I can't pass up a good party here in the United States, no matter where it is -- but with that being said, I prefer these days not to party too hard... unless of course I'm traveling. :) There are tons of clubs in the United States that I love for the music, ambiance, and crowd but few of these places really cater to an international type scene. The first time I'd really been into Tokyo's 'club' scene I was left relatively unimpressed -- bars more than clubs, and clubs that played trance more than anything rhythmic leaving crowds mingling more than dancing. I ended up growing to love the live houses in Tokyo more than the rhythmic beats that I so loved in the U.S., but I really wanted to experience a little bit of home away from home at least once while I was in the city. My childhood friends in Tokyo (all 20-somethings like me) typically hit the Roppongi/Omotesando area for nightlife, but after a conversation with one of the guys he suggested we all make the trek to Shibuya to see Harlem. "You'll feel like we're in New York. Trust me." A crowd of about 8 of us were quietly ushered in (though honestly, I thought we'd get turned away because I'm foreign -- supposedly Harlem had some rules banning foreigners in the past) and smile just grew right across my face. Definitely heavy rhythms similar to hip-hop in the U.S. with a sort of 'lighter' Japanese flair and people that were actually *dancing*. There's two floors of great music and DJs and live acts that offer a uniquely Tokyo style of hip-hop. The cover for the night was around 2,000 yen, (about $20 USD -- so not much different from the U.S.) and drinks varied in prices -- usually upwards of 700 yen (typical of the nightclub scene). It's definitely the kind of outing you shouldn't miss. I think the only con (for guys) would be that in order to enter you'd have to have a girl along. We had a friend who had difficulty entering because he came alone and the guy at the door said he had to have at least a girl with him. I have no idea whether this had to do with the fact he was a foreigner -- either way he was allowed to enter once he had one of my female friends come to the rescue. From what I've heard, they don't typically allow groups of foreign males in without at least female escort. (When I looked at the website it also confirmed this.) If you're looking for a good night of dancing and hip-hop, this is definitely the place to be.

This Latin American restaurant is one of my favourite places in Tokyo. A bit far from everywhere, but it's very sure you will be relaxed, and enjoy your dinner/lunch in great ambiente. Also you can take a Salsa (dance) lesson on Tue & Wed from 8.30 pm-. Actually, Tuesday's instructor is my professor. His name is Roberto. Enjoy your dinner time! [from the website] Costa Latina combines linear Japanese and curvaceous Latin American styles while offering a mix of both cultures' cuisine. Review the menu for daily specials and the news area for more insight to Costa Latina's original taste.......

I spent many nights in this fun fun district of Tokyo...ah- such long and crazy nights...I have some funny stories of my nights spent here, where do I even begin? Right off, this place , actually Tokyo, in general is amazing- a completely different planet than the U.S. This city makes the U.S. look BORING!  Getting off the subway at Shibuya, you immediately see a statue of a dog. Kind of strange right? It has been marked as a meeting point for most people coming to this part of town. People just say, "Meet me by the dog", I guess. There is a legend that goes with this. I don't think I remember it completely, but I think it was because a person and their beloved dog, somehow got separated, and the dog stayed in this part of town until it died, waiting for his owner to return- or something like that.

So as far as Shibuya, in general, def visit this part of Tokyo! So much fun! packed with bars, restaurants, shops, STARBUCKS, clubs, everything! Getting lost and finding your way out of this maze of streets is half the fun too. I swear, I don't know how many times I visited this place in my two trips to Tokyo, and I still would get lost here.

There is one bar in particular that we used to go to. We didn't know the name of it, and our friends who lived in Japan at the time of our visits, didn't know the name either- so we just called this bar, "The 3rd Floor"- because- it was on the 3rd floor of a building....such a great place! For about the equivalent of $15, you were seated at a table, as if you were at a restaurant, were able to order food (included in the price), had table service (courtesey of a bell at the table), and were able to drink all the drinks (beer, liquor, mixed drinks, sake, everything!) your little heart could desire, for whole hours! This is a college students paradise! We had 2 friends studying abroad over there at the time, and they would invite all of their friends from school. Imagine about 15 American kids drinking all the drinks you can handle for 2 hours for only $15! We would leave that place, many nights, stumbling, and talking but not making any sense at all.

Once that was over with, we had to continue the party- since about this time, it was already after midnight, and the trains stopped running... the only other choice we had was to continue partying until 6AM when the trains started up again, or pay for a $50 cab ride home. It's too bad I don't remember any of the names of these clubs or bars, cause they were too much fun.

From there we would head over to this one hip hop club that spun a great mix of underground hip hop. On one particular night there, we danced and made friends with these Japanese boys. We didn't remember their names so we called them "Louis Vuitton" and "Gucci", cause that's what brands they were wearing. We danced and danced that night, to the point where we literally couldn't any more.Sometime at around 5AM, Louis Vuitton, passed out on the floor drunk and remained sleeping on the floor, in the middle of the dance floor of a very crowded club. We couldn't really do anything with him- he was out cold, so we picked him up and stuck him in the corner of the dancefloor- still passed out on the floor. Once the club was closing sometime around 6AM, we stumbled our way over to Pot and Pot ( a 24 hour fast food curry house), ordered some curry and sat and waited with our new friends for the trains to start running again.

Another particular night- and this event was quite funny to Emily and I, we were roaming around Shibuya, getting lost of course, when we run into 8 Japanese business men, still dressed in their suits, still holding their briefcases. And this story just proved to us just how funny and odd (but in a good way) Japan really is! We stop to observe 8 men, huddled around a machine just outside  of an arcade, jumping and giggling and laughing like 12 year old little girls. We stop and think to ourselves, "What the hell are they so excited about?" We get closer and we realize that they were huddled around a machine that paints your finger nails for you! You put your finger in a hole inside this machine, you pick a color and a pattern, and it spray paints your nails for you! 8 Japanese business men- getting excited over getting their nails painted! Emily and I begin laughing our asses off. We get closer, when they tell us in Japanese "Do it! Get your nails done! Hiro accidentally broke the machine, and now it's painting our nails for FREE!" They were so excited that the machine broke and that they were all getting their nails painted for free! How hilarious is that?! So Em and I jumped in and started to get our nails painted. Then we soon realized- it was now 8 Japanese business men and 2 girls, jumping around a machine, laughing and giggling like little 12 year old girls. We were doing the same thing as them now! We were getting so excited over this! Then, 5 minutes later, our friend Alan walks by, after just coming out of the shoe store to meet up with us, witnesses this scene- with us, the nail painting machine, and the 8 giddy businessmen with their nails painted- looks at us like we're all crazy, and asks "I leave you 2 alone for 15 minutes, and what are you doing now?!" Then, the 8 japanese business men try and coax Alan (one of the macho-ist guys that I know) to get  his nails painted too! Soo funny, but after much persuasion, he got 1 nail painted! What a funny memory! This is why I love Japan!

I love riding the trains here. There are these little melodies that sound at every station followed by a woman's voice who depicts every word in Japanese with a beautiful flow and accent. Tsugi wa Shibuya, Shibuya! (Next is Shibuya)

A group of CIEE students met and traveled through Shibuya on Sunday. It was definitely bustling! In line with the Fall Equinox Festival (Akimatsuri), a parade was being held in the streets. We wandered aimlessly, snapping photos left and right. We were lost several times and by the end of the day, I think we had managed to travel the entire neighborhood.

Perhaps the greatest memory from this day was wandering the back alleys in search of nothing in particular when we happened to meet two old men sitting in front of a bar who called us over to practice their English. We seem to have luck meeting these types! They sat us down and poured us some drinks and proceeded to tell us in broken English and Japanese about themselves and ask us questions. We shared the common misunderstandings of each other, but it didn't matter because everyone was happy. Always, so happy!

Shibuya is both front-end galmour and back alley cool. You can find just about anything here from record shops, love hotels, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Not to mention the 6 story department stores! In the evening, we were looking for the perfect place to eat when we were confronted by a representative from a nearby izakaya. He promptly roped us in with drink and food specials and took us in an elevator to the 6th floor of a building where we would spend the rest of our evening, trying to decipher what was on the menu, how to order it, and figure out the bill. The food was good and the drinks were cozy. After a long day of adventuring and wandering in the bustling district of Shibuya, we collapsed on the train ride back to our quiet little town.

After everyone had napped for a few hours, we got dressed and ready for dinner.  We took a cab to a place that had been recommended by a co-worker of Dave's,  a restaurant in Shibuya called Gonpachi. ( A restaurant in the movie "Kill Bill" was based on this restaurant.)   It was a low-table, shoes off, sit close to the ground Japanese style restaurant.   We waited a half hour in the bar to be seated because we had arrived early (our hotel concierge had made our reservation for us)  The food and service was excellent!  We shared a variety of Yakutori style items, chicken and vegetables on skewers like we had the night before.  We also shared a large bowl of rice and egg mixture that was recommended by Lee  (he remembered having this dish when he visited Japan 10 years ago. It was very good!)   The food was delicious, and there was plenty for all!  We finished with a nice dessert, and even with several beers thrown in, the bill was very reasonable.   This would be a good place to check out if you ever visit Tokyo!

Despite our earlier naps, we were still fairly tired and not yet adjusted to the time change.  We decided to head back to the hotel after dinner, as we had a long day planned for tomorrow.  We planned to get up early to go check out the Tsukiji fish market, and we were determined to catch up on our sleep!

Gonpachi in Shibuya is a great place for Japanese food, and is very popular with westerners. This resaurant was the model used for the restaurant in the movie "Kill Bill". I didn't see that movie myself, but I heard several people say the resemblance was striking. All I can say is, they had great food! We had a variety of Yakaturi items, mostly chicken and vegetables on skewers. Also, a rice and egg bowl that was delicious! You had to take your shoes off, to sit at the table that was low to, but not on, the ground. Service was great, although our waiter and waitress didn't speak much english. Was still easy to communicate what we wanted. Dessert!!