Have you ever noticed how there are all sorts of funky places hiding out in plane sight in the middle of Tokyo? You have? Everyone knows that? OK, never mind.
After leaving Betterave, we flocked around for a bit. This bridal salon was next door, and they were still working on things even at 10:30 or so. I thought the peafowl needed to see Dogenzaka in its Saturday-night glory, and we were just over the back of the hill, so off we went.
Even today I’m not sure if this is Engrish or a joke. It helps if you know there’s no distinction between F and H sounds in Japanese, but it’s pretty funny either way. And not really likely that it’s a deeply self-aware Engrish-at-its-own-expense joke.
For some reason, Sound Bar Lip caught our eyes. There must be a back story, but on the night, only the princess pictured on the left was in attendance. She was mostly just snoozing on a couch by the front door while every girl in the bar took turns petting her. Not a bad life, especially if you don’t mind loud music and like watching surfing movies.
Lip is a much better place than I was expecting. Low pleather couches, decent cheapish drinks, friendly guys with wacky hair doing the serving, and a relaxed but energetic vibe.
Unfortunately, there are also demonic presences lurking in the background. That probably explains why I had us turn the wrong way at Bunkamura when we left, and also why I got us on the train bound out of Shibuya for the hinterlands rather than a sensible inbound version. Seeing “Next: Ikejiri” on the monitor reminded me right away of this time when I took Narita Express and as soon as we left Tokyo the sign flashed “Next: Shibuya”. I was on a business trip to meet clients, on a schedule, and I freaked out. Anyway, I was a bad tour guide tonight.
You’ve gotta see this site. It’s cute.
Is that my demonic arm in the photo?
The arm of Satan!!!! Ahhhhh!!!