Eddie's space

Mmmmm number 3 already, these things are practically writing themselves, but need to take my camera out with me more, I ent got anymore photos to make blogs with, I think the next major time that we are going to do summit could be the “flower party” but thats like 17 day away, I’m not counting or anything, I’m just good at maths, really I’m not that sad, and before you say anything, a countdown to your flight to Tokyo doesn’t. Meh on with the blog,

I’ve forgot what day it was when we actually did this, but oh well, I hope you didn’t think that I sit and write all of this on the same day that I actually go out and take the photos, id be up all night if that was the case, there’d be no time to go out drinking! I’m actually sitting in my guest house writing this, that’s write, I couldn’t afford a flat, so I’m sharing everything with about 8 strangers, how fun.

Once again BACK TO THE BLOG!!

James is going to hate me for this but meh, he’s not here.

So time to go on another trip somewhere, off to see the people dress up on the bridge, this is something that I wanted to see in Tokyo, now I don’t know if it’s not done much anymore or we were too late or early or what but it didn’t seem as busy as I thought it would be, but now that I think about it, it was just a random Sunday, so not that busy makes sense. But it was fun. One trip on the old underground and were there.

Apparently 15 hours the day/night before isn’t enough for some.

I think allot of people are not going to like me at the end of this one, it was just a funny day that day, I mean, I don’t really know why Lewis did this, but I was there to capture the moment as it is,

Silly boy.......

But the underground does that to people, so ill let him off this time, but next time i dont know what will happen, i can only warn you now.

Its not just people from New Zealand that the underground affects.

Finally out of the “closest place to hell” and into the sunlight, it didnt get any better up top though, some people can be quite scary, and some quite funny, but thats what i like about japan, its different all over. But after seeing a snoopy shop, it all starts to get a bit strange again, like free hugs....

So i HAD to get a free hug, it was FREE!

Its a very different place from the UK, if some one offord you a free hug, ya punch them or summit, or think they were gonna mug ya, but not here, its all good. Crossing the Harajuku Bridge there was 2 ways to go, left to the Yoyogi park and right to the Meiji Jingu Shrine, well been to the shirne so the park it was. The first thing that came to my mind when i thought park, was people have fun, on the GREEN grass, dog runnig around and some people on bikes, well it was all there but in a werid way.

Into the park we go, past all the the stalls, with any kind of japanese food you could want, if you can tell me what this is then well done,

Mmmm looks tasty.....(i think i was just sick in my mouth)

Well a small while walking and welcome to the park, Yoyogi park. It was Sunday so say hello to all the bands and people making music, some were good, while some were just strage. So a wonder around the park was in order i think, or at least to one side then walk back along the front and watch some kinda good bands show of their stuff, FOR FREE! Not bad for a Sunday.

Hello green trees.

So yeah its true i was walking, me walking, around the park nice and slow, no rush. Thanks to a big sign at the main gate, we kept saying that it said “fun was NOT allowed”, so everytime we saw anyone doing something that seemed fun, it was “quick there having fun, stop them. Hes got a ball shoot it!”, this went on for quite a while..... untill we saw this,

We think she had her tits out,

Now this was goin on at about 1-2pm so im not very sure about that, but there were loads of people doing this, so tits out, not to sure. But there were alot of girls getting there photos taken all over the park. I still kent figure out why though its not like it was a beautful park, there was hardly any green grass. Well needed to go on so we did, enough of the saposed naked girls.

Bit more walking, (too much walking) and we were nearly done. When you start to hear drums you think you’re going mental, but when everyone who’s with you hears it then you know you’re safe. Do you ask and hope they say yes, or not. Ya don’t want to look stupid to you? I was in luck though because around the corner was something I wasn’t expecting.

There were about 10 people in a line just banging on these drums.

We sat here for about 20 minutes watching a bloke doing something, I think it was meant to be dancing I’m not sure, it looked allot like he was drunk, but the music was good. I think you can guess what we did next, something I’m not very good at, I moan too much, but it lead somewhere very good, after heading out of the park, we walked down the front path which was lined with bands playing. It started off like a car boot sale, people selling of their old junk to people who buy it for no reason but it got better.

We couldn’t figure out if the singer/yeller was a man or woman.

This lot were different, not my kind of music, too much screaming for my taste, so off we went, down the path to see more. The next band we good, we watched them, for a while, I tried to download some of their music when I got back, but no luck there just not known enough, or I weren’t looking for the right thing. I think they were 3 bands in one, the flyer didn’t really say who or what they were. But hopefully they will be sometime soon because they were good, I couldn’t understand a single word they were singing but the beat was good and it sounded like it was something good.

It was just three people, lots of wires and some music, in the street.

We had come full circle by now, if only we had seen these when we first got to the main gate, we went and sat near them so that everyone could have a quick fag, but we would of missed out on some funny things so apart from the miles and miles of off road trekking I was made to do, it was fun.

I ate one of those, I ent got a clue what it was but I had one.

Heading back to the underground, crossing the bridge, it had got..... well I don’t want to say worse, because it’s not really a bad thing, but It was busier.

I think these two are both girls.

This guy could NOT sing, but he was there killing everyone’s ears.

I think this horse wanted me to buy something.

These two need to improve their English, its HUG not GAG.

And that was that, the Yoyogi park and Harajuku Bridge was over. But the day was still young so it was off to Akihabara, electronic gadget central for Tokyo, so yeah this was gonna be a fun afternoon.

So many shops.....

That was quite a thing, on the weekends they close of the road and you can walk right down the middle of it. It was packed with people; I took this rite at the cones at the start of the road. In the middle it was so busy it was un believable. We saw a cue of people which went for 5 streets, we followed it to see what was so popular for people to want to cue up for, and the people getting on the end must have been waiting for easily 2 hours before getting to the end. At the end was this.

Wow she’s pretty.

That’s right, people were cueing for easily over 2 hours to meet her, and I just made my way through the small crowd around her, took a photo and said thanks. I don’t really know why everyone didn’t do that. She’s problem the avril lavigne or Japan or something; oh well back to the street.

Oh yeah, first Xbox 360 seen in Japan. It took about 10 days to find an Xbox 360! That’s not good!

The next thing we saw, at first we didn’t know what it was, but when we got close, well I wish we didn’t get close. Say hello to the all singing, all dancing, crime fighting, Japanese power dancers (power rangers for short).

They did a little show.

Only in the streets of Japan would this be classed as not creepy or perverted. Yes that old business man is taking a photo of a girl pretending to be a young boy with his mobile phone. Well we think she’s trying to be a young boy, it’s still messed up though.

That’s right use your work phone. Show all the boys at the office that and see what they say.

When someone gets out a mic and a speaker and starts singing, you’d think that hardly anyone would watch, but you’d be wrong in Japan. We walked past when she was getting ready and they were waiting for her to sing. It could have been another, I not understanding who she was moment, but still it’s all go. They went mental with photos, and she wasn’t that very good at singing either.

“were just waiting for a quick breeze and that skirts going everywhere”

“Big, middle or small?” They all seem small to me.

"Links, come and get your links, fresh today!"

http://www.youtube.com/eddiefreestone

http://eddiefreestone.deviantart.com

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/eddiefreestone

http://www.z3ek.co.uk

Eddy’s Easy Japanese blog #3

Arigato - Thank you

More in blog #4

Eddy.

Well blog #2 is here, it seems like only yesterday that I wrote the last one, wait it was, but hay I’m a busy man things to do, and photos to take. Still need a job, but I think we have a place, I’m not sure. We have found one on the old interweb, looks nice but that’s not what I’m here for.

YEY JAPAN! This is what happened today, the tour. Free with real gap, maybe the only good thing they gave us. But it was fun. The top of the Tokyo tower, a shrine and the Imperial Gardens. Oooooo you might think, and you’d be rite, it was quite fun. We had to make our own way to the bus, but that’s was fun as well, if we didn’t do that then we wouldn’t of had walking and underground fun!

First was on the ground walking fun, well the seeing things was fun, but the walking itself... not so fun, I don’t like to walk places, it’s not what I do. But I got some good snaps, (I remember being told that “snaps” is not a photographic word).

It’s so dry its powder. (Water needed)

I’ve also learned that I’m not the only snap happy person here, I should really show you everyone we wander the streets of Tokyo with but I didn’t really have enough photos, but now I bring good news, I have the photos!

Lewis: also very snap happy.

The Germans: Jakob and David.

The two Girls: Lauren and cat.

James: The Last man of the Group

Well back to the walking, off the ground and under we go, if you can read this sign then you steps ahead of me, I was just following the group so meh I didn’t really have to pay attention, but soon I think it’s going to be me and da on our own so better start learning. The underground. And experience when ya on ya own. Lauren led the way thank god; I was still half asleep jet lag lasting hell long.

Once again these maps don’t make much sense to outsiders they just look like shapes and Chinese/Japanese writing.

Well off to the tour, somehow, still underground, we got in a lift, and next thing we notice, it’s a (we think) 5 star hotel! From a lift underground to a hotel, no people asking for ID or anything, just a lift, we didn’t think we were in the right place. But after a small amount of wandering we found it, got on a coach and were off to the Tokyo Tower. All good.

I asked Da to stand on the top but he wouldn’t, don’t know why?

Everyone cram in the lift, proper Japanese style, 50 odd people in a lift the size of small van, so yeah safety is number one in Japan. I think there’s a video somewhere of us in the lift I kent remember how much it shows but it gives you an idea. Now there’s loads of photos and videos of the top of the tower, so I’ll put one on here now, the rest are up and running on the pictures website, and the videos will eventually be on YouTube, I say eventually because well there’s like 15 and one takes like 20 minutes to up load. I don’t really want to sit and up load 20 minutes 15 times, I’ll do then every now and then.

One of the many views from the tower.

Just a quickie.... me on a sheet of glass looking down from the tower. (NOT FUN)

Well back on the open road, from the tower we went to the temple, which was cool, and big, and different. So quiet but in the near centre of Tokyo, was very weird, but also very calm. A small wonder through the forest and past some spiritual cleansing gates and were off. I don’t think the two David’s know anything about being polite to other peoples religion, I got this idea from the fact that while on the tour on the way to the temple, they were fagin it up. Very nice.

Dirty Gijin

The temple its self was a huge open space, a big open court yard and a small one of to the right, and a main room straight ahead. We spend a good hour there just wondering around doing nothing. It was a good thing to do, was a part of Tokyo to see. But it was only something to say we have been to. There’s a video somewhere that David did of the main court yard, just a quick spin around but it shows what’s there.

Off to see the wizard of imperial gardening next. He must of been having and off month or something because we didn’t really see much green grass, allot of yellow grass, but not allot of green. I don’t really know what’s going on there, oh well. Anyway it was summit just to say, “you can now say you have been here” lots of walking, some fun, but that’s because we were messing about, no fun there we had to make our own.

Nice and..... oh where’s all the green gone?

“Well this marks the end of the morning tour”, yep that's rite, we got kicked of the tour, Real gap had only paid for the first half of the tour, once again Real Gap have been shit again, but time to make good of the bad, so because they didn’t even take us home, we had to do more walking (“but I don’t wanna!”) and somehow we ended up in Shibua, “Shi-BOOOO-YAAAA!” the home of the Tokyo crossing, Just like to add, Tokyo Drift lied to me, there’s not modified cars everywhere, in fact I haven’t seen one anywhere. But the story must go on. WELCOME TO THE BIG CROSSING IN THE BIG CITY! There’s a video somewhere, and allot of photos, I feel a bit sad, I didn’t get one good photo of the crossing, I was too happy being there, but 10 months is a long time, I’ll go back again and do it again ill leave Tokyo with at least one good photo of it. But for the minute this is what I got.

So after crossing the road about 5 times we got bored, it’s only a crossing still though, so we went looking at some shops. We found some quite different shops, one clothes shop we went down to, yep down the stairs to the shop, the English owner claimed he had had allot of famous people in there. People like yin yang twins, and 50 cent, I didn’t really believe him, but James said he had photographic evidence so meh.

The shopping must go on, and it did, just along the road was the best thing, an arcade lover could find, 6 floor high of arcades, and I mean button bashing arcades. The street fighter 2 fighting, the Mario kart racing driving games, and the old time crisis shooting games, and some that I didn’t even know would work, and drum kit arcade game, guitar game, DJ mixing game, punch bag game, you name it, it’s there.

It’s like this on every floor.

So of course I had to spend some money in there, I love those things, I only spent about £5 not that much really but I don’t think I’ll be going back there anytime soon, it’s not a holiday I need to save so money, a place to live would be cool. But that will come later.

We had to have some kind of fun.

It was light outside when we went in, it was dark when we went out, and that was a sign that it was time to go back to the hostel. So a quick walk back over “The Crossing” and subway home. It was “the Crossing” so as if we were just going to cross it, we were here to have fun. So we did.

Once more for fun.

I don’t know what’s going on here but it’s funny.

Oh and those links I told you about one more time:

http://www.youtube.com/eddiefreestone

http://eddiefreestone.deviantart.com

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/eddiefreestone

http://www.z3ek.co.uk

Eddy’s Easy Japanese blog #2

Sayonara – Goodbye.

More in blog #3

Eddy.

Well, the first 2 days are over, I’ve already got 400+ photos and its find-a-job day tomorrow, so yeah, BUSY first week. Well I was going to do this weekly but I couldn't be bothered to wait a week, and well I would be able to remember everything. So it looks like it’s whenever I really want to. Now then on to Japan...

mm day one, from the airport to the hotel/hostel I don’t remember, I think my mind blocked it out, although I’ve been getting small parts back and I don’t think I want to remember it, it’s all walking and carrying my case (NOT NICE). First thing was shower, very nice but also quite painful, it’s like a jet wash you clean your car with, would you want to shower using that? Naw it’s not that bad, but it’s hard. A small game of tekken 5 then out on the wonder (yes I DID say tekken 5, there’s a telly and a play station in the lobby/lounge bit).

Time to do some supply shopping, one AM PM store and you’re away, thanks to Mr Cooney; it’s time for some product placement. I’ll find some Calpis soon, id do an annual thing about funny named products in Tokyo, but sadly there ent that many.

Mmmm just what I need a nice bottle of Pocari Sweat.

“I don’t know what a Pocari is or what it was doing to sweat”

Kevin Cooney

About 20 mins up the road we found this.....

Which led to....

So yeah, first day wandering found us some fun stuff. We later found out that you can see our hostel from here, we actually walked past it on the way, (that memory block still isn’t very clear). At the end of this market like thing is something very cool, and big, I liked it a lot. This stalls (?) were selling everything, a lot of food as well some good, and some well different, this is Japan; there’s nothing bad about it. A bit off subject but I forgot I was in Japan then, I’m writing about it but I forgot I was here, I thought I was at home. Anyway back to Japan, the end of the market thing. Now just a heads up but I’m only going to show one photo on here, but that’s because it hard to get about 100 photos on a blog so at the end I’m going to give a link to all my photo and video upload sites. Anyway this it.

One Shinto shrine please, to go, hold the onions.

WOW!!!!!! How cool is that!! It’s right outside our back door basically. First day and were site seeing, it don’t get any better than that does it? (Want to win something? Tell me who the second person on the right is, there wearing jeans and black top) It was HUGE, you can’t tell in these pictures (you can in the bigger ones) but the scale is mental compare it with some of the little people standing outside next to it,

It’s not every day you find a shrine like this in the centre of a CITY!! I would give an address or Google earth crap to show where this is, but I kent get anything, I’m up stairs (no internet) and I ent got Google earth on my laptop.

Ask da what he found at the top of these stairs...

Oh and those links I told you about:

http://www.youtube.com/eddiefreestone

well it says what it is really, if you don’t know what YouTube is then what the heck are you doing on my blog?!?!?

http://eddiefreestone.deviantart.com

this is a quite old thing I use, I’ve had it ages. I’ll put just some pictures that I think are better than the rest on here, if you think there crap, well too bad there’s nothing you can do about it.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/eddiefreestone

this will have EVERY photo I take on it, just because it can, so why not.

http://www.z3ek.co.uk

this might have some stuff on it, I ent really got a clue; I’m thinking all das stuff really.

Eddy’s Easy Japanese blog #1

konichiwa– Hello (that could be wrong ask someone else who might know)

I dont really know what Eddy’s easy Japanese is about but meh, it shows that I’m trying. There should be one every time I blog it, if I know enough words that is.

See ya in Blog #2

Eddy