I knew where I was mostly and picked up some basic stuff from listening to people in restaurants and shops. Pointing helps though, pictures on menus is a big plus, haha. When catching the JR trains or the Shinkansen most staff speak pretty good English, and in larger tourist spots. On the subways though and in smaller areas it does get harder. Set me back cost wise? I spent under $4k in total including flights, accommodation and subway fares, etc... I still have something like $400 in my wallet now. The subway system is great, you can get a Pasmo or Suica card which is 2000 Yen. 500 of that is a deposit you can get back when/if you return the card and the other 1500 is then credit for trains. You can also use it to shop in some convenience stores or vending machines. I didn't really research cost but I'd saved more then enough. Could have done it cheaper if I went with other people, but for what I was doing I got by fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasfacevictm Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 GOOD THREAD. GOOD PICS. GOOD COUNTRY. BONER/10. WOULD BANG. --------------------------------- My friends and I were also approached by waves Nigerians in Tokyo. One actually convinced us to go to his strip club by giving us all we could drink for like $30 for an hour. While there, my friend and I sat with these fucking strippers who went on to regale us with their tales of human trafficking and sexual slavery. I dont know what I have written on my face that makes these chix think I wanna hear these stories, but that wasn't the first time I've had a night at a bar become painfully uncomfortable due to sex crime stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realism Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 ^ I had a similar experience in Barcelona, but it was overshadowed by an American swinger couple; I felt the wife's t1tz for wasted fun and then she tried to make out with me while her husband leered and offered me cigarettes, which prompted me to leave immediately. Excellent thread, da1ly...propped...I would like to do Asia but I'm scurred of the language barrier. I assume this was your first time there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Haha, fuck. Thankfully I didn't experience anything that awkward. Some weird gay German dude in this club tried rubbing my leg with his foot under the table. In the end I just bailed, he had the fucking creepiest smile. Heaps suss guy. Some of the Nigerians are real staunch, I almost got cornered by a fake Ed Hardy joint but slipped away. One night there was this guy in a suit just flashing handfuls of cash in the Family Mart. Didn't even bother to ask what his hustle was. Yeah, first time. I'll definitely go back, but probably try to learn the language properly first. It would be amazing being able to speak somewhat fluently there. I've been wanting to do Japan for a few years though, so it was well worth it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindle Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 real good thread! i saw so many familiar words. i wish i could do that trip soon 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUSK Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Awesome! Very jealous of your adventures. One of the things I've been motivated to do is save some money and take a trip with my brother over there, and to Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChupacabra Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Buuuump. Looking forward to the film photos, since I'm sure you have like 30 rolls worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUGR Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Nice pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPS Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I imagine you saw a lot of homeless people too, back in 2004 they were already a lot but now after 4 years of crisis there should be even more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_blank_ Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 awesome, thanks for taking the time to share. if i had some props left to give away today, you would be it. yolo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injury Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 sweet vandalism pictures, always a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
you can microwave bacon Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 super sick! i woulda hung out with those cats for hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanfullofretards Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Solo traveling? Thatta boy! I admire shit like that. couple questions... Overall, were the Japanese friendly/welcoming? How easy would it have been to get laid there? That is all. /props. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da1lyoperations Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Buuuump. Looking forward to the film photos, since I'm sure you have like 30 rolls worth 20 ;) Close, haha. I'll probably try to start on the B&W tonight after work. Sadly the colour will take longer, but there's a mix of C-41 and E-6. I imagine you saw a lot of homeless people too, back in 2004 they were already a lot but now after 4 years of crisis there should be even more Around Ueno where I stayed there's supposed to be the largest population of them, but I didn't see too many. More then in Sydney obviously, but they keep to themselves and some of them are pretty friendly. One guy was waving at me and trying to talk some broken English, just wanted to chat. Solo traveling? Thatta boy! I admire shit like that. couple questions... Overall, were the Japanese friendly/welcoming? How easy would it have been to get laid there? That is all. /props. Most welcoming culture I've experienced. You go to get on a train at the same time as someone else, and they'll bow and let you on. Same thing even walking into a toilet. If they do speak English then they're keen to ask about your trip and get pretty excited that you're visiting. So much respect there as a general rule, it was amazing. If you were hanging with Japanese people to help you out, then there would be no trouble. Solo with no Japanese skill, quite a lot harder, but still probably fairly easy in the right places. Shibuya, Harajuku in a lot of the small clubs there. Girl I met was too shy though, but I kept hanging with her cause she's cool and it was really good to be with someone from the city. And now I've got a hook up in Tokyo, and a chance to actually learn the language from a local. Maybe get married in a few years, who knows. But if you wanna pay for it, then you'd find it in a second. Haha. Paying for sex is illegal in Japan but there's a lot of bath houses and massage places where you pay quite a bit 'for the massage' and once it's over if you 'fall in love' with the girl then anything goes for the next hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnitzel Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 excellent thread! you really did it up! how did you get the beers? when I was in japan the only beer vending machine I found ( don't ask how I failed so hard) was by the shrine in Hiroshima and you needed an ID card to get the beers to prove your age. The sake Cup looks dope as well would make a nice set! would prop but can't looks good all your wanderings through yoyogi park and stuff like that. It's pretty nice to get on trains that don't have the windows scribed to fuck eh? watch out for upskirting!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PU_local Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 nice shit man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inappropriate_Responder Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Groped any Asians? Cause that should be your daily operation. RL wallet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasfacevictm Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I would like to do Asia but I'm scurred of the language barrier. Don't fear this. If you go semi-prepared it will only be a minor inconvenience in most places in Asia. Semi-prepared = having a map and/or all addresses and phone numbers written down to hand to cab drivers or for asking someone to point you in the right direction. I've gotten around Korea, Japan, The Philippines, Thailand & Hong Kong like this. You'd also be surprised at how many of those ricey bastards speak enough English to help you. Plus, the worst thing that could happen is you get lost for a while before you find somebody that speaks enough English to help you. You won't starve to death. In Tokyo, my friends and I went to some hole in the wall bar that was punk themed. The dudes spoke no English, but were happy we liked Japanese hardcore bands. They told us (charades as fuck) about some place that had live music. We tried to find it going by the name and vague directions a few days later. Couldn't find it. Went back to their bar to ask again. They sent this girl that was chilling at the bar as our guide to this bar and when we got there she just hi-fived us and bowed and took off back to the bar. Inside there was an all girl ska band dressed in kimonos. Great night. Cool story, br0. TL; DR--------I am ignorant to Asian languages and Asians are usually helpful and/or speak more English than you'd expect. Plus, even if you end up learning some of the language in any country as far as speaking it, your listening comprehension is going to be wack as fuck until you get used to how they speak, etc...just go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 dope! 2 unfinished photo threads i need to complete :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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