Tokyo: October 3, 2011

(Tip: Click on photos to see a larger version or go to www.ronalddunlapphotography.com)

All marterials including photographs are ©2011 Ronald Gary Dunlap / Doglight Studios.

All rights reserved 

I woke to the shrieks of a quartet of crows loitering outside my window. It felt like a lament for my last full day in Tokyo. For some reason, their cries reminded me of the flocks of wild green parrots that now call L.A. home. They occasionally congregate in the liquid amber tree in my front yard and wake me with their early morning cacophony.
 

On my way out of the hotel, I stopped at the front desk to confirm my reservation for the airport bus tomorrow morning. I also stopped for a last Egg McMuffin at the McDonald's down at the end of the block. I washed it down with the last of my large Diet Coke and stepped back onto the streets. My plan for the day was to just take it easy and see what happened as I ambled around.
 

My first encounter came in a transfer tunnel, where I came across a couple of homeless gentlemen packing up their belongings after spending the night in a small alcove in the middle of the passageway. Unlike the homeless gentleman I'd met yesterday, they seemed totally cognizant of the world around them, conversing in an informed manner. One wonders what mistake they made or what circumstance brought them to be living this far outside the normal.
 

Later in the day I did encounter a few more of the less fortunate who seemed a lot worse for the wear.
 

From there, I walked to Kabukicho, where I photographed a hostess from one of the "water trade" clubs. She looked like she'd just put in a long night's work cajoling intoxicated company men out of her share of their expense account money.
 

Hanazono-jinja temple is a bit hidden by the large buildings that surround it. Semi-secluded and with few visitors, it is an island of tranquility. I bought a fox plaque (they look more like dogs to me) as a present for Lynda. I paid the ¥900, and the priest put it in a nice white envelope.
 

I was walking down Yasukuni-dori (avenue) when I passed a serene and dignified gentleman polishing shoes on the sidewalk. I hadn't seen anyone else plying this trade, and I asked if I hired him to work over my black Timberlands, could I take a couple of pictures, and he agreed. A real professional — there weren't any unnecessary movements in his performance — it was a shine well worth the ¥800 (just under ten bucks U.S.) that I handed over to this entrepreneur near the end of his journey.
 

Also along Yasukuni-dori were several high-end bakeries and snack-shop combos, the kind of spot the well-heeled ladies stop at for afternoon tea or a late coffee.
 

Since this was my last day and I hadn't run totally out of money, I splurged on lunch. I was going to have shabu-shabu (boiled beef and vegetables), my favorite Japanese food. I found a shabu-shabu house, "Kisoji Shinjuku," and took a seat. I ordered beef, and they set a covered pot on the burner that was part of my table. Once the water is boiling (some like it to just simmer, but I wait till it is really hot), you place some of the sliced vegetables into the water and then one of the very thinly sliced pieces of Kobe beef. The beef is cooked almost immediately, and you place it and some of the vegetables (my favorite is Napa, a kind of Japanese cabbage) onto the rice bowl that rounds out the meal. It is really one of my all-time favorite meals, but this one cost almost $50, a great part of my food budget and why I could indulge my taste buds only once on this trip.
 

My last real impressive encounter was with a young itinerant calligrapher plying his trade on the sidewalk on the west side of Takashimaya Times Square. Looking to be in his middle twenties, he had laid out a nice sampling of his abilities and was open for business. I was surprised by how many people were interested in availing themselves of his services. It was eye-opening to see this young man receiving such patronage from the "man in the street."

During a lull, I approached him and inquired as to the cost. At first he said it was up to me, but after I insisted (I'm sure it was really bad manners to insist on a price), he said that it ran between ¥1,000 and ¥2,000. I thought about it for a while and then got up the 1,000 yen and had him write "Doglight." His style is a little too progressive or punk for my taste, but it was still a good investment in karma and made me feel a little like a patron of the arts.
 

It was nearing the time when I'd have to head back to the hotel to pack and rest up before tomorrow's exercise in restraint. I stopped at the Family-Mart and got a couple of Welder IN energy gel pouches, the Royal Jelly is by far my favorite. I've become semi-addicted to the stuff. I have no idea why they aren't being sold in America. (I didn't think to take a picture of them, but found this through Google.)