Golden Gai (Tokyo)
Like in America, drinking is one of the favorite pastimes of young (and old) Japanese. One of the most interesting places to get a drink is the “Golden Gai” district in Tokyo. It is an area about 8 square blocks filled with old 1-2 story buildings, each containing a TINY bar...and I mean tiny. The occupancy of these bars varies from about 4 seats to as “big” as about 15 seats. The bars are so small that you need to squeeze in tight and cozy with everyone inside.

We didn't know which of the over 200 bar to go to, so we randomly picked one that looked interesting up a set of steep, tiny stairs. Upon entering, we were greeted by the bartender (who is literally 1 foot away from the entrance). As there were only 4 other seats, and we didn't have any elbow room between us, we got some nice cultural interactions at the bars here. We highly recommend hopping around the bars in this district, but note that many charge a cover charge since space is so limited.

Karaoke and Arcades

Probably the most well-known Japanese entertainment export, it is still a whole different ballgame here. There are mega-complexes (12+ stories tall) everywhere you turn that are devoted exclusively to Karaoke; and many are open all night. We of course had to check it out and went to a karaoke complex late night after a few drinks; post-bar is the most popular time to go. It feels very professional to go to a karaoke complex...more like going to the movies than like going to the bar (as it usually is in the U.S.). You enter into a sparkling lobby with many employees behind the desk, you book a personal room from one of many different options and you get an awesome menu full of food and drink options which will be delivered to your room. Ala “Lost In Translation” style, all the karaoke here is done in private rooms. We weren't sure if it would be as much fun singing without the public humiliation aspect, but once the music came on, we were enjoying being in our own little karaoke world. The hour flew by and we were wishing we had more time. It took half our time just flipping through the song choice book.... it is literally bigger than the bible. Opening up one of these karaoke complexes in the U.S. may be our post-travel profession.

Robot Restaurant (Tokyo)

What is the “Robot Restaurant”? Well, that is kind of hard to explain. I'm still not quite sure what it is, but lets just say that it is the kind of thing that only makes sense in Tokyo. It is a dinner show that supposedly cost $100 million to make (which is obviously a gigantic lie), but it is almost believable after seeing the crazy elaborate dinner show. The show consists of an over-the-top light show, pyrotechnics, giant video walls, costumed characters, segways, yelling Japanese girls and, of course, robots. The whole show is an odd collection of scenes that don't make much sense. Some of the show's sequences included 10 foot robots dancing in unison, a women riding a giant, robotic snake which ate an “evil” woman and a mock robot boxing match. It was random, nonsensical, crazy...and amazing. I don't know why I enjoyed it so much, but something so weird, elaborate and “techy” is not something I have ever witnessed and felt so right at home in Tokyo. Obviously, this is hard to explain with words (and even photos), so you must watch this short two minute video I took of the night. Seriously, if you like seeing weird things and being confused, press play!

Spa World (Osaka)

On the opposite side of the spectrum from the hyper spectacle of the Robot Restaurant is “Spa World.” Forced into it by Caitlin, I didn't regret it in the end. Spa world consists of two levels, separated by gender, one which is themed “Asia” and one which is themed “Western.” I was certainly a bit intimated to partake as it is completely nude. Being naked in public is usually reserved for my recurring dreams. Additionally, it is a very “local” place: there was maybe one other tourist there. Once you get into the locker room, it is a bit confusing as I saw a bunch of people dressed in robes, which I did not have, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I didn't want to be the one weird naked white guy walking around. After some confusing conversations with the staff, I figured out that the robes are for post-spa relaxing and so off I went naked into a brave new world.

On each floor, there are about a dozen different hot spring baths and other spa activities designed based on the theme. For example, on my floor (western themed), there was an outdoor spanish-inspired hot tub with waterfall, an italian inspired grotto jacuzzi, a Finnish style salt sauna, etc. Despite the initial uncomfortableness, it was pretty relaxing. My favorite part of the place was definitely the massive post-spa nap room, complete with a dozen big screen tvs, about 100 fully reclining leather chairs (each with individual speakers) and full bar. It was an amazingly peaceful place, aside from the hundreds of people snoring.

However, I'm primarily writing this to convey that visiting the Hiroshima Peace Museum was the most devastating musuem and one of the most profound experiences I've ever had.  Consisting of victims stories and belongings and survivors' accounts of the day and months that followed were truly horrific. As something we've all learned about as a grave and important decision undertaken by the Allies to hasten the end of WWII, it was still utterly different to see the human side of it.  While the justifications for dropping the atomic bomb are not argued in this post or even within the museum, which focuses on nuclear disarmament and securing world peace, it is impossible to not question the event for what it was: one of the darkest events in the history of humanity. 

It was particularly heavy-hitting to us, after having spent 2 weeks in Japan and being steeped in the kindness and generosity of the Japanese people we met.  I did not get the sense that the Japanese are vengeful about the events in Hiroshima or Nagasaki at all and found their resilience and dedication to peace remarkable. And without making this too political, I think we could do more as a society to remember the deaths and experience of those 135,000 people who lost their lives to end the largest war of the 20th century.  

Japan is tech-y, tall, and over-stimulating. 

Flashing lights, tv screens and hoards of people: Tokyo is just as imagined. There are shops and neon signs for 10 and 12 stories up in every building.  Not being able to read Japanese, you might not even realize there are different restaurants and bars on each floor unless you investigate the building. We stayed in an area called Shibuya, near the busiest intersection in the city, which has become iconic for the crush of people that cross the massive intersection at once. Giant malls are all over the place and you could spend a week exploring the labyrinth of shops in one mall alone. Half the neon signs in Tokyo, Osaka and other hyper-urban areas are dedicated to one of Japan's favorite pastimes: karaoke. These are massive complexes. There is at least one multi-story karaoke complex in every block. I have to admit that after experiencing the indulgence of karaoke, I'm a little jealous America doesn't have the same karaoke appreciation.  Japan is also super high-tech. I mentioned the toilets. Even basic public toilets have a keypad of buttons to enhance your toilet experience. I never figured out what half of the buttons did, but those that i did, seriously altered your typical trip to the toilet (I'll leave the details to your imagination). Jed loved exploring the electronics stores that were often 4 or 5 stories tall, full of random gadgets never-before-seen.