Tokyo Diary

A city I have always wanted to visit. A place about which so much is known but little is understood. Here is an account of how I spent my first days there and some of the things I got up to.

We got up early on Sunday to visit the Tsukuji fish market which is near the Ginza area. It’s the largest open fish market in the world and the amount of stalls is overwhelming. We probably should have chosen a different day to go because the crowds were out.

I tried the Oyaku Don (chicken and rice with scrambled eggs) and the combination was pleasing.

They also have some great ice-creams including flavours I haven’t seen anywhere else (sakura, white peach). The sushi was good but not outstanding for some reason (maybe I made some bad choices).

Back in central Tokyo, we visited the Shinjuku park. You have to pay to enter which was a good idea to keep it safe.

I wanted a cold drink and I’d heard about the melon flavoured drinks for sale here. Imagine a very sweet, slightly artificial tasting soda the colour of crème de menthe and topped with soft ice cream and that’s what it looks like.

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We met Miho’s friend near the busy Shibuya area. We had ramen (Chinese noodles in pork broth). You can specify the thickness, and the hardness of the noodles as well as how spicy you want the broth). By ordering at a vending machine, it takes less than 10 minutes for your food to arrive.

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It wasn’t really satisfying enough so we walked to another place. We went to an Izakaya restaurant. Sometimes they are translated as pubs but that seems to be doing them a disservice. The focus is very much on the food but the drinks are very good. I particularly like the range of sours (yuzu, pear, apricot).

It’s still legal to smoke in many indoor bars and restaurants but with good ventilation you don’t notice the smell of the smoke.

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Then we went to Starbucks which is popular here and offers some more interesting choices than are available anywhere else.

Another thing. You can still smoke in many restaurants, cafes, bars. This being Japan, its hard to notice any smell as the ventilation means the smoke is sucked up into the air. Then you should also bear in mind that life expectancy is the highest in the world and you have to wonder whether we haven’t been overly alarmist in having a total smoking ban.

The next day is Miho’s first day back at work, so I spend the day alone. I type up a story that’s been running through my mind recently. With so many people going to exotic places on their holiday, would it be possible to spend the entire duration of a holiday alone in a hotel room? You could argue that many famous tourist sites are disappointing. a nd with the recent terrorist attacks, there is more danger than ever in visiting cities.

In the afternoon I want some company so I contact Jun, my A irbnb host. She asks me what I think of the apartment and I answer that its very small. a problem with airnbnb for me is that when you’re staying in someone’s house you feel inclined to be positive. Yet you’re also spending money so you want to get your money’s worth.

She recommends a few places and I leave with my head full of things I won’t have half enough time for. But one of the places she recommends is Yoyogi Park, which I can walk to.

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There are lots of trees and some shrubs. At the end of it there is shrine, where many tourists come to visit. Right at the end you get to Harajuku, the centre of youth culture and fashion. In fact, it was made famous outside of Japan by Gwen Stefani in her song ‘Rich Girl’. I also check out the massive, monolithic structure that was built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

I take a walk around the Shibuya area and pay attention to all the kids on the streets. one thing you soon notice in Japan is how differently the young people dress, They have their different tribes that they belong to. It’s said that most Asian trends develop here and you can well believe it.

I still have time before I have to meet Miho so I go over to Asakusa; another busy area popular with tourists.

I stop off in one of the many convenience stores. I’m fascinated by these well-run, clean treasure troves which are so well-stocked. for one thing, they never seem to close. Secondly, they sell things that you would actually want to buy. For example, packs of rice balls. Bread, even yakitori. You can buy pornographic magazines which are sold next to fashion and sports magazines.

There are dozens of restaurants. I also spot a famous revolving car stand, which allows the vehicle to spin round before pulling out.

It starts to pour with rain before I can meet Miho. Not just light shower but heavy driving rain. I arrive back at our apartment absolutely soaked to my skin.

Day 4

The rain continues so I stay in the flat for a few hours. then I walk over to Yoyogi hatchiman, an area close to where I am staying. There are several nice-looking shops ( I mean traditional, not chain stores here). I want to buy some katsu curry which is so good here. But no point buying it too early I suppose. Instead, I take the metro to another area of Tokyo for the araki exhibition. an entire display devoted to photos of his wife Yuko. Some of the photos are stunning and he is clearly a master of his form. But what also impresses is the total respect that patrons have for the exhibition. No-one stands in front of the pictures for too long. No one pushes or shoves. I spend a good hour taking in all the photos.

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Day 5

I go to an area I have already heard a lot about. The electronics area of Tokyo Is called Akhibara. Actually, first I went to Ueno but it was pouring rain and the place was full of locals still on their vacation. So its better to go somewhere else. there is also a market near the station: Ameyoko. But there is nothing of interest to buy there.

Although most people visit the area for electronics, computer games etc, I’m more interested to find girls who work in Maido-kissas. These are cafes where women dressed in maid costumes serve coffee and cakes to men using extremely polite and deferential language. It looks a little bit like prostitution but there’s nothing sexual about the service they provide. I’m tempted but the funny thing is the service is already plenty polite everywhere I have been so far.

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Going for lunch in a soba restaurant I meet another traveller. Ocasionally when I’m travelling alone I like to talk to other foreigners. So I ask Alex about what he has done so far in Tokyo.

Oh and they have ‘cat cafes’ here. I’ve never seen them anywhere else. But it seems people go there to stroke and play with cats for a thirty minute time slot. Another concept that originated here and will be unlikely to spread anywhere else although its possible I suppose.

A cool discovery was seeing a street that only sold musical instruments. On one side were several guitar shops and then on the other side several stores selling brass instruments. It makes things very easy for the customer but probably causes unnecessary competition for the other shops.

The other thing out here is they have people everywhere to guide you, or answer any questions. The other day I was walking near Akhibara and there was someone standing by a part of the road that had been closed off; he wasn’t doing any roadwork, he was there to apologise to pedestrians over the inconvenience of the road being closed!

As well as people manning the train station platforms, there are almost always staff standing outside shops and restaurants to invite people in. You can have as many free samples of snacks in the department stores and no-one seems to mind. I had expected my purchases to be carefully wrapped, but other than the occaisional ribbon, most things are simply quickly put into a plastic bag and handed directly to you. Or maybe its just that I haven’t been buying any big ticket items.

 

I have found the apartments I have been staying in a little hard to get used to. The rooms are very small with low ceilings. And the bathrooms are strange too. There is often no separate compartment for the shower. You turn it on and the water floods everywhere, so you slosh around until you are done. they also have the air conditioning on all the time and I have to remind myself to turn it off when I’m not in the room.

 

I’ve seen plenty of lone diners. Today I went for my morning coffee at about 8:30. The place was full of workers on their way to the station, drinking coffee and chain-smoking. You can still smoke in bars and restaurants without a problem. Its seems like a very civilized way to live.

The quality of life is what makes it so special here. Of course, there are one or two things I’m not so comfortable with. For example, when you order something in a restaurant, you’re not expected to be able to change your mind, or ccomplain if something isn’t right. It’s a different concept they have to human rights, or consumer rights.

I’ve noticed that Miho would rather eat her way through a bad meal in silence than kick up a stink. Whereas in the same situation I would be itching to ask for a replacement or a refund.

Speaking of food, you have to look around for the best prices. Its possible to eat a bowl of ramen in a quick-self service restaurant (order by vending machine)for lss than 5 pounds. But for something of higher quality (cooked to order) you will have to spend up to 900 yen, which is about 6 pounds. Sometimes the price of food is close to what you would spend on coffee. Its pretty strange. Starbucks is poular and there are several local brands that do something very similar for a lower price. In any case, it seems that coffee is more popular than tea for most people. It’s usually drunk cold in a glass half filled with cubes, but ask if you want it hot and they will do it for you.

I’ve seen a lot of attractive women here, similar to those in Korea. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that they are more attractive than Korean women because they have less plastic surgery. They are also more likely to show individual taste in their fashion sense rather than dress the same way.

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I’ll be visiting some more museums here. You need to pay unfortunately. I’ve been to the museum of photography and the museum of Oriental ceramics. Tomorrow I’m getting up early to go to the Ghibli museum, then I might wander over to the cemetery where several famous Japanese authors are buried, including Yukio Mishima.

When it comes to obvious places to visit, I’m usually disappointed. When we were in Osaka, we thought about visiting the sky observatory. We went as far as the 38th floor, and then looked at all the tourists queuing for tickets, and we decided against it. I think I remembered not going more than actually going upo there. Then a few days later, we had some time to kill before travelling to the airport, so we went up there and this time we paid for a ticket. In the end, we were right to have our doubts, as it was nothing special , just a view of the skyscrapers and nothing more. As in so many areas of life, things are better in imagination than reality.

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Is she really going out with him?

What’s your reaction when you see a good looking woman? Maybe you celebrate the fact that you have seen someone very special. Or rejoice in seeing someone who brightens up your day.

If you’re like me, you feel a mixture of attraction and depression. Its usually based on the feeling that you’re never going to be able to get with that woman that leads to the conclusion that you are inferior and not good enough.

but what’s worse than simply seeing a very attractive (unapproachable) woman is seeing her with a partner. At least if you see a woman on her own, you can reassure yourself that you might be able to spend time with her. But nothing can match the sheer awfulness of seeing an attractive woman with another man. Seeing this on a regular basis can really ruin my day. I’ve thought about seeking professional help for my inability to move on from this.

You might say it has something to do with the fact that I started dating in my late twenties. So whenever I see a young attractive woman I’m reminded of all the happiness I missed out on. I get mad seeing happy couples together because I never experienced that myself.

The other stumbling block I have is when I see an unattractive guy with a much more attractive woman. These combinations get me worked up because it seems against the order of things. But what can I do about it?

Actually, I’m ok with rejection. If I make an effort to get to know someone and they reject me its a different story. But I suppose if you never put yourself out there, you never know what you might gain.

Room Service

Room Service

I like to stay in the best hotels when I go on holiday, and I know where all the best ones are. Right now I’m in Tokyo, staying at the Mandarin Oriental. I like the privacy you get from being in a high-class hotel.
I don’t want to see any tourist places when I’m on holiday, and I definitely don’t want to bump into any tourists…

I check in at the lobby and I give my bags to one of the attendants. They make a light glide along the polished floors as the attendant pushes the button for the lift with a gloved hand……

I enjoy the conveniences that come from staying in a good hotel. I definitely don’t want to have to worry about anything for the whole time I am staying here.

I leave my bags in the room to be unpacked later. I grab a soda from the well-stocked minibar and enjoy its cold, refreshing effervescence.

I test the shower next. I take my clothes off and leave them in an untidy heap (to be neatly folded later). The water runs in steady streams across my body. I nearly slip on the tiled floor as I go to grab the bath robe with the hotel’s famous shell logo embroidered on it.I let it soak up all of the moisture on my body until I am fully dry.

I turn on the TV and there’s an old Humphrey Bogart movie that I haven’t watched before. It’s where he gets plastic surgery. It’s very entertaining. Next I watch an old re-run of Friends that I’m certain I haven’t watched before. I wonder to myself why they no longer make shows of this quality any more. The haircuts are dated but most of the jokes still work.

It’s beginning to get dark outside. Time for a swim in the hotel pool. There’s no one else in there except for an old man doing a slow breast-stroke up and down the side of the pool. I give him plenty of leeway and use the lane next to him. The swimming pool gives off a faint smell of sulphur and the light from the ceiling shimmers on the surface of the water.

I carry on swimming lengths for twenty minutes until my muscles are all fully stretched. I then sink to the bottom of the pool, holding my breath at the bottom for as long as I can manage until I must come up for air. The old man is still making his heavily labored lengths of the pool. I’m about to get out when I see a tall, elegant looking woman wearing a one-piece swim-suit carefully enter the pool.

She barely makes any waves as she carries out perfect front crawl strokes of the pool. Her arms stretch out in front of her and her face is looking directly ahead.

When she reaches the end of the pool she executes the perfect tumble-tuck, her body bending tightly into a ball as she kicks off for another length of the pool.

I start swimming again, matching her speed so that we both reach the end of the pool at the same time in different lanes.

I slow it down and swim a few lengths on my back, watching the strange shapes made by the ripples on the glass ceiling.

I watch her again as she makes her way down the pool for another circuit.

“You’re a great swimmer,” I tell her as she climbs out of the pool.

We take a coffee together in the hotel bar, and I note that although she is several years older than me, her age barely shows and her straight cut hair accentuates her heart-shaped face.

“Do you often travel by yourself,” she asks me?

It’s the kind of question only a woman could get away with asking but I answer casually and try to sound non-offended.

“I always travel by myself.”

“Don’t you feel lonely sometimes?”

“Everyone’s lonely,” I reply.

She takes a sip of her espresso, unable to think of a response.

“Which room are you staying in?”

“Room 106. Right over the river.”

“We’re on the same floor.”

“Then we must have a drink later,” I suggest.
“Let me finish my work, and then I will knock for you.”

We walk up to the lift together and I take her name (Chloe) and thank her for the coffee.

Upstairs I watch another movie. The Young and Innocent is a great early Hitchcock about lovers on the run. About halfway through watching, I hear a knock on the door. I open it and find Chloe standing right in front of me. Her legs are parted widely, and the light from my room shines through them in an inverted V-shape, her spiky heels digging into the heavily-carpeted floor. She bends her head round and looks disconcerted by the pile of clothes on the floor.

“I’m sorry, I never clean up when I’m on holiday.”

Chloe looks out of the window, seeing the bright lights of Tokyo lighting up the dark sky.

We walk downstairs to the hotel bar.

“I think I will have a cocktail,” I tell her.

The barman mixes a long Manhattan for her and a Southside for me.

“Did you go out anywhere the at all today?”

“I stayed here the whole time.”

“Don’t you feel bored all by yourself?”

“It’s not too bad,” I say. “I can always read a book.”

I go back upstairs and ask Chloe to join me.

“I’ll come in, but I won’t stay over.”

“Is that a promise?”

I laugh and grip her shoulders firmly.

Chloe takes off her dress and shoes and then climbs on to the bed to join me.

Soon we are kissing and she reaches down to stroke my cock.

“I normally have to do that myself,” I tell her.

The alcohol has affected me slightly but I stiffen up quickly at her touch. My balls feel heavy and full. Chloe starts caressing me and her heart-shaped face lights up.

Soon she takes me in her mouth and her mouth forms a perfect seal around my hard cock. She smiles at me as she makes a circle around it with her tongue.

I look at her and she looks directly back at me.

“Ready for fucking?”

“Not yet.”

She sucks again, almost deep-throating me.

With one hand I reach down and stroke her glorious wetness.

She takes away my hand and pulls me into her.

“Come on, that’s it. I’m coming,” she says.

……..

The next day I look for Chloe in the hotel. I take my breakfast at the hotel bar but I don’t see her anywhere.

The hotel is full of people going around their business: tourists with their day-glo sun visors to middle-aged business-men. But I ignore them all.

The next day I give up on looking for Chloe.

The hotel has other attractions. And with the internet, its possible to find anything you want, as long as you know where to look.

A quick search for escorts in Tokyo reveals any number of choices. I type in late thirties, Asian and get 500+results. I narrow it down to services such as OWO (oral without condom) and I get a smaller selection to work with.

I find one who looks good. I arrange for her to arrive this evening and tell the agency for her to come directly to my room.

When she arrives she is wearing a long belted coat and the customaty high heels. She has a slim frame but when she slips off her coat she reveals herself surprisingly well-stacked and with petite but full buttocks.

She looks around inquisitively at the large hotel room

“Don’t worry, there’s no one else around,” I say re-assuringly.

‘My name is Mina,’ she offers.

I detect a Chinese accent but the profile specifically said she was Japanese.

I lay the money outs in front of her, which she carefully counts and then puts in her pocket.

“That’s for one hour,” I say.

Immediately she shrugs off her coat puts it on a chair. She is standing in front of me, her underwear a pale blue colour.

Naked as can be after taking off her bra and knickers, she proceeds to take off my shirt and then unzips my trousers.

Soon we are both as naked as each other and we walk over to the large bed.

I carry her up on to the bed and I pull her on top of me. She is very light and her skin is silky smooth. She plants excited kisses on me all over and then feels around for my cock which has already swollen up completely to the full extent of its hardness.

Mina starts talking dirty in Mandarin and I pull out a condom and open it making a zig-zag perforation. Mina takes it from me and puts it on so skillfully that I feel nothing.

One of the reasons that I enjoy sleeping with prostitutes is that they always know exactly how to turn me on. She is soon on top of me and riding me magnificently. I’m ready for oral. Her eyes light up again and she pulls off the condom. She taps it one her mouth and then uses her tongue to flick the glans.

When I come I cover her face with shards of semen. She smiles and starts sucking again until I am hard enough to re-enter her.

……

I don’t know what happened to Chloe or Mina but I know one thing:

I had the best holiday ever, and I never had to leave the hotel once.