So in Tokyo now. I hate that I seem to get upgrades on shorter flights – who needs business class for a one hour flight? – but for this four hour flight, no upgrade, no empty seat next to me, and leg room in these A330s is nonexistent. As Lewis Black once said, the seats were clearly designed by a dwarf with scoliosis who was very pissed off that day.

As always, my first night spent at HMV and Tower in Shibuya. I would be there yet except those stores close at 11 and my backpack was full. As usual, bought too much. Anything that sounded reasonably interesting and had Japan-only bonus tracks. Plus some UK/US stuff not too easily found in HK. Too bad I didn’t back my DVD-drive for my laptop or I could put this stuff on the iPod now. Some highlights:

Union of Knives – Violence and Birdsong – kind of J&M Chain-ish?

Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen legacy edition

Songs the Bonzo Dog Band Taught Us – original versions of songs the Bonzos covered

Johnny Thunders & Patty Palladin – Copy Cats. Finally on CD. Almost jumped up and down and spun in circles when I saw it at HMV. Thank you!

Omar Rodrigues Lopez – Se Dice Bisonte. No Bufalo. Big guitars. Some electronics.

Fields – Everything Last Winter – tuneful

Mumm-Ra – These Things Move in Threes – also tuneful

Charlotte Gainsbourg – 5:55 – er, um, chanteuseful?

David Pastorius & Local 518 – no idea if he’s Jaco’s son but he plays like Jaco and the band sounds fierce

Gilles Peterson – 2 disc set of selected tracks from the Fania archives

and assorted others …

Plus a book on the making of Grindhouse and several Japanese tattoo magazines & books, all of which will eventually find their way to Jimmy Wong’s shelves in Bangkok after I’ve searched them for inspiration.

After that, I was amazed to spot a sign for Nanbantei right near Tower. Maybe they’ve been there forever and I just didn’t see it before. Maybe they’re not the best yakitori in Tokyo but they are certainly the most foreigner-friendly. Even this Shibuya branch had an English menu (with lots of things not found on the menu in their HK branch) and an English speaking staff. Several old favorites and tried one new thing – mentaiko stuffed with chicken. All yummy.

And then a stroll through late night Shibuya, seeing some astonishing looking women, not one of whom would even acknowledge my presence.

Hongkie Town
Share