Shinjuku, coffee and cat cafes.

I had left the hotel with the idea of going to central Tokyo, but when I reached the station, i opted for Shinjuku instead. Disembarking at about 9:20am, I was amused to find out that most business don't open until 11:00am on a Saturday, but trade until about 9:30pm. What a novel idea.

To pass the time, I tried to find another 'Excelsior Coffee', but I wasn't having any luck. The only place that offered a latte was Starbucks, so I wandered in there and got one. Passable, is all I'll say.

I wandered up and down the main thoroughfare until the store opened, and by that time I had spotted the 'Calico Cat Cafe'. I proceeded to the sixth floor and paid my 1,200 yen, and sat on cushions littered about the place while cats just roamed around. Like so:

You can pat the cats as much as you like, but you are forbidden from picking them up. To my delight, there was an Abyssinian wandering around, who could have been Ripley's brother.

He didn't take a shine to me, however. The only cat that did was ragged looking bag of shit whom I loved instantly. I don't recall the name of the breed, but he looked like he'd had his face caved in with a mallet. He appeared to have a cold and sneezed all over my hat, but we made friends. There were all types of breed represented, except perhaps the hairless cats, and I noted with interest that standard tabby cats in Japan appear to have been exposed to radiation, because they are significantly larger than the ones back home.

Leaving there, I wandered over to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Similarities abounded between the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, and I drifted aimlessly, taking photos and harassing wildlife.

Well, not so much 'harassment' as just hanging about and talking to the crows in a conversational manner. They are a different specie of Corvus, and like the cats, they are bigger than the ones at home. Their call is also markedly different.

I ambled back into Shinjuku proper, and found a music shop that sold shirts, from which I made a purchase. It's for the band 'Belphegor' and features an upside-down Christ on the cross, and the words "Shred for Satan". Lovely.

Tired, I made my way back to Otsuka and dined at a fantastic sushi restaurant, where I actually recalled some Japanese. The chef who made my meal seemed happy to hear 'Totemo oiishi desu yo, arigato gozaimasu.' Which just means 'that was very tasty, thank you'. On a whim, I then got my first ever proper barber shave, with a straight razor. Throat intact, I've now retired to the hotel for the night.