Thank you for the Escargot, Mr. Ninja

April 14^th – 15^th, 2006

Thankfully we slept in on the 14^th. Even though the girls went back at the early hour of 3 am, we were still exhausted. NT and I opted for a lunch of soba noodles rather than eating at a Western Restaurant. Where ARE we people?!? Thankfully, NT is an adventurous eater and doesn’t feel the obligations that some others feel. We dropped by an arcade in the afternoon and took some funny photos. Dinner was really the interesting part of the day.

We went to Ninja Times, which is a theme restaurant where the waiter is a real-life Ninja. OK, so yes, it was completely cheesy, but it was a blast! The food was excellent. I especially enjoyed the Escargot (4) (my first time) and frog shaped cheesecake. I could have left the lobster tofu off (2), but I’m not sure anyone really enjoys tofu. We then headed back to the hotel to change and enjoy a trip to the vending machine bar in our lobby. We headed to Rappongi that night to experience the real Tokyo nightlife. It was expensive, but a lot of fun! We ended the night/ morning at some ridiculous hour after the sun came up. Fortunately, I ate a cheeseburger before going to bed. Oh, some guy told me I shouldn’t eat a cheeseburger because I was fat. I told him he was ugly, so I guess we both sucked. OK, so I didn’t think of that one until just now, but I really wish I said it. Instead, I just stared at him with an eat shit look and told him he was talking to the wrong person. He then tried to shake my hand, which I declined. I’m actually expecting to get yelled at for losing weight when I get home, so his insult didn’t quite hit home. After all, it’s not like he could see my belly, which I consider to be my trouble spot.

Our last day in Tokyo was spent shopping. I decided not to buy anything because I didn’t want to lug it with me to Kyoto on the train. I’m writing this later and can tell you that not buying my souvenirs in Tokyo was a mistake. IT and I headed to Kyoto by train while the rest of the gang headed back to HK where they had to take a Mandarin exam the next morning - another good reason why I’m glad I didn’t take Mandarin.