Malcolm's Global Trip: Day 27

For my penultimate day was a lazy day. I was feeling the pace of the holiday now and was starting to flag a little. So I had a bit of a lie-in and before heading out. Today's plan was to go and visit some big murals that were painted as part of a graffiti festival that took place in 2015. Located on Tennozu Isle, this area felt a bit liked Docklands in London with high rise buildings towering over waterways. As it turns out there had been a bit of a clean up in the time since the festival and the murals were nowhere to be seen, so a bit of a wasted journey in that regards. But it got me into another bit of the city close to Shinagawa Station where I ended my walk.

A quick ride on the Yamanote took me to Harajuku, another part of the city I hadn't spent much time in. This felt like a very Japanese take on Carnaby Street or Camden with lots of fashion stores all displaying items coloured in an LSD-inspired colour palette. Rather sadly a lot of mainstream western chains now have a presence in the area, which I didn't like. We travel to places like Japan because it's different, we don't want the same shops we have back home. I still mean to come here on a Sunday when all the dressed up kids turn up on mass. One day!

I ended the day back in Shinjuku and it was time to see a show. Now there was no Cirque du Soleil currently in Japan but they do have the Robot Restaurant. I'd heard of this in previous trips but didn't feel comfortable at the time to come along, but this time I knew I had to go. It's a dinner show featuring neon covered floats and live music and it's insane, completely overloading the eyes with neon and mirrors and lasers. It's just crazy, but it does have it's faults; the biggest is the constant sales pitch to buy merch. The show is in 3 sections and between them a trolley is pushed out to sell you stuff. I know they need to make money but it's a bit much, and it didn't taint what is a very bizarre show. Most of the photos are from there.

To finish the day I headed to Golden Gai, a small area crammed full of the tiniest bars where you're lucky if you can fit half a dozen people in each establishment. Most have cover charges to ensure they get some money in, a small few don't bother to entice foreigners in.

This is what I'd gone for.

Whilst the big murals have gone from Tennozu Isle they still have some pieces around.

This is the wall where it would have been.

Harajuku was busy, I think it always is.

That's quite a collection of pokemon.

and the evening was all about Robot Restaurant. The rather subtle entrance gives you an idea of what to expect.

Charli XCX shot her video to "Superlove" here. This was a few years ago and the props seem to have changed a little bit. We didn't have all the robots she had!

Before the show starts properly you get to hang in the most lurid bar you'll ever stay in. The artwork is great though. Musical accompaniment comes from some traditional Japanese drums and a singer with a backing band that look like Daft Punk.

The show is a catwalk style set up with the audience on each side. The floats, some of which are driven and others remote, emerge from each side and squeeze their way through the floor sometimes getting very close to those people in the front row.