Shibuya in the Summertime

So this was the day after the concert. I wasn't sure how my right knee would hold up. It was swollen below the knee cap and pretty much all of my leg down to my foot was contused. I had landed right on the patellar tendon and top of my tibia bone, the tibial tuberosity. There was some pain but the swelling may have helped keep it from hurting more. I had also put cold bottles of water on it during the night. However it felt very stiff. But since I only had two days left and there was one place I really wanted to go, I thought I would see if I could handle it. So out I went under the sweltering Ikebukuro sky.

Into Ikebukuro Station and out at Shibuya Station. Where I headed to the ESP Museum for the MALICE MIZER 25th Anniversary Exhibition. Yes I am going backwards a little in my posts. But since I don't have many photos from this trip, I thought I would post a few of busiest part of Shibuya. 

That's right, the Shibuya Scramble. 

Down the street and by Shibuya Marui. Visual kei music must be doing okay, the band Razor even had a billboard on the store. 

 And more Marui. The company has a number of department stores in Shibuya and Shinjuku along with other places. Thankfully the ESP Museum and Craft House are not far from Shibuya Station so I made it there with out any problems. I also was actively looking for elevators. It helped.

I decided to get something to eat after my museum visit. Heading back towards a place I had been to before. 

Same street as Mount Rainier Hall. I'm hoping I can go there again next year. I had a lot of fun at that venue. I should also explain all the Namie Amuro signs. She is a very popular Japanese entertainer who was retiring on September 16th. So ads for her Final Tour 2018 dvd and blu-ray were everywhere.

As for me, I decided to indulge just a little. I had been very good with eating while in Tokyo. Salads, nigiri sushi with just fresh fish (none of that mayo stuff) and onigiri. Since I hadn't eaten out anywhere because of the heat, it was time for something fun. So I stopped by MOS Burger. It almost isn't an official trip for me if I haven't eaten something from MOS. 

This time it was their shrimp burger. Nice big pieces of shrimp this time and I really noticed the citrus flavor of lemon. There it was again. Everywhere I went had lemon in something. 

But the thing I really wanted was their onion rings. So I took a little time to rest my leg and enjoy some fast food. Something I don't normally eat. But once in a while, indulging isn't a bad thing.

Shibuya Scramble and hide

Weather was much better my second full day in Tokyo. Which was good because there was something important I was going to later on. But first I headed over to Shibuya and the infamous Scramble. So you think there aren't many people waiting to cross?

Think again. Every time I return to Shibuya it seems like there are more people there. People there for business, going shopping and just wanting to be seen.  

Overseeing it all that day was hide. This photo has a few fans surprised since they had not seen it before. HURRY GO ROUND is a documentary movie where an actor examines the last three months of hide's life. It is part of the 20th Memorial Project for hide.

A lot of the architecture of the shopping area of Shibuya is unremarkable. Although on another day when I was back over there to buy something, the Disney store building caught my attention. I've seen it before but maybe because I was further away I could see it's imaginative design. The building is actually called the Humax Pavilion and it was built in 1992. The architect was Hiroyuki Wakabayashi.

As for me, I braved the crowds to stop in at the ESP Craft House. They have changed things around since I was there last. The museum was open so I was able to take a look but no photos. Too bad because there were many guitars up there that I did not see the last time. Including a couple custom jeune fille guitars that belong to Mana. Who also just put out new picks so I had to get a couple. They still had a few of the previous black with white picks so I grabbed a couple. The new picks look very nice with iridescent lettering and the Moi dix Mois ten point star on black. Reminds me of aurora borealis in the black night, or the glistening inside of a black abalone shell.

In between my quick trip to Shibuya and later returning there, I did a few other things elsewhere. But I am going to save those photos for later. My next post will be about something very enjoyable.

A Different Look at Shibuya

Actually this post starts out with very familiar views of Shibuya. That world famous sky line and scramble. Along with a Hachiko bus.

One more of the Shibuya Crossing after coming out of Shibuya Station. That sky was amazing. I was surprised more photographers weren't out taking photos.

I know I couldn't help but take a few.

One of the reasons I like taking photos here is because of the interplay of the video screens and people. Shibuya is definitely a place where people go to be seen at times.

 However this was morning so the Shibuya Crossing and streets around were unusually pedestrian light.

 Good thing because I couldn't stop looking up. That sky!

However I wasn't headed to the part of Shibuya that tourists go to. I was headed in a different direction. Where Shibuya's music venues are. Like Tsutaya O-West and O-East.

And duo Music Exchange.

Club Asia needed staff and a bit of pain.

With their Club Vuenos across the street.

At this point I was trying to find a different place and ended up at Hyakkendana. Which is known for a few things. While the restaurants there were closed, there was some activity at places by the many love hotels. Which I was not there to see, so back to music related places.

Which there were many crammed into this small area.

It is amazing how many shops and bars can fit into one small building.

After a bit I found what I was looking for. The venerable Lion Cafe, home of coffee sipping to classical music. Even though it was after 11 am it wasn't open. Had this happen at a couple other places during my trip.  Still I made it there even if I didn't get to go inside.

So headed back to Shibuya Station. On my way there I found one of the other places I was looking for. Mt. Rainier Hall, named after that big Pacific Northwest mountain. Don't ask me why. Despite the big name I missed this the first time I walked by the Uniqlo store. In part because there was a television crew filming a couple fashionable people right outside the store.

 Lunch was in order at this point so I enjoyed my first MOS shrimp burger of the trip. Along with those delicious onion rings. That Shibuya location is pretty good with a bit of room for seating which was nice.

So while I missed out on experience Lion Cafe from the inside, I did locate a couple of places which would be helpful a few days from this return to Shibuya. So it was a success in part and I was ready to see another place I had spotted on my last trip. Which will be in my next post.

Finding ESP in Shibuya

I took the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho Station and then jumped on the Yamanote Line. Just like old times. Headed to a place I had not been to since 2008. Buildings looked the same but what is with all of the anime style signs? It's not just here but in other places which are starting to look like Akihabara.

At least the big screens were still there at the Shibuya Scramble. I like taking a photo to see what image I caught. Good luck? I could use that.

It's not easy to take photos while trying to walk through the Shibuya crossing with all these people. But the results are fun.

The new Ghost Busters movie was coming out in Japan and lots of advertisements for it. I tried to get a decent photo of the ad playing on the MODI building. Not happening but the building looks cool.

While I would have liked to visit a few places in Shibuya, the hot humid weather made it difficult. I was trying to not over do it (even though I know I did). There was one specific place I really wanted to see. I was glad I found it without any problems too.

The ESP Craft House. Famous guitar makers, they create instruments for many musicians all over the world.

The upper floor is a museum and I wanted to check out the Takamizawa guitars. They are very imaginative and unusual. I thought had missed it since I went on a day after the dates on the advert.

I wandered around admiring the guitars. Like this beautiful Sugizo Eclipse Brilliant guitar. ESP has both new and used guitars for sale.

I wanted to get something and a guitar was kind out of my budget. I was looking through the guitar picks and found a couple related to Sugizo and Luna Sea. I gamely asked the shop clerk if they had Moi dix Mois picks. Then I said Mana and she lit up. Not only did she get me a guitar pick but then asked if I had seen his guitar. She led me upstairs to the museum.

Not only did they have one of Mana's jeune fille custom guitars but next to it was one of Közi あかうずくん Akazu-kun guitars. Since they don't allow photos in the museum I am borrowing one of their photos. The guitars are hung on the wall inside cases.

I could not find a photo of Mana's guitar but it's the same as this one he used in the video for "La dix croix".

So after much fun looking at all the guitars including the Takamizawa exhibit (amazing instruments) I headed back to Shibuya Station.

Stopped to get a couple photos of Hachikō along with many tourists. Popular dog.

Old rail car being used at Shibuya City Tourist Booth.

In case anyone is wondering if there is anything going on in Tokyo about the future Olympics, yes there is. Not just signs and shops but on television a lot. Of course the Rio Olympics were happening while I was in Tokyo so there was almost non-stop coverage.

That was my short visit to Shibuya. If you are into music and visiting Tokyo I recommend stopping in at ESP Craft House. Besides having a lot of historic guitars in their museum they also have special exhibits. They are located at 1 Chome-20-16 Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0041, Japan, just a couple blocks from Tower Records.