Zarbaraki: Halloween halloween halloween and Kamakura

I met Tiffani and Robbie on the platform of the TY line in Shibuya. All three of us wearing our costumes ready for the night. I had eaten a kebab so was full and sobour. They had been drinking and had no dinner, so were drunk and hungry. Whatever state, place or time, I love my Ibaraki crew.

Halloween in Shibuya on a Friday night was a ridiculous time and place to be. I managed to meet up with a very old friend, and by old friend, I mean someone I haven't seen since I was around 8 years old. Amy-Jo, who managed to track me down via the internet. She's really awesome, and it was nice to meet her friends. Good to make new (or old sort of) friends/contacts in London for when I return. I guess... right?

We went to a club called Unit, where Masaaki (aka Anchorsong) was playing a gig.. I actually just realised I will be going back to the same club this weekend for a Fat Freddys Drop gig... hmm. Anywho, it was free entry for those wearing a costume. We left shortly after Masaaki's set, after getting a call from Robbie about the craziness in Shibuya. We took a cab down there, and wondered around the night admiring all the costumes.

At Macdonalds at 3 in the morning, I bumped into another old friend I hadn't seen in a long time. Ben Stuart-Smith from Mill Hill School. We had a nice little catch up chat. It turned out he had flown into Tokyo only a few hours prior, so was probably having a massive head-fuck let alone bumping into me. What a mad coincidence. I had actually been getting a little sad that I never bump into anyone I know in Tokyo. I know that sounds like a tall-order, but its such a famous city, and so full of tourists, it felt inevitable.

In our massive group of my friends mixed with all of Ben's, we found one of the clubs remaining still open, I think Club Asia, a very cheesy club where I've only been once before for a crappy foam party. Man what a waste of money.

I took the first train with Tiffani back to where we were staying in Koenji. A great little gem of a guest house she discovered, where I have decided to try base myself on any possible trips to Tokyo. Tiffani and I had booked two nights in a sweet little tatami room. I had arrived there on Friday before setting off into the night in order to check-in and set-up our futons. This seemed to be a good call as we were both completely shattered. I slept until Saturday afternoon. When I had woken Tiffani had already left to meet a friend. I spent a solemn day alone, wondering around Koenji, eating delicious street food and watching live music playing on street corners. All during a heavy rain which somehow complemented my exhausted mood.

Tiffani messaged me just as I was finishing a coffee and a small plate of falafels in a quaint vegan cafe I had wondered upon. We returned to our room for a final rest before meeting my friend Alice and her boyfriend for a nice quiet drink. After they left to catch their last train, we went to a Mexican restaurant for 2am nachos. Spending time with Americans is causing me to slowly develop an appetite for Mexican food. In fact, I notice a significant difference in my stomach size when I've spent time dining with my ex-pat American friends, and when I haven't.

On Sunday, Tiffani and I left our Koenji guest house to meet JJ in Yokohama station. The three of us spent a very fun and giggley day in Kamakura. JJ, who is slowly becoming one of my favourite people here, had just purchased a "selfie-stick" - a device used for taking egocentric photograpgs from an iphone - what a definitive item for the modern age.

We did some typical touristy things in Kamakura, including visiting the Kamakura daibutsu, and having an awesome soumen lunch (cue reference to my so many men joke) - a woman serves soumen noodles by shooting it in small bite-sized chunks down a piece of bamboo with running water, you have to grab the noodles with your chopsticks - pretty weird, but very fun experience. After Kamakura we grabbed some coco ichibanya curry in Yokohama and got some pirikura shots. We then made our way to JJs for a fun little sleepover.

On Monday I met up with Taka in Shibuya and had a nice day wondering around until I had to eventually get on my bus back up to Katsuta.

Thoughts on my new scalf head-wrap style?