Natsuyasumi!

Hello everyone!

I haven't blogged anything this past week because of laziness and lack of time. Friday was the last day of school before the natsuyasumi (Summer vacation) which is about three weeks. I kind of feel that there's always something going on here, even though we have school. Now that school's out for the time being, I think there's going to be even more activity around here... Anyway, partying here is not expensive, so it's all good. A short recap of the weekend:

Friday

We started it off by going to a small, dark secluded japanese bar in Shibuya (friday) which had a crazy bartender who was probably more drunk than we were. The guy was like 50 years old but reminded us of a worn-out rockstar in his early 30's. He really was insane though. A japanese women fell asleep on the bar after having too much to drink, and he turns to us and asks us "You wanna fuck her?". Later on he showed us a collage of pictures, and one specifically which was a photo of his ass, and said "Don't fuck this". Strange? Well, you should've been there. That was the number one bar I've ever been to though, and we're definately going back. It was really dark and gloomy, and they had an emo-esque gothic interior which was really cool. And the fact that the bar was so secluded on a smaller, less frequented street, it makes for a great hangout den for Tokyo's social outcasts. People there bought us champagne =) Then at four o'clock we went to a fancy restaurant and got something to eat and drink. At four o'clock. In the morning...

Saturday

Another hanabi festival! This time in Asakusa, Tokyo! Of course we (me, Na Young and Su Jin) had to go! This hanabi was longer than the one in Yokohama. Fireworks blazed the sky for a good two hours, which was great. The first thing we did was to go to a temple-area to get settled down. We got some ice-slushies and just chilled. After the fireworks we went to town and sat down near a river and drank some good ol' sake. I truly love these festivals. There's probably hundreds of thousands of people gathering everywhere celebrating by eating, drinking and watching fireworks. It's such a colourful and nice ambiance, kind of hard to explain ;P As I mentioned in the previous entry, it's tradition to wear a yukata when attending these festivals, and you've got to hand it to them... japanese women in yukata have to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world! It's really unfair to the rest of the world though. Japanese women are already blessed with a superior gene pool, and they really take great measures to look good every day... add to that the most beautiful national dress - the yukata/kimono - and you have an übermensch. The fireworks were cool as well.

Sunday (Tomorrow)

Tomorrow we are celebrating yet another birthday here in Matsudo. We're heading for an izakaya and then for the main event: karaoke party! I'm too tired to write anything further... it's 2:45 and I need to put myself in hibernation to get the energy I need to withstand this summer vacation.

Here are some pictures and videos I shot in Asakusa, enjoy!

Some strange street ninjas messing around for no apparent reason

A temple garden where we watched the fireworks

Even the ones who didn't dress up in yukata look cool!

Two equally important ingredients for a succesful hanabi festival: Yukata women and beer

I can't wait to tell Raphael I saw another Popo guy!

Big fish in a small pond

A stone monolith reading, "Eternal peace and tranquility". Well, honestly I have no clue of what it says. It could read "I'll penetrate you with a pineaple" for all I know.

VIDEOS

Just some fireworks
Beautiful surroundings