Getting a Bite to Eat at the Vampire Cafe

What I ate while in Tokyo, was mostly nigiri sushi, onigiri and salads. I think in part because of the weather. But it is fun to get out and try something new. And there was one night that I wanted to be distracted. Because it was the night of the first Deep Sanctuary VI concert, and I did not want to be tempted to look online. I didn't want to be spoiled as to what would happen at the concert.

So I met up with an online friend for the first time in real life. She has been very helpful with information about Ikebukuro. So we met at the station and headed to Ginza. We made it out of Ginza Station only to be unsure of which way to go because the original exit we needed was closed.

Along the way we ran into this guy. It was nice to finally see the Ginza Cupid. He seemed a little preoccupied.

My friend consulted her GPS and I had remembered the name of the building. I look up and we have arrived. Yes, I finally bit the bullet and made a Gurunavi online reservation for the Vampire Cafe. 

Walking in I can't help but remember my childhood, and okay, my adulthood, celebrating Halloween. My parents participated in haunted houses for charity so I spent my fair share playing witch or other haunted creature. The interior of Vampire Cafe definitely is in this spirit. I was a little worried that it might be campy, but that was dispelled.

We ordered drinks. This may be the Necromancer, with Dracula's Blood, blue curaçao, gin and lemon and a few rose petals for good measure. I'm not sure since it does not look like the photo online but then none of the current drinks look like this. No matter what it really was, it was good, and the light is a nice touch since the booths are fairly dark.

My friend ordered the Bloody Rose, a mixture of cranberry juice and tonic water. She said it was very sweet.

Over time, my glass was glowing brighter. A bit strange and interesting.

 We had put in for the Vampire Favorite Course when I made the reservation. Our first dish was the Garden of Beautiful Roses ham charcuterie plate.

Next was the Ritual of Resurrection to Awaken Those of Darkness. A Caesar salad of avocado and salmon, topped with a black rice bat cracker. This is where the fun began. Vampire Rose, the host of the cafe, came over and poured the red dressing onto the salad, while chanting, which the rest of the staff replied to. Entertaining way to serve up salad. And the salad was very good. We ate all of it.

 Following that was the Roses of Destiny, an ajillo of tomatoes and avocado with bread. I don't think this went over as well with us, but it wasn't bad. The tomato rose was pretty.

 What was good was the Name of Despair: The crime of the death god dyed in the jet black. Pasta with squid ink, ikasumi, cream sauce and mushrooms. Even though it made our lips and teeth black for a few minutes, it was worth it. That's a skull rice cracker, and I did disturb Death on the rim of the plate. I have live to tell about it.

 More dining entertainment. The Tragedy Burning Punishment for Judgment of the Rebels, half a chicken with herbs and spices, turned into a flaming inferno by Vampire Rose.

While we waited for dessert, I couldn't help but take a photo or two of the room beyond. Atmosphere is a good word to describe the restaurant. Helped by the playing of the soundtrack of the Nightmare Before Christmas. I have a few Halloween soundtracks, maybe I could send them over to help out with the ambiance?

 Finally our Dark Poison Spiders arrived. Rather cute for something supposedly dangerous. And pretty delicious also.

Heading out I took a couple photos. Seriously, it's like being at home around Halloween. I was smiling the whole time there.

I know I and my friend had a bloody good time. I hope I will get the chance to return, because the food was good and I did enjoy both the decor and the service. Thanks a lot Vampire Rose and the staff of the Vampire Cafe!

The Vampire Cafe website is here https://www.dd-holdings.jp/shops/vampirecafe/ginza

and there address is 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chūō, Ginza, ６丁目７−６ ラペビル

A Few More Sights at Kyu Furukawa Gardens

As I wrote in my previous post, parts of the Kyu Furukawa Gardens were blocked off for maintenance during my prior visit. This time I was able to get a look at the tea house. From a distance since it's not open all the time. 

I was also able to see a few other buildings. 

And stone lanterns, toro. 

There were still a lot of clouds in the sky, creating interesting views. 

 Walking back towards the entrance, there is this large stone warehouse.

It was easy to imagine all sorts of things in the half light. I wonder if any horror films have been made here? It did have a medieval look.  

Walking back, I took a moment to appreciate the view of the mansion. A feeling of timelessness. 

And a bit ominous. 

Since I missed seeing any roses, I thought I would take a look at the entrance of the house. Turns out it was open. 

For tea. Since it was important to replenish fluids, I decided to have a cup of. I went with iced and they gave me a small tour of a couple of the rooms. It was nice to sit inside looking out at the gardens. What a nice feeling it must have been for the people who lived there. 

One last look at the mansion and that intense sky.

Back to Kyu Furukawa Gardens

My goal for this day in Tokyo was to return to the Kyu Furukawa Gardens. It is a very inexpensive place to visit and I was hoping to see something I didn't see the first time. 

The flowers around the mansion were now in bloom and the plants looked lusher and greener. 

The sky however was more clouds than blue. 

At times, it gave an ominous feeling to the place. So I went in search of what I didn't see the last time. Roses.

 They had cut all of them.

I walked through the formal rose garden where I did find a couple buds. 

 So like the last time, I walked through the Japanese garden.

Given the heat and high humidity, and how verdant everything was, I wondered if this is what it felt like in a rain forest.

The view up to the mansion still had a classic feel. The plants were filled out since it was summer.

 One nice thing were the butterflies. Really large Alpine Black Swallowtails flew by but I wasn't able to get a photograph. However this Indian Fritillary pranced across the rock in front of me, like it was posing for a photo.

Another nice thing was that there weren't any places closed off for maintenance. There were a number of things I was unable to see back in March, so this time I was able to get a better look. 

Of course I walked around the heart pond.

Since I have a few more photographs, I will continue this tomorrow.

There Once Was a Castle Here

 Back on that curved road and what did I see? More stairs and a torii. Would I save my energy for my intended destination or would I go up those stairs?

It's a shrine. Of course I went up the stairs. What I found is Hiratsuka-jinja. A shrine complex with a lot more going on than one sees at first glance.

 For it is a very old shrine by Tokyo standards. Established in the Heian period, 1118 to 1119, some of the buildings escaped damage in WWII. Like the Kagura building. It may date from the Edo period as do others on the complex.

Compared to other well known shrines in Tokyo, there seems to be a mix of very old, as the chozuya water basin, and more utility like using a metal pole to hold up the omikuji fortune papers. 

 The main shrine, Haiden, is very interesting even if you don't know any of the history of the place. It was built in the late Edo period, 1839, and also survived WWII. The main kami here is Hachiman, god of archery and war and protector of Edo. A kami revered by samurai. Remember the kami at the previous shrine, how they were related to samurai? Well, Hiratsuka Shrine was established as part of a samurai's castle.

Hiratsuka Castle was a holding of the Toshima Clan back in the Heian period. This was the clan's chief seat of governance in the Kanto area. Another interesting point is what is behind these buildings. The ropes are there around them because it's not open to the public. One time, three Genji brothers were on their way to conquest Oshu and rested here while traveling there. On their return, they stopped here again and offered their armor as thanks. The armor was buried in a mound behind the buildings as sacred. This mound gives it's name to the shrine complex. Because the mound is flat and has no height. 

The castle was lost near the end of the 1400's and became abandoned when the Toshima clan fell following the Kyōtoku incident, a conflict over control of the Kanto region.

What is left are the shrines.

Besides that really interesting history, the main shrine has really amazing features, like these komainu. 

The shishi styled one has a small komainu!  

And there are komainu carved on the temple also. 

I wish my photos were better but the high humidity and cloudy day made it a little difficult. Still I hope you can see the impressive carving. 

Even more surprising were the two carved elephants, one on each side. These are baku, dream eating supernatural beings. They are protectors along with the komainu. 

There were smaller shrines on the grounds. 

Another with an amazing tiled roof and wood carvings. This is the Sugawara shrine. I do not know the kami enshrined here. 

It has an impressive dragon on the lintel piece.

There are also a couple Inari shrines on the grounds. They looked a little neglected. 

The kitsune statues appeared to be older and worn. 

The sign on this shrine says something about not leaving payments, or something like that. Unfortunately I have not been able to find information about these smaller shrines. In fact, everything I found out has been on a couple Japanese websites, so I am hoping it is accurate. 

Since I came in the back entrance, like I often do, I was walking out to the front of the shrine complex. This chozuya is by the smaller shrines. 

 The entrance torii.

The two stone entrance lanterns. 

I headed towards my planned destination, hoping to find what I didn't see in March. That's the next post.