Mythical Creatures

I wasn't supposed to be taking photos in the store which is why I didn't take the time to make sure I was taking a good one.  It still shows how totally awesome this fake hat is.  I was so bummed to realize that all of the crazy hats in the store like this were just for the mannequins.  The other stuff in the store was awesome too.  Ask me if you want to know the name of the store and I will find the business card.  I'm just...  too... tired.... must sleep...  no drooling...     

Mikel and I went to Tokyo again (which is the reason that I am trying not to drool on my keyboard from exhaustion).  The photo above is too ligit' to quit!  Mikel played his first solo music show at a small venue in Tokyo with five other bands.  Mikel was great!  I'm so proud of him and I have been looking forward to other people listening to his awesome music he has been making!!  People really responded to his tunes.  Yay!

We met some awesome people with great music at the venue.  One band, The Bad Spellers, were really nice to get to know, especially since they are thinking of possibly moving to New Hampshire (there are other possibilities for them too, but I'm going to pretend NH is the main one...)

The whole weekend was packed full of the usual "kitsune Udon" cool coffee shops, excellent restaurants, walking and sight seeing.  The weirdest thing I saw was a three headed dog.  No I'm just kidding.  But I did see this:

This is for all you unbelievers who think scrunchies are dead.  

These are either live scrunchies, or mummies of those that lived in the eighties...  

we aren't sure.

I do love Kiss and to kiss.  I'm not sure what "engasing eachother" means, but I think I like it.

In case you thought that all there is in Japan is weird Indie Rock and Taiko drumming, 

I'm here to prove that there is also Black Music.  

We finally found some more good art in Tokyo!!  Here is an installation we found in Naka-Meguro... okay, so we found in outside while walking to a gallery and claimed it as "found sculpture" but it's better than most art I see lately.  We did actually find some good art in galleries so that was refreshing.  I can't post any pics because  didn't take any and I can't give you names because I haven't unpacked yet (isn't this a fun game?)....  

On to the entertainment!

This is a young boy, probably 12ish.  

It gives a whole new meaning to "my mother dressed me."

Those are some nice buns, if I've ever seen them.  Mikel and I met our friend Allison to check out some large men wrestling.  I don't know if you have ever heard of the sport called "sumou".  It's a 1,500 year old Shinto tradition where men train and eat in a certain way to become amazingly massive, throw salt for purification and stomp a certain way to increase strength. They also try to knock each other down or out of the ring.

 Here's the ring from our sweet seats:  

We were able to sit up close in the morning to watch the younger wrestlers but as the main event started we had to sit up top (after eating Indian for lunch-- it's a full day event!)

We were trying to summon out fighting power.  

As soon as I put my second fist down, Ali is going down!

I totally recommend watch Sumou if you get the chance.  I can't believe that almost no one I know in Japan has seen it live.  It is an experience of a lifetime!  Their bodies are so strange that it's almost like they are mythical creatures.

This was a totally packed Tokyo trip once again which left very little time for sleeping.  I took a mini nap on the bus home yesterday but the ride was extended due to a snow storm, and then the connecting train ride was delayed for two hours due to the same storm and then our 45 minute walk home from our train station was pouring rain.  By the time we walked into our apartment it was midnight and we looked like drowned rats.  Going to work this morning was not a pretty sight...  At least I can go to bed early tonight, but not before indulging in the latest vampire shenanigans.

Goodnight!