My First Day in Tokyo or Where I Get Lushed

I'm glad I have had better flights to Japan, because I would like to forget this last one. Along with some difficulty getting the right ticket for the train to Ikebukuro. But I made it and found my hotel and everything there was decent. And was all non-smoking. I am grateful for that. Something I should not have done there was pre-pay for their breakfast. Which consisted of toast, a choice of two broths and tea or coffee. I ended up not using most of their breakfast tickets, opting instead for salads and tamagoyaki hand rolls from 7-11.

Despite everything and still being very tired, I headed out. The day was too beautiful not to spend time outside.

And over to the obvious place. I decided to get this bit of shopping out of the way, because Harajuku can be overwhelming if not prepared for it. It was good to see the old station is still there, while they build the new section. It is the iconic face of Harajuku. 

The other iconic part of Harajuku is opposite of the station. Takeshita Street, with it's hundreds of tourists. My plan was to get in there, get to where I wanted to shop, and then I would be done with this for the rest of my trip. 

I'd always seen the Yellow House on my past visits to Harajuku, but this time I stopped in. The small space has walls covered with flyers from days long gone. The shop owner was there and she asked me in a bit of English why I was there. I explained and of course she responded with what she says to anyone who mentions certain bands. That she made clothing for MALICE MIZER back in the day.

I will say the fashion at Yellow House is something that I might have shopped at long ago, for a top or jacket. I do think there is a bit more quality than some of the other shops along Takeshita Dori. If anyone is looking for a punk or visual kei look, I recommend stopping in.

But my destination was some place else. The place known for years as the place to find that long sought after item. The destination for lolitas from all over the world. And for some of the rest of us, looking for elegant gothic aristocrat, punk or Vivienne Westwood clothing. Closet Child.

Shopping completed, I escaped from the maddening crowd that filled Takeshita Dori. The back streets of Harajuku are interesting. And also, a little artistic. Each time I return to Tokyo, I see more graffiti. Sometimes it approaches art.

Contrasting this is the fountain at picturesque Fontaine Street. 

Along with the bit of Japanese garden that now inhabits the back of Laforet department store. To think when I was here back in 2010 there was a restaurant in this space. 

The Vivienne Westwood shop is still at the front of Laforet. I did stop at Atelier Pierrot inside Laforet. I tried on the new Moi-même-Moitié top hat. It is cute and nicely made, but not what I was looking for.

I made it to Omotesando Dori where I hoped to find some place to eat. The Apartment Cafe was no longer there so I decided to head back to Ikebukuro. But then something grabbed my attention. 

I had seen reports online about the new LUSH store in Harajuku, and even marked it on my map as a place to check out. But since I was there, I had to go in. 

Imagine a place with wall to wall bath bombs, stretching out in rainbow colors. 

And not just one floor of multi-hued bath bombs, but two. 

LUSH LABS in Harajuku is a testing ground for LUSH with their many special Japan only bath bombs. Besides wall to wall scented bathing temptation, there is a kaiten conveyor belt that runs through the first floor. 

And yes, I could not resist the temptation. A couple of the ones I tried out included this Black Rose. It smells very nice, but I discovered it was a bit messy. The inky black water was intriguing, but having to clean the tub wasn't. It's nice that toothpaste works for that when one doesn't have anything else to use. If I had known, I would not have purchased this.

One that was less work and very relaxing was the Lavender Bag Flower bath bomb, also known as Deep Sleep. It's nice that they wrapped it in cheese cloth to catch all the little lavender blossoms inside. I would definitely buy this one again.

There were a few more bath bombs, but the one that was more photographic was the Sushi bath bomb. It's a combination bath bomb with LUSH's FUN soap in the middle. Which means you get a bit of bubble bath with this one. The scent was mikan orange which was nice. But once again there was a bit of black from the outside. Other than that, this giant bath bomb was fun.

It was nice to mark off two places I wanted to visit during my trip. Given my situation at that time, I hadn't been able to make a list beforehand so this was extra nice. And in case anyone is checking this post and wondering where LUSH LABS Harajuku is, they are on Ometesando Street next to Nike, not far from Harajuku Station. It is a fun place to visit. Their address is Japan, 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome−13−１１ 大西ビル1階.

Back to the Start, Heading to Japan Again

My last post was about having dinner in Ginza, Japan. So what happened before this and how did I end up in Japan? Well, it started with me taking the train to Portland International Airport. It was one of the first days in some time where there wasn't rain, ice and snow falling. 

I took the opportunity to stop at one of Portland's better known and respected coffee producers. Where I found out if I buy a bag of coffee beans, I get a free cup of freshly brewed. Good timing since I was extremely tired having only slept about two hours the night before. I had not slept much in a couple of weeks because my 14 year old cat Kenji suddenly became sick and died. He had become diabetic a few years before this, so I knew that sooner or later his body would give out. I had hoped this trip would give me some relief.

So back to PDX where I was playing coffee courier. Obligatory PDX carpet shot with Stumptown coffee. Proof it was as fresh as I could get it.

I spied a familiar sight. Not this time, but maybe in the future Hawaiian Air?

With a little time and feeling hungry, I decided on a breakfast style burrito at Tamale Boy. It's nice that Portland International Airport has lower price options for food. Some airports do not.

Inside was a rather tasty mix of potatoes, eggs, cilantro and other vegetarian fillings.

Somewhere on the way to the gate was this large glass tank filled with fabric jellyfish and sea sponges. Created by artist Sayuri Sasaki Hemann, turns out this is dedicated to those affected by the 2011 Great Tohoku Disaster. 

After my last trip to Japan, I decided it would be faster to get a little yen at PDX than risk the wait if Narita Aiport was crowded. Turned out I had plenty of time to do this. Because not only did we sit in the plane at the gate for an hour after boarding, we were then told to deplane with everything we brought on. TSA had us go through security again, and then we all had to go through boarding again. I never heard why this happened and I did not see anyone pulled aside or removed from the plane. After all this, my non-stop Delta flight finally took off for Japan.

Celebrating Moi-méme-Moitié's 20th Anniversary at the Vampire Cafe

Usually when I go on a trip, I post what happened in chronological order. But since there is interest in this now, I will start with my return visit to the Vampire Cafe in Ginza. I had thought about going since I enjoyed my first meal there but what made it definite was the announcement of a collaboration with the fashion line Moi-même-Moitié for their 20th Anniversary. Their creative advertisement helped convince me that it would be worth a second visit.

Besides the very unique look of the food, the concept for the menu came from the creative mind of Mana, musician and founder of the bands MALICE MIZER and Moi dix Mois, and the gothic fashion label Moi-même-Moitié. Mana started Moi-même-Moitié in 1999, so to celebrate their 20th Anniversary, Mana chose the thriller horror film "Les diaboliques" as the inspiration for this first collaboration menu.

Released in 1955, "Les diaboliques" is set in a boarding school where the wife and the mistress of the abusive headmaster conspire to murder him. They think they accomplished this, then strange things began to happen. It is definitely worth checking out if you have not seen it. For me, the idea piqued my curiosity, along with wanting the opportunity to finally taste something inspired by Mana's culinary repertoire. 

For my visit during my last trip I was able to make a reservation online. It was tricky but it worked. This time I tried and it did not work. So one afternoon I stopped in at the Vampire Cafe and made a reservation in person. Vampire Rose was very helpful with this. Reservations can also be made by phone if you speak Japanese or have someone who can do that for you.

So on the night of my reservation I returned to the Vampire Cafe. It was easier to get to now that the swank Armani Building has been completed and the Ginza Station B3 exit has been reopened. The black stairs up to the street set the mood for what was to come. Ascending to floor seven of the La Paix building, I was greeted by the cafe host Vampire Rose. I was led to an all black room that had padded walls and a curved ceiling. Was this meant to be a coffin? Or perhaps a coach? The ambiance was very dark.

Since it was March, the festive Halloween decorations were not out. The feeling was a little more somber with wine red chairs and black curtains. I was told something interesting by someone, about where I was seated that night. It fit with the theme of the dinner. I also found it amusing that all the mirrors in the room were broken.

The tables here really look like bottomless pools. This room was much darker than where I had sat previously. Still there was enough light to visually enjoy my food, but it made taking photos a little difficult.

My drink arrived, along with a little appetizer. A rice cracker lizard with a miso spread and a bit of black bread which had a little something underneath that I do not remember. It was a nice small bite for a starter for the night.

Maybe I could not remember because my focus was on this? One of the two special Moi-même-Moitié drinks, with rose petals floating lit by a blue light. This is the Fresh Blood Diabolique. The description is that you can get eternal beauty by drinking this. An original cocktail created for a celebration feast.

Part of Mana's description of the drink is adding fresh blood to it. That is, the red liquor in the accompanying glass. The color changes to a purple hue. Tasting this, I was reminded of roses. But as I drank more, a bitter taste was evident. It made me think of how the characters in the film may have started their relationships with love, but it turned bitter over time. Or how into pure blue water a poison was poured, stirring up emotions. 

More of the description of the drink. "By just touching this drink to your lips, you will gradually awaken and wander into the illusion of being attacked by vampires." Fitting for the setting of this meal.

My main course arrived. The "jet dark enchanting exotic Diabolique-grilled curry made with coconut and cardamom". The description for the dish is "under the crepe cloth that shines jet black, is a curry full of spices such as cumin and cardamon. You will notice that the intricately crafted taste is carried into the mouth and the impact on the tongue changes." My impression that night, taking into account the movie was "Covered with a black blanket, wrapped in a white sheet, a bed of spicy temptation awaits you." So just what was in this entree and what did I think of it?

I have to say the look of the dish was enchanting, with the powered white candelabra logo topping that black blanket and surrounded by rose petals. The creamy cardamon coconut sauce enhanced what was under that blackness. Surrounded by a rice paper wrapper, spiced mushroom chicken with rice held consistent flavor throughout. It was quite delicious and I wish I had been able to go back and enjoy it again. This was a very sophisticated curry.

On to the last dish of the night. Normally I do not eat like this, but it was a special occasion, and given how my trip had been going, I needed something special. And this was a rather special looking cake. The "Sweet Trap of Blue Rose in Azure". Blue roses have long been a theme of Mana's along with azure blue water. This lemon cream and berry cake sat in a pool of blue gelatin. In the movie "Les diabolique" water is an important element, with both an abandoned pool and a bath tub, where the headmaster is supposedly drowned. Perhaps the sweet trap was his wife and his mistress, who attempted to kill him? 

After making a wish and blowing out the candles, I dived into this pool of whipped cream and cake. The flavor of fruit was through out both the gelatin and cream. Lemon and hints of other sweetness. White chocolate surrounded the light white cake while in between the layers were whole blueberries. The cake looks bigger than it actually is, since there was a lot of whipped cream blue roses. I enjoyed the cake and big fresh berries, but I will admit I did not eat all of that whipped cream and gelatin. It was more than I could handle. Oh, I can't forget there was also a black rice cracker bat hiding behind one of the candles. My thoughts were of the sweetness of innocence, playing in a pool of blue. A moment of lightness in all that dark.

I can say that I really enjoyed this meal. Dining at the Vampire Cafe is a fun treat, and being able to enjoy a meal dreamed up by Mana as a tribute to Moi-même-Moitié made it special. Now if there was a way to be able to try the future new special menu items...since they will change throughout the 20th Anniversary year. You can find more information about the Vampire Cafe's collaboration menu and also make reservations through their Gurunavi web page here: https://r.gnavi.co.jp/g600100/menu1/.