Post: #1

The flight is long but they feed you well. 12+ hours on a plane provides ample time to finalize your Tokyo nightlife and daytime agendas. There are several places that you can explore once you land at Narita International Airport. I chose to establish my base of operations in Ikebukuro, an interesting district slightly northwest of downtown Tokyo. This city is electric! I can feel the energy pulsating through my feet once I step out of Harujuku Station. If you smoke, bring your Zippo or Dunhill, you can smoke practically anywhere. Just make sure you dispose of your butts respectfully. Unlike most major cities across the world, the Japanese pride themselves on cleanliness.


These cats are fly in their own way. The guys rock over-the-top hip hop threads with heavy boots and dope leather satchels. The ladies; blond, bronze and black hair varieties aplenty, are doing their best to emulate Western style. If you're looking for the best day-game options this is the place to be. A word to the wise: learn some Japanese, it will pay dividends on the train or in the streets when you need to ask for directions. Speaking of asking for directions, did I mention that this is a fool-proof swoop technique? The locals love it when you attempt to speak their language. It also didn't hurt that I'm nearly 6'2 with the look of a slightly younger Juwan Howard or Terence Howard…I've heard both comparisons often. We get mad play in Japan!


Head over to Shinjuku or Roppongi to experience your first little taste of the nightlife. Nihongo ga sukoshi hanamasen. It worked for me well as an ice-breaker. We danced, drank and smoked. It was a good night. Japanese women have this way about them that says, “You are going to be my favorite fantasy.” This is expressed with the eyes and it may catch the untrained international playboy off guard. Don't fret…your experience with underachieving American women will be sufficient to provide you with the skills necessary to close the deal. Also, don't assume that you should only focus on the local Japanese women. Much like NYC, London, Barcelona and Paris this is a hotbed for fashion models. Nightclubs named Alife and Feria cater to this crowd. If you're on top of your game you might leave with one to adorn each arm. Don't let the drunken girl/girl kissing get you down, you can join the fun too.


In case you get stuck in Tokyo during the worst earthquake in Japan's history, make sure that you've got enough in the bank to extend your trip or to bolt out of town in a hurry. A credit card without a limit will help too. The taxi's are reserved for the super rich here. But if you have connections like your humble author, you can get the discounted rate----even if it takes over 5 hours to get you to the airport.


In the end I conquered, albeit on a shortened trip. This place is not for the faint of heart---there's a reason why its the most expensive city in the world. Do your best not to lose yourself here because it will be a very hard to leave once you reach you final day on the ground.


Pray for Japan

Post: #2

Awesome stuff man! Always love reading/hearing about Tokyo as I was blown away there like never before. How close to the earthquake were you in Tokyo (time wise)? How are things in Tokyo? My contacts there tell me that while there were no major destructions there, there were no electricity in some parts of town for a few weeks and food was hard to come by for a while. Can you comment on how it was there while you were there? I presume businesses, clubs, restaurants, bars were still open a few days after the event? Did you notice a drop in prices after the quake, specially in hotels where there were obvious a lot less tourists than before?