 |
| Rainy day in Tokyo |
 |
| Not sure what this building is, but it was in Digimon! |
It's cool because you take the train there that goes through Rainbow Bridge.
The museum we went to was one we heard about that was great for learning about the future. This was a constant theme in Japan - Innovation and preparing for the future. There were tons of robotics and really cool things.
We encountered robots that serve as greeters and information kiosks in malls and hospitals. You can have consistent, constant front desk service no matter what.
There was also a robotic seal that responds to human touch. The seal is used in nursing homes, to help the elderly cope with loneliness and depression.
 |
| Robot Seal |
However, what was the main attraction and star of the show was Asimo - developed by Honda, it is the most human robot created to this date. Asimo is programmed to complete several tasks on its own - run, kick, jump, and can even sing a song.
The below video describes it must better haha. The technology of Asimo would be great in not only a customer service industry, but in education, and so many more fields.
After the museum we ate lunch at a Chilis in Odaiba - it was actually pretty cool, and had prime property alongside the Tokyo Bay so we had a great view with our lunch. I think we mostly were interested in the view than lunch. We needed a quick bite to head back to Tokyo.
When we got back to Tokyo, we rested at our inn for a bit - soaked our aching feet in the onsen for a few hours and then we were off again. This time, we headed to Shinjuku for dinner. We ate at a sports bar that was very close to Shinjuku Ni-Chome.
Shinjuku Ni-Chome translate's to Shinjuku 2nd ward (or neighborhood) and Ni-Chome is where the gay district of Tokyo resides. Now, being gay in Japan is not a problem. LGBT residents of Japan do not enjoy the same rights as straight people. There is no marriage equality, for example. However, there are also no bans on same sex marriage (some cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto will even do a domestic partner registry). While Japan is LGBT friendly, it's not entirely progressive on the issue as western countries. Most of that is due to the roots of Japanese culture - which is you typically don't discuss personal relationships, so having to talk about LGBT rights means having to bring up personal relationships, which makes folks uncomfortable.
We were advise not to hold hands, kiss, etc. in public not because of Anti-LGBT fears, but because not even straight couples show public displays of affection. A straight couple showing affection is public is often looked down upon, and is considered rude. In Japan, there are essentially two versions of you - a public you, and a private you. The private you is who your family knows who you are, your close friends, etc. Public you is everyone else. The minute you walk out of the house, you have to put on your public face and personality, which is to be respect and keep the peace.
With that context in place, going to Ni-Chome was very interesting. It was like a little oasis filled with LGBT couples. Some holding hands, some were not. Some kissing, and others were not. Some of the bars and shops there cater exclusively to the LGBT community, and some where regular stores and bars. One key thing: everyone was extremely nice. As in all of Japan, local really go out of their way to make you feel special.
It was a Wednesday night so we weren't sure what we were going to find. Our first stop was a bar called Dragon Men. We had some beers, and the music was great. The bartender spoke to us in English and gave us some stories about being LGBT in Japan. He lives in Tokyo with his partner, but they often travel to the US and have talked about living in the US. We joked around that we should trade spots.
We then went to the Tokyo Eagle. So every large city that has a gay district, has some sort of "eagle" club. It's usually dark clubs catering to men who like to wear all leather. However, this was not the case. This Eagle club, was big and filled with bright lights and no leather in sight.
At first glance, it looked like any other club. Except of course for the mural of two asian bears kissing. I tried to get a picture of it, but with lots of folks still in the closet there, picture taking is generally frowned upon. Again, it's that private vs. public personal Japanese work hard to upkeep.
However, one thing I did notice was that no matter what country you are in - Beyonce is always queen in gay clubs. We heard so much Beyonce while in those clubs, we were wondering what hit Japanese songs we would hear, but instead heard lots of familiar songs.
We talked to a few other foreigners, some were in school in Japan. It was nice to hear their perspective.
Since the trains close at midnight, we went back to the inn early. One more item we got to check off our list!
Here is the snapchat feed from the day, I think it adds a little more to the post:
