Beyonce Sucks

Well there are some things to do in Japan besides drinking, eating and shopping; but eating and drinking are fun. Friday night I went with some other students, and some locals, to a restaurant that was well overpriced and overpriced. That was a light day really because I was able to get off early after making a presentation.

Sunday was the day though. We went to the Meiji Shrine, which is huge, but also walked around the area. Despite some protests from myself and a few others there was a lunch at a burger place. Hamburgers here are over priced but some people just want to get back home for a little bit. I myself had a tuna sandwich. I love Asian food, and I love Japanese food more that I like hamburgers so it perplexes me why someone would want to get a hamburger when there is good food everywhere.

After that we ran into Beyonce… really. We were walking and there was a ton of people waiting outside this one store, and then she walked out with some towering bodyguards, waved at all of us, then jumped in a van and drove off. I tried in vain to remind everyone how much she sucks, but I was ignored.

Outside the Meiji temple is where all the goth and Japanese punks hang out on Sunday. It was awesome, I was wearing my Cubs jersey and I felt like a tool. There are some really damn cool shops which means I’ll have to come back and do a little shopping there. It is strange though because they just hang out there while tourists take pictures of them. At first I was pissed because people of any subculture are not in a zoo. It sort of pissed me off how a lot of the people I was with were like “they just do it for the attention so who cares?” That turned out to be more true that I thought though because all of them were openly posing with people (though I still think it would be better to ask first).

Then onto the Meiji temple. Emperor Meiji was the emperor who modernized Japan in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. He was Hirohito’s grandfather and set up a constitutional monarchy where the emperor had significant control. This was the second temple, the first was destroyed during allied bombing in the second world war. This temple was built in 1958. It is a large temple, spacious (minimalist) and was very serine. The temple was built in a park that was one his favorites. Outside the park there are barrels of Sake, and a concession stand where they serve soft serve ice cream.

The one thing that pissed me off is the attitude that some of the people here have, specifically Jon Jon. I always feel uncomfortable in religious places of a different religion. I feel that religion is a private matter and making some of these spots tourist spots degrades them a little (this is of course my belief). So in these temples I don’t take pictures or even really go into places that I feel are only for members of that religion if I’m not invited. Normally this is where people pray. So in Shinto shrines there is an area where people pray and they throw coins.

After the shrine we saw the “Tokyo Rockabilly Club” which were these old guys with Elvis hair dressed like bikers and dancing to the tunes of Grease. I guess they even have a store but we didn’t see that. It was funny but not something that I wanted to see for a while (there was also a Falafel cart nearby which was funny to me for some reason).

Today I worked on my birthday and am sitting at home watching CNN and writing this right now.