The most wretched den of scum and villainy in tokyo.

And that's why I keep going back to Kabukicho. 

They are trying to Gentrify it.

But the grime is too thick, and the lure of flesh, too strong.

It's become safer but I don't think it could ever truly be a safe-space.

And in a city that's actively trying to kill of everywhere that is remotely fun. 

And replacing it with corporate friendly, entertainments for the boring, mainstream masses.  

It's the scummy corners like Kabukicho that will be the last refuge for proper fun, in central Tokyo.

Sweet sweets and cheap grog (赤羽 Akabane, Tokyo part 2) | Japan How It Is - ft. The Germanator.

Music by MANNY MARX. http://manymarx.com

After the epic Oden, The Germanator and I went crawling around Akabane in search of whatever we happened to find.

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Hail Oden! Maruken Suisan 丸健水産 (赤羽 Akabane, Tokyo part 1) | It's Not Sushi ft. The Germanator

Music by MANNY MARX. http://manymarx.com

The Germanator and I went out one last time before he headed back. We hit up Maruken Suisan, thus far, the best oden shop I've been to in Japan.

LOCATION

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Japan How It Is - Ginza Pedestrian Paradise

The Germanator stood me up in Ginza so I made a video about Pedestrian Paradise.
As the name suggests, Pedestrian Paradise is a paradise for pedestrians... :p

Music by Manny Marx

Shot with my "mad skillz" and a Sony a7S

A long walk from Shibuya to Oimachi | JAPAN, How It Is.

Shot in Spring, Edited and released in Autumn. That super fast turnaround time is why The Germanator is joining the fray. On the bright side, this is long enough that you can digest through it for the next 6 months it takes me to work through some of my other backlogged videos ;)

The title is self explanatory, I took a walk through Tokyo and you get to join me on it.

World How It Is Official channel
My Co-Producer, The Germanator

*1 04:33 If you get this reference, tell me if you can spot the others I make from the same source.

*2 08:03 Review of Suzuran in Ebisu.

*3 15:08 No. It's the Yamanote line, but the cut was so obvious that I thought I'd make a joke that only English Teachers in Japan would truly appreciate.

*4 17:19 https://youtu.be/BRDBvKGc1fE

*5 21:26 Sam and Joe 

*6 24:27 Orion Beer. Google it!

Buy "Makla'Tosh" by The Uchujins here:
iTunes
Amazon
CD Baby
Microsoft
Bandcamp

stream on Spotify

Odawara Ramen - Aji Ichi Houjou（小田原らーめん鯵壱北條。）| It's Not Sushi

Finally working through some of the backlogged videos. First up was a random ramen encounter at Aji Ichi Houjou in Odawara. The four of us were all working at the same part-time gig and we are all big fans of the bowl so it was only natural that we dined out at one of the local establishments on our lunch break.

Tokyo, How it is - Shots #145

Tokyo, How it is

Japan How It Is - A Long Walk through Downtown Fukuoka

I take a walk through downtown Fukuoka on a quest for epic ramen.
music by Manny Marx and The Living.

Coming Soon...

Japan How It Is - Kurokabe Shopping District - Nagahama, Shiga

I took a stroll through Nagahama's Kurokabe Shopping District. One of the oldest Shopping districts in Japan.

Sturgeon general's warning: I shot this handheld so if you're prone to motion sickness, don't fullscreen this vid.

Music by Manny Marx

7 Days 7 Minutes (2014-10-13) Shinjuku, Akihabara, My Hood and more...

00:00 MONDAY 大phoon
01:00 TUESDAY Miyamaedaira
02:00 notWEDNESDAY Shinjuku Station South East Exit
03:00 THURSDAY Akihabara Stroll
04:00 FRIDAY
05:00 SATURDAY Typically Omotesando
06:00 SUNDAY Aladdin 9 - Shinjuku Street Performance

It's Not Sushi - ¥500 Curry Near the Tokyo Skytree

I stumbled upon this rather epic Restaurant near the Tokyo Skytree and had a rather mouthwatering ¥500 curry.

It's Not Sushi - Okonomiyaki at Houzenji San-Pei, Dotonbori, Osaka

I had a job in Osaka for Highlighting Japan recently and as part of it, I was treated to Okonomiyaki at a small restaurant called Houzenji San-Pei, in a small back alley behind Dotonbori, in Osaka.

Music: Darc Urban Jungle by DJ Russel CrossFire

Highlighting Japan   All About Media Group

It's Not Sushi - Science Experiment Candy (ねるねるねるね nerunerunerune)

The first of 2 videos where I look at some kids' candy where the prep is as fun and important as the candy itself.

Thanks to The Cat for doing the science.

Why Did The Idols Run Across Shibuya Crossing? (Random Japan)

To make the dirty old man who owns them rich!

Because I don't want to help with that, I'm not going to link to anything from this idol group, if you care, google the name on their flag... a word of warning though... if you listen to their music your ears will bleed.

I suppose for a talentless, not spectacularly beautiful looking young woman of below average intellect this is a better job than working at the convenience store or prostitution... And even though Idol wages are notoriously low, they probably made more this month than I did, for a lot less mental work.

Damn I just realised Idols get exploited less than I do... That's a depressing thought.

Japan, How It Is - A long Walk from The Imperial Palace to Shibuya

In Spring I ended up at the Imperial Palace for reason's I no longer recall. Because I didn't want to have to deal with all the zombies on the train, I decided to walk to Omotesando and Beyond.

In addition to the video I took a crap tonne of photos, 

80 of which I've uploaded to Flickr.

Music by The Living: http://mothdelacruz.bandcamp.com

If you liked this video, take a look at my 

'Long Walk from Kawasaki to Shibuya' and 'Driving Around Okinawa' 

Japan, How It Is Videos.

Shots #120 Abenomics Explained

Japan, How It Is - Cat Park - Ikebukuro「池袋のねこパーク、東池袋中央公園」

The East Ikebukuro central park is a little patch of green amongst the concrete towers. It is also home to a rather large population of cats.



Bonus cat pics are bonus:

 

Tunes I used:

Artist: The Living
tune1: Emelie Heard
tune2: Mr. Punch
tune3: Godsense
Album: M.I.V.1

Be sure to check out his Bandcamp page.
Download the tracks you like and if you can afford it, pay what you can.

Japan How It Is - Desert Sand And Pollution (Unwanted gifts from China)

A quick look at the yellow sand and pollution that blows in from China around this time of the year. In short, me complaining about the weather.

Watch the Hong Kong, How It Is pollution video I referenced:

Japan, How It Is - Ogres from the Frozen North

I had about 30 minutes to walk around Akita station before I needed to catch a shinkansen so I only had time to talk about the ogres that were pretty much everywhere!