From Sadō to Ero ... The progression from 'high' to 'low' culture in Day 3 of Tokyo

First of all, apologies for the delay. I had my first big test today (15%) and was studying really hard for it all of last week. I think I did ok, all in all.

Although I was tired after Sunday's traipsing around Harajuku and Shibuya, I had to get up really early on Monday morning. The reason? Megumi's mother was part of a sadō tea ceremony group and wanted to take me along for the cultural experience.

It was pretty serious stuff - everyone needs to dress in kimino. And you have to book tickets in advance.

The reason for having to get up so early was that kimono can only be put on properly by someone who has been trained in it - that's right, Japanese people need to take classes to learn how to do it. Megumi's mother has done this (and is good enough to do it for herself as well) and I stood still for her for about an hour while she tugged and folded and secured the fabric. By the end it was a little hard to breathe, harder to sit, and forget about going to the toilet. I think the objective is to turn the woman into a little doll, stiff and immobilised with beauty.

I think Japanese women pull this off better than me though. Here's one of the assistants. I could never acquire his kind of gracefulness in kimono.

Ok - the ceremony. Because quite a lot of older Japanese ladies are into this kind of thing, and because the ceremony is done in a small traditional-style room, we had to wait for quite a while to get into the room. Meanwhile we stood and chatted in a little Japanese garden.

The obachan and obaachan (aunties and grannies) around us were very complementary of Megu and I. It's rare to see younger women interested in this kind of thing, and I suppose even rarer for them to see a foreigner there.

When we got into the room I attempted to sit in seiza (kneel) for about 10 seconds, after which my legs seized up. Being a foreigner, I was allowed to kneel with my legs curled up beside me. Megu, being Japanese, had no such option. I think she got pretty bad pins and needles.

The tea implements were of high workmanship. Part of the ceremony involves turning them around in your hands and admiring them.

On our way home, which filming a Taiko festival that was making the rounds of the neighbourhood, we get dragged to the front of the procession by the lovely ojichan uncles) who were in charge of it. That was a laugh.

Home. Lunch. Sleep. Then Megu wakes me, telling me she has booked a booth at The Lockup, and we need to go.

The Lockup is a restaurant along the lines of Arabian Rock - it's a themed restaurant (prison/mental asylum/frankenstein's lab). In the waiting area the German Expressionist vampire horror film Nosferatu was playing. We were then met by a waitress dressed in a sexy police outfit, who handcuffed one of my wrists (very enjoyable) and led us down to our booth - which resembled a prison cell (bars and all). I don't think they actually locked us in, though. As one of the guys said: That would contradict the Fire Department Safety laws absolutely.

Some of the 'themed' drinks and food (all delicious).

At one point in the night, as part of the entertainment, all the lights went out and an 'alarm' went off. 'Monsters' came and rattled on our 'bars'. And then - this scared me half to death - one of them started climbing (unnoticed) OVER THE WALL and reached towards me. I screamed for real that time.

Megu's friends were really nice, and we had a good chat and many laughs in Japanese.

After leaving lockup, some of us met up with Megu's other friends in an izakaya, a boisterous but friendly bunch of boys whose liking for dirty jokes was helped along by the alcohol they were consuming. Suddenly, one of them got out a pump and balloons and started making balloon animals.

But while they were making these balloon animals, the blue one popped. Well, some of it did. A bit of it was left.

But the ingenuity of the balloon masters was not to be thwarted. Who says Japan's education system doesn't instil creative thinking in its students?

This was handed to me, though I won't repeat with what words.

Drunk Japanese guys are just the sweetest.

I was exhausted when I got home, and needed sleep for my big trip to Yokohama on Tuesday.

Note: Wednesday being my last day in Tokyo, those of you who are getting sick of the touristy feel of these Toyko posts ... relax. For those that are dissapointed ... well ... the following plans are all in their primitive stages, but you can look forward to at least some of the following trips in the next few months:

* Okinawa - with the girls from my dorm, and potentially to stalk Rino Nakasone. (Yes, that is two links. I like Rino.) Oh, what, she lives in the States? Shimatta ...

* Hakone - To see Le Petit Prince Museum and Mount Fuji (but not to climb it ... anyone who went on Duke of Edinburgh with me in 2004 will not need to ask why)

* Lake Biwa with Japanese friends, to swim and frolic in the largest freshwater lake in Japan