DANNY ROBINS' INDIE TRAVEL GUIDE: FEBRUARY 10TH 2011

INDIE TRAVEL GUIDE - TOKYO

This week, we head to the Japanese capital - memorably captured in Sophia Coppola's film Lost in Translation. As the film shows, it's a place of neon, skyscrapers and futuristic gadgets but also ancient customs and tradition that can seem very alien to us.

You have to be prepared to dive into a place where you won't understand street signs, maps, menus and anything anybody says. As long as you find that exciting and not scary, you'll have a great time.

It's a city that has to be seen to be believed. It's huge and when the neon comes to life at night it makes Piccadilly Circus or Time Square like rather unimpressive.

With such a vast and buzzing city there's way more to say about it than I can possibly fit in this blog, but consider this an hors d'oeuvre and then go off and do some of your own research.

Japan's Indie Scene

Although mainstream 'J Pop' is the dominant musical genre, Japan does have its fair share of indie acts and Tokyo is a focus for them. The city has a big live music scene. Very few bands though have made the leap from domestic success to international acclaim.

Probably the best known Japanese indie act on these shores is Shonen Knife from Osaka, who got quite a following in the 90s; they were signed to Sub Pop and championed by Kurt Cobain - they toured with Nirvana. Sultans of Ping FC sang 'I Like Japanese Girls' in tribute to them. They're still going strong. Matt Groening chose them to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties he curated last year.

There's also the 5.6.7.8's, another all girl group who have been around for a while but became famous after playing in Kill Bill Vol 1.

There are some great Japanese band names out there. How do you like the sound of....Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her, Zoobombs, Coaltar of the Deepers and, best of all, the brilliantly sinisterly named Mr Children, who it turns out are huge with 50million album sales to their (rather odd) name.

Interesting article theorising on why there aren't more globally successful Japanese bands

For an interesting read on Japanese music, get Julian Cope's Japrock Sampler: How the Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock n Roll.

Where to explore

Tokyo is a sprawling city of 12 million people, in fact it's so big it's almost like a collection of cities that have grown togther, so it can be hard to know where to start.

The east side of the area know as Shinjuku is where a lot of the nightlife is and where the neon glares brightest.

One of the hippest up and coming areas is Nakameguro in South Central Tokyo. Full of cafes, vintage clothes shops and quirky shops it's well worth exporing.

Akihabara is the area of Tokyo known as 'Electric Town'. For years it's been the place to go to pick up cheap electronic goods and recently it's become the best place to sample Tokyo's Otaku culture. Otaku basically translates as 'obsessive fan' or 'nerd' I suppose and refers to the legions of Japanese (mainly men but women too) who are devoted to watching anime, reading manga and playing computer games.

The area is quite amazing and bewildering at first but well worth exploring. How about buying a robot to do the housework at Tsukumo Robotto Okoku? That translates as 'robot kingdom'.

And check out the Tokyo Anime Center, which as the name suggests is devoted to all things anime and has regular screenings.

Also, check out the Broadway Arcade in an area called Nakano - it's the whole second floor of a shopping arcade, jam packed with anime and manga shops catering to the Otaku crowd. If you're looking for a giant statue of Godzilla, this is where you'll find it.

Bars

Tokyo has some of the best (and some of the weirdest) bars in the world. Check out:

Kagaya - the menu is a puppet show and the owner dresses as a frog.

Alcatraz ER - a prison hospital may not seem like the most obvious theme for a bar, but this place is very popular. Drinks are served in test tubes and occasionally 'escaped convicts' will run out and scare you.

Christon Cafe - This Christian themed bar and restaurant basically looks like a kitsch church. Christianity in Japan is like Buddhism is here - trendy and a bit of a leftfield novelty, so I guess this is sort of like Tokyo's version of the Buddha Bar.

Office - Japanese people spend too much time working in the office, right? So what do they do to relax? Go to a bar themed around an office. It has photocopiers, desks, filing cabinets and a great view of the city.

Look out for the word 'Nomihoudai' - it means "all-you-can-drink", so you pay for a flat rate for two hours worth of booze instead of buying individual drinks.

Maid Cafes

One strange new trend that started in Akihbara is 'Maid Cafes', where waitresses dress as characters from anime or manage and greet you in character. One of the best known is @home .

There are all sorts of strange twist on this maid culture. There's a place called Nagomi which means "little sister" cafe, where the waitresses will greet you by saying "Welcome home big brother". They are then likely to behave erratically, sometimes bullying you the whole time you're there, then crying when you leave. You don't get that in Pret a Manger.

I've heard tell there's even an an "ear cleaning cafe", where you lay your head in the lap of a waitress and she de-waxes your ears. Each to their own...

An article on Maid Cafes

Odd Tokyo

The Maid Cafes are a good example of the strain of oddness that Tokyo is famous for. This is, after all, the city that came up with the 'boyfriend's arm pillow'. Some other rather eccentric tourist attractions include:

The Metrea Meat Theme Park - never been to a meat theme park before? Shame on you. There's a meat museum (with a display case on the history of sausages) and 7 meat restaurants (one does pork ice cream). The company behind it have seem to have a niche in food -based theme parks - they also came up with Gyoza Stadium, Dessert Forest and Ice Cream City.

Ninja Akasaka - a maze-like 'ninja themed' restaurant. You will be served by Ninjas - so be prepared for waiters you never see coming.

An Earthquake Simulator - at the The Tokyo Northern Disaster Research Center, shows you what an earthquake would be like, including shaking walls and collapsing furniture.

Festivals

The biggest and best known music festival in Japan is Fuji Rock, it started life at Mount Fuji but is now held at Mount Naeba Ski Resort, which is about 3 hours drive from Tokyo. It's the last weekend of July and you could easily combine going to the festival with spending some time in the capital.

There's also the Summer Sonic Festival which, like Reading/Leeds is spread across two cities - in this case Osaka and Tokyo. Headliners this year are Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Strokes. Dates are 13th and 14th August.

If you find yourself getting interested in Japanese rock, check out the Rising Sun Rock Festival (12th and 13th August). It's nowhere near Tokyo unfortunately but it's a festival devoted exclusively to homegrown bands.

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