23 October 2017
Wasted ramen opportunity
The great guitar stores near the Shibuya crossing
I like ramen a lot. But its bad for you, many calories, great amounts of salt, very few vegetables. So when I choose to have ramen, I should probably make sure I have good ramen.
Tonight I failed by having bad ramen in Shibuya.
I saw lots of places selling what looked like good ramen, including the place I selected, but the reality did not match the pictures or the various trophy bragging posters on the storefront.
Actually, you really dont need to go to Japan to have good ramen in my opinion, Australia does really well these days. Thats enough about ramen.
I chose Shibuya so I could take photos of bright lights with my new(ish) camera, and also because I wanted to go on a train so I could extract more value from my 3 day pass.
The pictures came out well, I spent a bit of time messing around with different film profiles and other nonsense in lightroom. No funny stories tonight, just over edited photos.
Check out the awesome sunset, as seen from my hotel window. I probably should have paid the money to go up the skytree tonight. Unless its shut whilst they inspect it for typhoon damage.
No multiple exposure trickery here, this is just a single shot.
The streets behind my hotel in Ikebukuro are bright and colorful, but not too busy, however it is Monday night. When I came back later the local yakuza teenage boys were busy trying to make me go to a place called 'High School Girl Only'.
I should have had dinner here. It looks great. Those jars are just chilli flakes. I dont know what the meat was but the red chilli stuff they serve it in seems like it would be right up my alley. Maybe I will go tomorrow or on the back end of my trip when I am back in Tokyo.
At some point I also have to have the tomato soup ramen thing that I love too.
Waiting for the train, in classic chrome.
If you have been to Tokyo you have been here. I have been here 5 times. Its worth it.
The streets around Shibuya seem to get busier and busier, and go further each time I visit. I think its overtaken Shinjuku in many ways.
The above mentioned disappointing ramen. Its not that it was bad or inedible, it was just flavourless with over cooked noodles. I chose the variety with fresh cabbage, then added every kind of condiment, however it was still lacking. Hakata Gensuke in Melbourne is much better.
This is the basement of book-off in Shibuya, which is all second hand clothes. If I lived in Japan I would buy all my stuff from here. I am fine with wearing secondhand shoes. A lot of stuff looks barely worn. Upstairs they also have secondhand books and electronics, including some guitar equipment.
Speaking of guitar equipment, I found this new store in a new building. I couldnt figure out it name but its fantastic. The staff did not like me taking photos, presumably because they dont want anyone to know how awesome their store is?
They also sell secondhand guitars, including lots of Japan only weird guitars. I want them all. This is another reason why I probably cant ever live in Japan, I would go broke from guitar purchasing and be fat from over eating.
My humps, my humps, my lovely camel lumps.