Tokyo-Curiosity Must Have Killed The Cat

Yesterday, I broke the filter for my camera when I was cleaning the lens here at the hostel. So the first thing I did was take the metro to the freak area of town with camera stores (in addition to anime and other stuff) to buy a new one, which is called Akihabara. I saw an inexpensive new lens I liked as well, when I was there the other day (around $60.00), so I meant to go there anyway.

The store opened at 11:00, and I was there roughly around 10:30-so I wandered around the street, looking in different stores. Again I found the capsule machines, aka the gumball machine look-a-likes that have stuff in them. I found the one I was intrigued with-the cat with the pineapple cap. It was roughly $3.00 for this little kitten. So curiosity got the best of me, and I put the money in.

Out came the little capsule-and there was no cat-just a cheap pineapple hat. I didn't know the cat was separate. i thought I would get a furry little pet-I could take as a souvenir to my own cats. Just a hat. I'm not sure if the hat was for real or fake cats. In my experience, cats aren't always willing to try on new hats.

The store did open, and I bought the lens which was fine. I then took the train to one of the busiest corners of Japan, if not the world which is called Shibuya. The corner was sort of like Times Square, with lots of stores, lights, etc. I had an issue of Time-Out Toyko, which listed some interesting stuff to do in town, one was a Hedgehog cafe, where you get to play with hedgehogs for 1/2 an hour or an hour. I thought the guy at an information desk, which i found, told me it was $2.50 to play with the hedgehogs for an hour, or $1.60-but I had the conversion rate wrong-it was $25.00 for an hour and $16.00 for half an hour. I wasn't about to pay that to pay with a rodent (or lookalike)-but I was able to look around. it wasn't very exciting.

When I got back out, Time Out Tokyo said there was a large information center with lots of brochures in the gigantic subway station. When I got
there-I noticed there a concert was coming up in two hours, complete with flyers. I was always up for free-so I decided to come back.

I walked around more, and looked at the various stores. There was a department store with a large book department, electronics stores I looked around, and other stores. I then took a nap in park and fell asleep.

I then went to the giant station looking for the free concert. It was by exit 13-which I had trouble finding. Eventually I found it and where the concert was. This wasn't the usual subway station concert. There was a roped-off section, with chairs. Guides wore suites and ties. Programs we're handed out. A well-dressed woman announcer announced the concert-I guess. She didn't use English. The performers came out-a string quartet performing Mozart, and other classical. They we're dressed in suits and gowns. They we're very very good. What i noticed, in addition to the performers, was the audience. They we're following the performance-actually watching and listening. Nobody was filming with their phones, I only saw two people take out their phones to look at. It was incredible.

After each piece, the performers talked for a while-then people handed back a perforated portion of the guide, and they wrote things on there. I guess we we're encouraged to give money-but I will never know for sure since all the talking was in Japanese.

After the concert, I left the station, and it was dark out. I looked at all of the lights and walked around some more. I found a sushi place with sushi for less then $8.00. Then I took the metro back to the hostel. I am beginning to know the metro a little better-so I got back a little quicker. At the hostel, it was movie night-so I saw the middle to end of a silly flick called Housebunny.