Regrettably, still in Tokyo.
Today’s reading is basically saying to not despair if you gaze into the abyss.
Plenty of bigger readings with major arcana lately, I’m noticing.
So I was supposed to have therapy today, but with the appointments I had, I decided I should instead cancel and focus on that.
I figured I’ll go out, find a photo booth to take a pic for it, and then head to the embassy. In fact, I distinctly remember where a photo booth relatively near to the embassy…
…because yes, not the first time this has happened and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
I made a half mistake and I decided to follow Google Maps instead of my own muscle memory of how to arrive, because you see, many times in the past as I explored near Tokyo Tower I ended up near the embassy BY ACCIDENT so I knew the way but I was like “surely Google Maps will help”.
It didn’t.
On the flipside, I did see a bunch of early bloomer trees near Kamiyacho Station.
So this is very odd to explain, but near the embassy there’s two malls designed to go up the hill and into the street above. I went through one thinking it was the one I knew from my past visits, but it wasn’t and it threw me off. I went near the embassy anyways to kinda reorient myself and the moment I saw a familiar sight I immediately knew where I was.
And wouldn’t you know it, the photo booth was still there.
So I head back to the embassy aaaaaaaaaand I need to make an appointment.
Could this have been avoided with me calling? Yes, but also, last time I went I didn’t need an appointment and the requirement was something they started doing last year.
So with my tail between my legs (but a photo I had to take anyways) I returned to my hotel to warm back up and meet up with my friend again.
Weather was kinda awful but we trucked on, first we ate in Sushiro which… it’s Sushiro, it’s serviceable, not the best though.
Then we went to the Fangamer Cafe at GiGO for a spell and then decided to head early to Shinjuku.
We walked there and stopped at an arcade where my friend played iidx and I just looked on at a level of coordination that made my fingers itch.
Then we continued to our destination: Shinjuku 2choume, AKA Tokyo’s Gay District.
So fun fact: The first time I learned about this was because during an interview, the interviewer told me he learned of VA-11 Hall-A from a friend that worked at a bar in Shinjuku 2Choume, at which point the friend helping translate clarified it’s the Gay District.
We arrived really early, but we first went to a bar called Alamas, mainly to warm up and think without the rain on us.
So get this.
The bar my friend was interested in is called Goldfinger, and its logo is an oyster.
The fact that a lesbian bar is named after a Sean Connery movie of all things is hilarious not gonna lie.
But the place was lovely, I especially liked how the bar’s screens had queer news reports on it in the middle of all the other videos.
Also you can tell it’s a gay space and I was drunk because ABBA comes up and I start ranting about how Dancing Queen is an overrated song.
Not bad, overrated.
Fun was had, so much so that we both regretted that we probably shouldn’t get shitfaced just yet with stuff that needs to be done.
Thank God tomorrow’s appointment, arguably the main one for the trip is at like 2PM because I can pass all the potential hangover and whatnot before heading out.