Basement beer is the best beer

Friday was a day of complete overstimulation. It was a good day. We started out in Shibuya, home to many record stores. The Tower Records there is 7 floors! We didn't get into trouble until RECOfan, though. RECOfan has an overwhelming selection of secondhand LPs, many of them for under 1000 yen.

After discussing how many would fit into the luggage (6) and getting some energy back through a croissant-taiyaki, we headed to Shimokitazawa for some Japanese Americana.

Shimokitazawa is a charming town and a lovely change of pace from Shibuya. After an omurice for lunch, we headed to Bears for some Japanese-style American workwear.

After a quick stop in Koenji at Sugorokuya to get the Japanese edition of Web of Power (a German boardgame re-implemented as China and only available in original form in Japanese), we met our friend Mark in Harajuku, where we made the first two of four bar stops of the evening. The second one was at Baird's beer (a Japanese brewery in Numazu), where we also enjoyed some yakitori.

At this point it seemed like a good idea to go back to the basement of the PAL building (where Toriteru is) next to Shinagawa station. Penjack may be the best old-man bar in Shinagawa, where everyone has their own bottle, ladies get Sapporo, men get Asahi, the population density is 0.5 people/square foot, and grey-haired Japanese guys cover Beatles songs.

Great times.

Afterwards we returned to the oden place I ate on my first night and sat in the closet since the counter was full. Room enough for tako, daikon, tofu, and tamago, though.

Saturday we meet my old friend Mei, whom I haven't seen in about 30 years. Can't wait!