A very merry Christmas to everyone! So far mine's been very good, but let's go back to a little bit before Christmas.
Cat and I know this awsome band of awsome people called Roach, from Okinawa. The week before Christmas they've been playing concerts in Tokyo, and we managed to go to three of them.
The first one and the last one had an afterparty (the first one included Satoshi from Girugamesh as a guest, I just have to brag about that and then mention that I totally didn't even recognise him until Dai-chan, drummer of Roach introduced us XD Some fan right :p).
At the second concert Miya from MUCC decided to drop by... that was really crazy for us, who are crazy fans of them. But we weren't crazy enough to try to talk to him... I know it's completely dumb, but I'm really scared of being seen as a burden to people I really admire. The Roach show and also Rowthe (who we have also gone drinking with once, and who is an amazing band) was amazing though. Rowthe bloody nearly makes me cry, the music just really pulls my heart strings.
After the last live, held at Shibuya O-West (an event called "the amazing rock party!" or something), vocalist Taama and drummer Dai couldn't come to the party, which was really sad, because we won't see them now for who knows how long! But Taama took us to a nearby conveniense store and bought us box cocktails for one last kampai (cheers). Then he let us back into the hall so we could go with the remaining bembers of the band and their staff to the afterparty.
This time there was a huge party for all the bands who had played and their staff and invited fans. It was at a bar-like place (I forgot the name), and everyone were so friendly!
Cat, who didn't have an ubrella, and had gotten soaked like a fish in the rain on the way there were handed towels from everywhere, even the bartenders, and everyone asked if she was alright. And we talked to so many cool people!
Naturally, there were a lot of cute guys. I mean bandmen and rocker boys. Cat has made me aware lately that I suddenly seem to be into kind of lame looking guys with black hair and trailer caps, maybe it's just 'cause I'm so tired of the overly stashed and glammy gyaruos.
There was a guy there who was kind of the trailer cap-type, only he wasn't wearing a hat, and I don't think he looked that lame either (honestly I only remember he was wearing a tartan shirt but whatevs:p).
I got talked up by his friend, Tyler (seriously, that was his name, with kanji and everything, Taira XD), who played in one of the bands we'd missed, and who was basically hands on with everything with a hint of boobs in the place. He wasn't really creepy though, he was funny, and because of him I gt to talk to the dude in the shirt. And did so all night XD
His name is Natsu. He's 26, and it doesn't creep me out the least bit this time. He plays the guitar, but doesn't have a band right now (which is perfect) and he's handsome in a way that I really apreciate, but he's really not a babe, so I don't feel intimidated. Kind of like with Tomo...
but I don't think I've ever liked a guy like him before (at least not a japanese guy) and I kind of fell for him... I guess it's stupid, 'cause even if he doesn't look like a player I might get my heart broken, but you can't keep playing it pokerface all the time, right?
It was horrible timing that we were leaving for Osaka two days later... :(
First time going to Osaka, and I just wanted to stay in Tokyo. But we've been sending mail every day sisnce, and he also kept me company on the night bus :)
So did Cat, ofcourse.
I'de been looking forward to sleeping on the bus, because of the hard week we'd had before going, but the first three hours I sat rigid like a log, trying not to pee my pants XD The bus had no toilet, and the bathroom breaks really weren't frequent enough XD
I made it though, barely. And then I could sleep the rest of the way.
We arrived in Osaka on the icy cold morning of December 24. After going back and forth for a bit we found the right train (trains are really cheap here, by the way), and made it out where our friend, Petter lives.
He loves to cook, and had whipped up a real norwegian christmas breakfast!
They've even got decent bread, 'cause they've got a breadmaker!
Here's the humble Christmas tree, with a gingerbread star at the top.
And here's Cat, in the lovely cardigan she bought at Tralala, just before leaving Tokyo.
I don't know about other countries, but in Norway it's old tradition to have seven kinds of Christmas treats. Our family is not hardcore enough to do it, and if we do make the effort it only goes as far as to buying christmas cookies, maybe making gingerbread.
Petter had gone all the way and actually baked, using a fish griller and a microwave, 'cause that's what you've got to work with in Japan.
The result was amazing. I had never thought you could actually make Kranzekake without special equipment or at least DECENT equipment. The one he made was really soft and a lot better than many of the one's we've bought through the years!
He'd also made pudding:
The sause was made from strawberry jam, since he didn't have red lemonade, but it was probably the best treat there!
It was a very nice Christmas eve, and my first actually noregian one in three years. The previous two have been done the japanese way, which is a date XD Very nice, but for someone who comes from a country with such strong Christmas traditions (allthough I have not always loved them), also for the none-christians, you do start to long for this kind of thing.
I'm sorry, but to have a chance to get all this into the blog, I'm going to have to put it all in one insanely long post. Maybe you could read it in parts? If you've even bothered reading this fr XD
We actually went to a shrine!
I don't hate shrines or anything, I do think they're beutiful, but I'm just not that interested. I can go for one every now and then, if it's a really huge one maybe it'll last a couple of hours, but not like a whole day.
The one we went to, however, is a very small one, located near Petter and PGs house.
They were busy doing morning preperations (for something) when we went there. Like washing stuff and bringing things out of cars. A few locals came in now and then to casually ring the bell and say a prayer. I wonder what they pray for and if they do it every day.
A friend told me that there arn't many actually religious people in Japan, but everyone seems to be doing rituals and stuff.
After that Petter and his mom were leaving for a short trip to Tokyo. His roommate PG had also left for a few days, so Cat and I would be in charge of the house for a few days.
That first day of independence we decided to go clubbing in Osaka.
The train is really no problem. We have to switch once, but that's it and it's really easy to understand (unlike Chiba, where I still get on the wrong train even when I'm only going one station). I can't say I hate the stairs at the station either, but aparently they hate me XD
Fell down some stairs, lol. No, 4 real XD
It hurt a bit and I've got a bandaid and a swollen ancle to show for it, but most of all it was just emberassing. Somehow the cap came off the heel of my shoe, and a very sweet man picked it up for me. I like Osaka, at least the people are friendly ^^
Luckily there was a tutuanna-store at Umeda station, where we had to switch, so I could buy new stockings. They're not Pierre Robert, but they did the trick.
Actually we didn't know the way to the club we wanted to go to. We figured we'd go to Shinzaibashi, supposed to be the most lively part of Osaka, and take it from there.
It really was lively!
Osaka is kind of like I imagined Tokyo would be before I actually came there. In Shinzaibashi you can turn any direction and you'll see rows and rows of walls plasered with neon sings, even late at night.
Ofcourse, it did help that it was a Saturday and Christmas day (Dec.25.) too. The streets were packed with people dressed up for a night out, and people in various kinds of Santa Clause-like cosplays. And the boys hunting customers for bars and izakayas are all so cute here! Too bad they're all woking XD
Some streets we walked were also lined with hosts is shiny suits and not so shiny suits, and hostesseses clad in cabaret-dresses with down jackets on top, so they wouldn't freeze to death.
Eventually we came to a canal, where we saw the biggest Donki-store in the world! And beside that was a club named Giraffe, which totally wasn't the one we were looking for, but the crowd outside seemed interesting enough and it was 1000en entry(that was including the drink ticket) if you entered before elleven o'clock.
We went to grab a burger and were inside by 10:48 XD
In the beginning the music was nothing but mushy RnB, with the EXACT same rythm, and I was kind of scared that we would have to snail-dancing all evening, but luckily it picked up as the crowd thickened. I did not love the DJ though. He cut all the songs too short and had this nnoying habit of talking on top of all the really good songs. When he finally played Gaga or Dynamite or something, he HAD to mention that he was also DJing on Tuesday, and that it was Christmas and merry Christmas and shut the fuck up. He also thought that December 25. was Santa Clauses birthday, which was hillarious XD
I did have a very good time though. A group of boys bought us drinks, so now I know what a Cosmopolitan taste like. Not so much. I was hit on by three boys who were remarkably shorter than me, try to catch the eye of a few real hotties that wouldn't give me the time of day, danced with one hot dude and had to run from a few who wouldn't take a hint... of and I remember slappinga guy who grabbed my boob and throwing his sunglasses on the floor. It's funny now, but I must have been really mad. Things like that does piss me off.
Cat met this incredably sweet guy and got sucked into his world. The club started feeling more like a concert than a dance floor towards the end. I was completely worn out when they were closing, and kind of wished I'd left with the cute guy I'd danced with. I'd be sleeping in a hotel bed by then, probably, but now I'm really glad it didn't turn out that way. I don't need even more boy trouble...
We weren't home until like 7 in the morning. And slept until 4 the next day. But we had so much fun!
I just talked to Natsu on the phone, and I'm kind og troubled. I really like him, but I'm such a douchebag... he kind of talks as if we were actually dating, and we've only met once... both kind of drunk... so I don't know if the only right thing to do would be to stay chaste until I get back to Tokyo (at the current state that would mean ripping all his clothes off in the elevator at Tokyo Tower, I'm only being honest here), or if it's allright to have some fun with this... kind of insanely hot Osaka-gyaruo who I have no intention of really dating anyway but... kind of... drives me crazy...
I feel like when I blog lately it seems like I'm dating a hundred people, but it's not really like that... I don't want to be a player, not with him, but I don't want to give it all up for something that might not turn into anything anyway...
komatta....
